What is wine fermentation?

In short, it is the complex action whereby the living organism of yeast breaks the sugar down into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The action of the yeast on the sugar continues until the volume of alcohol has reached somewhere between 12.5% to 14%.

At this stage, the yeast organism is destroyed by the alcohol it has produced and fermentation ceases. This is what is known as a natural wine. Most commercial products come under this category until they have been fortified. This period of fermenting in the tub can be a dangerous time. Because of this, the fermentation process should be completed as soon as possible (even at the risk of losing a little of the wine's bouquet).

Next, we must then keep the brew warm. Our goal here is to bring about ideal conditions in which the living organism and yeast cells can multiply more rapidly. Warmth helps to ensure this. The faster they multiply, the more rapidly they convert the sugar into alcohol and therefore, the sooner the yeast destroys itself.

Do not be tempted to keep a brew hot during fermentation. During warm weather, any odd spot will do for a fermenting brew. Also, a warm spot in the kitchen or in an airing cupboard is as good as any during the winter.

After 14 day of fermentation in a warm place, the wine can be bottled or put into stone jars. This is the time to add the isinglass.

Adding the Isinglass:

Isinglass is not needed to clarify flower or fruit wines made with the recipes given at www.e-homewinemaking.com. These wines will clarify themselves quite readily within a few weeks of fermentation. Nor is isinglass an absolute need for clearing root wines. However, I have found that root wines and wines made from a mixture of roots and fruits, do clear more readily with the help of isinglass. For this reason, some recipes will instruct you to "proceed with isinglass and bottling".

When put into wine, isinglass forms an insoluble cloud which surrounds the minute solids in the wine and gradually forces them to the bottom of the bottle.

Besides assisting the clearing process, isinglass helps to solidify the lees, thereby rendering them less easy to disturb while moving the bottles or when wine is poured from a bottle containing lees.

There are many methods of using isinglass, but the one I use myself without fail results is as follows:

Take one quart of the wine and warm it very slowly in a saucepan. Next, crumble 1/8 of an ounce of isinglass over the surface of this wine and then stir with a fork until everything is dissolved. Then pour it into the rest of the wine in a circular motion.

Many people advise dissolving the isinglass in a small amount of water. As we've seen, ordinary tap-water quite often contains wild yeast; the very act, then, of using water might well ruin all of our efforts to keep wild yeast out of the wine.

When purchased from a chemist in 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce quantities, the amount required is easy to calculate, and this is usually plenty for one gallon of wine.

When the isinglass has been added, put the wine into sterilized bottles or jars and cover as already directed. The wine must then be returned to a warm place, and kept there until all fermentation has ceased.

If the wine were put in a cold place the yeast might go dormant and the wine would not be able to ferment. If it were later moved into a warm room, or the weather happened to turn very warm, the yeast would become active and start fermenting again. In a warm place, fermentation will not fail.

If you happen to notice that the top half-inch of wine has become crystal-clear, seal the bottles at once! This is a clear indication that fermentation has stopped. Unfortunately, we rarely get this invaluable guide.

When all fermentation has stopped and when no more small bubbles are rising to the top, the yeast is dead. Fermentation cannot begin again unless wild yeast or bacteria get into the wine and start that souring ferment that I've previously mentioned. Perfect air-tight sealing at the earliest possible stage of production is critical.

Push the cork down hard and seal with sealing-wax. If screw-top bottles are available, use these if you prefer. Personally, I never use any other kind when I can find them. Remember that the yeast is dead, so fermentation cannot begin again and explode the bottles or blow the corks unless wild yeast or bacteria reach the wine. Screw-top bottles are, then, the obvious choice.

About the Author

James Wilson owns & operates www.e-homewinemaking.com, a site providing wine-making tips, tricks and techniques. If you're interested in making your own wine, visit www.e-homewinemaking.com today and sign up for the FREE wine-making mini-course!

Headlines on Aging Wine

Playing With the Grown-Ups (New York Times)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:41:11 GMT
The tasting panel sips 2005 cru Beaujolais and finds much to talk about.

Fine wines at 6,000 feet: West Elk AVA (The Daily Sentinel)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:53:58 GMT
Of the 16 wineries in Delta and Montrose counties, six are within the 48,000-acre West Elk AVA (American Viticultural Area), one of two federally-designated grape-growing areas in Colorado.

What?s New in Beaujolais Is Not Nouveau (New York Times)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:55:39 GMT
In a region known for wines to be drunk and forgotten, there are serious producers creating wines of depth and class that nonetheless retain the joyous nature imbued in Beaujolais.

Aging Wine and More

Wine Fermentation


What is wine fermentation?
In short, it is the complex action whereby the living organism of yeast breaks the sugar down into carbon dioxide and alcoh...


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Copyright 2006 Daily News Central

Drinking wine is believed to provide greater health benefits than drinking beer. The additional benefits may be due in part to an associated healthier diet, researchers theorize.

Wine drinkers eat more olives, fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products, poultry and lean cuts of meat, according to a recent study. Beer drinkers were found to eat more pre-cooked packaged foods, sugar, chips, soft-drinks, cold cuts, sausages and fattier cuts of meat.

Shopping Habits Studied

Food and alcohol shopping habits were investigated by a team from the National Institute of Public Health in Denmark. Researchers analyzed 3.5 million transactions, chosen at random from 98 outlets of two major Danish supermarket chains over a six month period. They evaluated the link between the purchase of beer and wine together with various food items.

Customers were categorized as "wine only," "beer only," "mixed," or "non-alcohol" buyers. Details of items bought, the number and price of the items, and the total charge for each customer's transaction were recorded.

Wine Buyers Purchase Healthier Foods

The results indicate that people who buy and presumably drink wine purchase a greater number of healthy food items than those who buy beer, according to the authors. Wine buyers purchased more fresh, low-fat foods, while beer buyers bought more processed, high-fat foods.

The study results also support findings from the United States and France that indicate wine drinkers tend to eat more fruit, vegetables and fish -- and less saturated fat -- than persons who prefer other alcoholic drinks.

Other Lifestyle Factors

The health benefits of drinking wine may be due to a combination of specific substances in wine and different characteristics of people, researchers add.

Thus, it is crucial that studies on the relationship between alcohol intake and mortality adjust for other lifestyle factors besides eating habits, including drinking patterns, smoking, physical activity, education and income.

The Meditteranean Diet

If you want to enjoy a longer life, eat a Mediterranean diet: lots of vegetables, legumes, fruits and cereals, along with plenty of fish. Keep your intake of saturated fats low but your consumption of olive oil high. Avoid dairy products and meat -- and enjoy that glass of wine now and then.

Elderly Europeans who eat that way enjoy longer life expectancy, according to another study published online by the BMJ last year. The evidence suggests that such a diet may be beneficial to health.

Lower Death Rate

That study involved over 74,000 healthy men and women, aged 60 or more, living in nine European countries. Information on diet, lifestyle, medical history, smoking, physical activity levels and other relevant factors was recorded. Adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet was measured using a recognized scoring scale.

A higher dietary score was associated with a lower overall death rate. A two point increase corresponded to an 8 percent reduction in mortality, while a three or four point increase was associated with a reduction of total mortality by 11 percent or 14 percent respectively.

So, for example, a healthy man aged 60 who adheres well to the diet (dietary score of 6-9) can expect to live about one year longer than a man of the same age who does not adhere to the diet.

Plant Foods, Unsaturated Fats

The association was strongest in Greece and Spain, probably because people in those countries follow a genuinely Mediterranean diet, according to the authors.

Adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet, which relies on plant foods and unsaturated fats, is associated with a significantly longer life expectancy, and may be particularly appropriate for elderly people, who represent a rapidly increasing group in Europe, they concluded.

About the Author

Rita Jenkins is a health journalist for Daily News Central, an online publication that delivers breaking news and reliable health information to consumers, healthcare providers and industry professionals:
http://www.dailynewscentral.com

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Current Aging Wine News

Fruit of the vine is a passion for family (Independent)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 05:31:03 GMT
As autumn approaches with cool nights and dry, warm days, it signals only one thing at the Four JG's Vineyards in Colts Neck - the beginning of harvest time. "We start in September and will continue to harvest until about the middle of October," said Janet Giunco, owner and winemaker.

Dining Update: Jeanty at Jack's loses spark (San Francisco Chronicle)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:34:02 GMT
Hardly a week goes by when I'm not asked for restaurant recommendations in the Napa Valley. Without hesitation, I'll spout off my favorites, and Bistro Jeanty is at the top of the list. The petite French brasserie is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and has...

Tuesday October 2 (WLBZ Bangor)

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:16:51 GMT
Can Botox actually add years to your face? Anti-aging expert Dr. Perricone says yes and reveals three foods he claims are better than Botox.

Playing With the Grown-Ups (New York Times)

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:41:11 GMT
The tasting panel sips 2005 cru Beaujolais and finds much to talk about.

Thoughts about Aging Wine

Wine Drinkers Eat Healthier Foods Than Beer Drinkers


Copyright 2006 Daily News Central
Drinking wine is believed to provide greater health benefits than drinking beer. The additional benefits may be due ...


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