White Wine

White Wine photos, charts, maps, and wines.

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One of the most basic elements of winemaking is the difference in techniques used to make white, rose, and red wines.

The basic recipe for making wines is pretty simple:

Find fruit
Crush fruit
Leave fruit to read more...undergo alcoholic fermentation, which converts sugar to alcohol
Allow wine to clear.
Bottle wine.
Drink wine.
Take a nap.

Ok, now that we got that out of the way let’s take a closer look at this seemingly simple process.

We’ll begin with the making of white wine. White wine can be made from almost any grape. Even the vast majority of red grapes only have pigments in the skin so if the grapes are crushed and the juice immediately separated from these pigment rich skins, the resulting wine will be what we refer to as white wine!

Once a clear, or nearly clear juice is obtained from the grapes the alcoholic fermentation process can begin. In many instances today’s wines are fermented using cultivated yeasts, as these tend to produce more predictable and consistent fermentations, and results. Of course, traditionally the juice was fermenting using the yeasts found on the grape skins, the so-called indigenous yeasts.

Once the fermentation gets going and the yeast cells are eating up the sugar they produce three by products, alcohol, carbon dioxide, and heat. The alcohol we know all about and are hoping for, the CO2 I’ll touch on later but can be a very good thing for the wines, but the heat, well the heat can be a problem.

If the fermenting must, that’s the roiling mass of juice and yeast cells in this case, gets too warm, the resultant wine risks losing it’s freshness and appealingly fruity character. In order to preserve this bright, fruity quality the temperature of a wine’s fermentation is strictly controlled. A long, slow, cool fermentation is generally the goal with white wines. Typically it only takes a few weeks to complete this cool fermentation.

The wine is ready to be racked once all the sugar has been converted to alcohol, and frequently just before, as a tiny touch of RS or residual sugar, that is the sugar that has not been converted to alcohol and has been left in the wine, tends to make a wine feel lush and seem fruitier to the drinker without being noticeable sweet.

Racking simply means that the juice is drawn off the solids, tiny bits of grape flesh and dead yeast cells that are allowed to fall to the bottom of the barrel, So the wine is racked into new, clean vessels to remove the lees, those bits of solids, from the wine. This racking may be repeated as the wine continues to clarify, but some wines are left on these lees. The winemakers leave the wine on he lees, and actually stir the lees to increase contact with the wine, as these solids can add complexity and richness to a white wine.

The type of ageing vessel is fundamental to the style of wine the winemaker is hoping for. Classic, buttery Chardonnays are not only fermented in small oak barrels, but generally are aged for months on their lees in these barrels. Lighter, fruitier whites such as New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Italian Pinot Grigio usually are only exposed to neutral stainless steel vessels to help preserve the fresh, aromatic character of these wines.

While wine has traditionally been made in synch with the seasons, modern innovations have affected this cyclical timing. Case in point: Malolactic fermentation.

In the traditional wine making cycle the grapes were harvested as the fall cooled then underwent fermentation in a cold cellar, generating enough heat to keep the yeast cells happy. Once the yeast cells died and fermentation ceased the wine cooled to cellar temperature and was allowed to clarify naturally as the lees precipitated out of the wine and fell naturally to the bottom of the barrel. Once the cellar began to warm the following spring the last element of the winemaking cycle began, the Malolactic fermentation.

During the malolactic fermentation hard and aggressive Malic Acids, those found in green apples for example, are converted into softer, creamer Lactic Acids, those found in milk and cheese. Not all white wine undergoes “malo” but those that do are left with a softer feel and tend to have a pronounced buttery element.

Of course all of these steps can, and frequently are, taken in rapid succession with the wine filtered immediately after fermentation. Frequently wines undergo “cold stabilization” during which process the wine is chilled to almost freezing so that excess tartaric acid crystallizes and falls out of suspension. The wine can then easily be warmed sufficiently and inoculated with the proper bacteria to get the malo-lactic fermentation started.

By taking these steps a natural cycle that may take 6-8 months to complete can be achieved in a matter of weeks.

And that brings us to the final steps of producing a wine for sale. The bottling. One element of the bottling that has been brought to the fore over recent years is the fact that sulfites are added to wine during this step to act as a preservative. While very low levels of sulfites are created naturally during the fermentation process, adding sulfites throughout the winemaking process has been a technique used to prevent bacterial spoilage and the premature oxidation, or ageing, of wine for millennia.

The problem with high levels of sulfites is that some people are allergic to them, suffering from painful reactions, in particular impaired breathing and rashes. Today’s wines can be made with far lower levels of sulfites than were used in the past since modern winemakers are much more aware of the role hygiene plays in keeping bacteria and undesirable yeasts at bay. In addition, if you recall, there was carbon dioxide produced during the fermentation process. By trapping that CO2 in the wine, wine-makers have harnessed the anti-oxidative properties of the dissolved gas and are able to use it to replace most or all of the sulfites they used to add. Of course the trade off may be a slight spritz to the wine when it is first opened but that is quickly remedied by giving the bottles a set of vigorous shakes!    (hide)

schellbe wrote in the forum topic: Finger Lakes wine trip- Seneca Lake

November 2009

schellbe

We took our honeymoon (bike trip) through the Finger Lakes, and have had a ... J. Wiemer produce good white wines, as does Lamoreaux Landing. Definitely more satisfying acidity than west coast whites of these varieties,...

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lsuttell wrote in the forum topic: Snooth Newbie - Just back from Niagara-on-the-Lake

November 2009

lsuttell

We did 17 one year. I know, it's like going through the Louvre in a half-hour. I've misplaced my Taste the Season passport (showing the wines at each place) but will send a review. My friends and I would never had made it...

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Gregory Dal Piaz wrote in the forum topic: Pairings please

November 2009

Gregory Dal Piaz

Welcome Newton. Looks like you might need three different wines. The Squash and ginger soup would work best with a rich, white, maybe some thing from Alsace. I would go with a Pinot Gris, many might suggest...

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dmcker wrote in the forum topic: Hello Hello - what are you serving for Thanksgiving

November 2009

dmcker

Am in Tokyo for several years now, so tend to view this holiday with particular sentimentality. 10 people for dinner, with staggered arrivals. Tuna and avocado tartare, raw ama-ebi sashimi and a couple of other snacky bits...

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VegasOenophile wrote in the forum topic: Basic Wine Cabinet

November 2009

VegasOenophile

It seems like Vinotemp and Eurocave are about the best. Lots of companies have wine cabinets. I got a 30 bottle Danby one, but it really doesn't truly hold 30 bottles because even on the two shelves for red, bordeaux...

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fibo86 wrote in the forum topic: Good sparkling wines not from France, Italy or Spain

November 2009

fibo86

That's really interesting dmcker, just out of curiosity do you know which house bought on the White Cliffs of Dover?(or there abouts in England). Deutz always seem to produce great wine it's my ye olde faithful. I agree it...

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nventure wrote in the forum topic: Wine 101: Requests

November 2009

nventure

How about a wine introductory road map. I've been getting more and more into wine lately and discovered snooth a short wile ago. I thought there were a lot of wines in my local wine store, I now realize that what I see...

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danpetroski wrote in the forum topic: The Dog Bite

November 2009

danpetroski

Gentlemen, thank you. (Correct, Philip, it was another dog.) (John, thank god ... recap and an update on my white wine project. Until then. (And Greg, where are you in Italy ? Anywhere near Montalcino ? Want you to...

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MarioRobles wrote in the forum topic: Pairing Help Please

November 2009

MarioRobles

Being in Australia, I will recommend you a couple of Australian wines; 1) Tasmanian Pinot Noir - Brands; Tamar Ridge, Ninth Island or Pirie, these wines have enough fruit to pair the food you mentioned and acidity to...

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Muchkabouche wrote in the forum topic: Special Wine Values...Shiraz

November 2009

Muchkabouche

In gearing up for the holiday season, in the midst of the economic conundrum (white wine pun totally intentional...thanks Caymus) there are some great wine buys out there at the retail level. I picked up a couple of...

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Gantt and SK modified this page:

May 2

Gantt and SK

Gantt and SK added a photo for White Wine.

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Gregory Dal Piaz modified this page:

Jan 20

Gregory Dal Piaz

Gregory Dal Piaz wrote a new description for White Wine.

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