Winemakers are ones responsible for transforming bunches of grapes into bottles of wine. Everyone enjoys good wine, but what goes into turning simple juice into complex wine?
Monitoring vines
The first part of a boutique winemaker’s job is to make sure that a vineyard produces the maximum number of good quality grapes that can be made into wine. It’s not as if the winemaker can spring into action once harvest time comes around: monitoring the vineyards is an all-year-round occupation.
Climate and soil conditions have everything to do with the way the vines grow and the kinds of grapes they yield. If the winemaker has a certain goal in mind, he or she must keep a close eye on the grapes to make sure they can fulfil that goal.
The process
Once the grapes have been harvested, the boutique winemaker supervises the crushing and pressing of the grapes. Depending on the type of wine being made, the winemaker makes decisions about how long the skins should be in contact with juice and how long the mixture should be left to ferment. Timing is everything in winemaking – longer or shorter fermentation can affect the final taste, texture and structure of the wine.
Depending on the quality of the wine, the wine will be left to age in steel or wood vessels to develop the flavours. The winemaker decides on how long each wine will be aged to achieve the flavours and aromas he or she wants.
Adding
After the initial tasting and assessment, the winemaker decides whether additives should be applied to the wine to alter the flavour, smell or structure. If the winemaker wants the wine to be more acidic or slightly sweeter, he or she will mix in the additives to achieve the right taste.
Besides the natural elements being exactly right, the winemaker makes sure that the chemical balance is also spot-on. A winemaker’s aim is to achieve the perfectly balanced wine with the right flavours in the right doses.
To experience the handiwork of the best winemakers in the country, order a selection of wines from BoutiqueWineries.com.au
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