Oxidation – Friend or Foe to Wine?
Overall, oxidation is an important factor in winemaking and aging that can greatly impact a wine’s flavor and aroma. Winemakers carefully control the amount of oxygen exposure to achieve the desired level of oxidation in the wine, and wine enthusiasts can learn to appreciate and identify the effects of oxidation on their favorite wines. When […]
Qvevri – Ancient Winemaking is New Again
Qvevri is a type of large clay vessel traditionally used for winemaking in Georgia, dating back to ancient times. In modern winemaking, Qvevri is making a comeback as a popular method for producing natural wines with distinctive character and flavor. Qvevri, also called kvevri, is a big clay jar that’s been used in Georgia for […]
Racking – How Wine Is Clarified
During the winemaking process, yeast and other particles in the wine settle at the bottom of the container as sediment. Racking is the process of carefully transferring the clear wine from the top of the container into another container, leaving the sediment behind. When people make wine, things like yeast and bits from the grapes […]
Residual Sugar – A Critical Measure
Residual sugar is a term used to describe the amount of sugar left in a wine after fermentation has ceased. It is usually expressed in grams per liter (g/L) or as a percentage of the wine’s total volume. This unfermented sugar can have a significant impact on the taste and mouthfeel of a wine, and […]
Saignée – Seeing Red, Drinking Pink
Saignée is a French winemaking term that translates to “bleeding” and refers to a technique used in the production of rosé wines. This process involves removing a portion of juice from a vat of red grapes early in the fermentation process, resulting both a more concentrated red wine and a lighter-colored rosé. Saignée is a […]