VINICULTURE–Pre-Fermentation

• SUB-TOPICS Of VINICULTURE-PRE-FERMENTATION
  1. What is Pre-Fermentation?
  2. Stem Inclusion
  3. Press
  4. Must
  5. Punch-Down vs. Pump-Over

1) WHAT Is PRE-FERMENTATION?

**The Following Key Wine Analysis Listed Chronologically.

DESTEMMER/ “Eraflage”– Machine That Separated and Removed Stems From Grape Clusters.

CRUSHER- Machine of Paddles and Rollers That Break Skins So Juice is Available to Yeast for Fermentation.

• “Pigeage”– Method of Stomping the Grapes by Foot.

AUGER- Makes Loading and Feeding Your Grapes Into the Crusher-De-Stemmer Much Easier and Faster, Often Attached.

“How the Grapes Are Handled: Roughly/ Delicately or In an Oxidative or Reductive Manner Has a Great Impact On How the Wine Will Come Out In the End.”

SULFUR USE PRIOR To FERMENTATION (Sulfur Dioxide)

• To Make Sure the Winemaker is In Control of the Fermentation Environment.
• Adding Sulfur Dioxide to Freshly Harvest Grapes as a Preservative Prior to Fermentation Because of Its Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties. Sulfites Play an Important Role In Discouraging the Growth of Micro-Organisms/ Spoilage Bacteria and Allows Yeast to Ferment Without Competition From Other Microbes. Not Using Sulfur You’re Letting a Number of Yeast and Bacteria Work On the Wine, Potentially Compromising the Fermentation Process and Ultimately What the Final Wine Will Be Like.
• Used to Kill Off Native Yeast So You Can Use Commercial Yeast.
• Used to Block Malolactic Fermentation.
• Sulfur Can Be Used to Arrest Fermentation.
• **Refer to “VINICULTURE/ Post-Fermentation” For Detailed Information.

2) STEM INCLUSION

• THESE Are The FERMENTATION OPTION WHEN REFERRING To STEMS.
  • Whole Cluster Fermentation
  • Partial Cluster Fermentation
  • No Cluster Fermentation

VINICULTURAL DISCLAIMER~ “There Terms Cluster/ Bunch/ Stems Are Interchangeable and Referred to by Peoples Preference.”

“Whole Cluster is a Wine Making Technique, and Stylistic Decision. There’s Usually No Recipe But Often Depends On: Vineyard Site, Vintage Conditions, What Style of Wine the Producer is Trying to Achieve/ House Style and Personal Preference.”

STEM– General Term For Material That Holds the Cluster Together. Stems Consist of 2%- 4% of the Cluster Weight.

• Rachis– Main Axis of the Cluster, Bearing Flower Stalks at Short Intervals.
  
• Pedicel- Attaches the Berries to the Rachis.
• Peduncle- Bit That Attaches the Cluster to the Vine.

CLUSTER/ Bunch– A Fertilized Inflorescence, Comprised of Many Berries.

• Bunch/ Cluster Shapes- Conical/ Shouldered, Conical(Short), Conical(Long), Cylindrical, Cylindrical(Winged), Double Cluster.
• Ways Bunches Differ- Shape, Bunch Weight, Elongation
• Proportion Rate- Percentage of Flowers That Received Pollen and is Now a Grape.
• Clusters/ Bunch- Condition of Stems Plays an Important Roll, Are They Green or Lignified, is There Any Rot or Botrytis.
• Lignification- Transition From Green Fleshy Plant to Woody Plant. Stems Begin as Green Photosynthetic Material, Then Undergo Lignification.
• Having Stems In the Fermentation Can Lead to Different Outcomes Depending On the Degree of Lignification.
• Whole Cluster Can Be From 5% to 100%.
• Just as There Are Better Vintages and Vineyards Stems Can Be Different…Better Cleaner, Richer. Stem Should Be Assessed or Tasted On a Yearly by Vineyard or Oven by a Block by Block Basis.
• Stems Can Be Assessed In the Mouth by an Educated Wine Maker or Vineyard Manager, Just as Grapes/ Seeds/ Skins Can Be Assessed.
• Sometimes Grapes Are Destemed Completely, Then Stems Are Added Back by Percentage.

EFFECTS Of INCLUDING STEMS IN A FERMENTATION

• VINICULTURE- ADVANTAGES– Added Complexity, Smooth Tannins, Balances Acid
  • Cap is More Aerated During Fermentation, Allowing Yeast to More Around More Easily.
  • Fermentation Temperature Are Generally 2°- 3° Degrees Cooler.
  • Adds Aromatic Lift, Structure, Body, Complexity, Spice, Texture, Absorbs Alcohol.
  • Lowers ABV. Slightly.
  • Allow Yeast to Move Around Easier.
  • Stem Help Drain the Juice In a More Natural Way.
  • Whole Cluster Fermentation When Done Correctly/ or In Moderation Adds to a Wines Complexity.
  • Adds Spiciness and Light Herbal Notes.(Tea, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Oregano, Bell Pepper)
  • **Using Whole/ Partial Clusters(How Much/ How Little) In a Year to Year Vintage Decision.

• VINICULTURE- CHALLENGES– Add Herbal or Green Character
  • The Stems Must Have Reach Ripeness and Lignified For Process to Add Complexity.  Not Every Year Can You Incorporate Stems.
  • Add Too Much Tannin to a Wine, If Not Lignified Stems Can Add Greenness.
  • Some Wine Makers Press Off Before Fermentation is Complete So There Isn’t a Long Contact With Stems and a Lot of the Bitter and Green Tannins Have Been Pulled Out.
  • Loss of Color, Stems Absorb Color by Leaching to the Color of the Wine.

• HISTORY– Whole Cluster Has Been Used For Millennium and is Considered Old Fashion and Rustic.
  • Often the Wine Maker Will Ferment is Batches and Blend Whole Cluster/ No Cluster Wines Together at the End In Percentages.
  • Clusters Are Comprised of Stems, Often Also Know as Rachis Plus the Pedicels Which is the Part That Attaches the Berries.
  • Stems Have Aromatic Compound That Don’t Exist Anywhere Else In the Grapes.
  • Whole Cluster Fermentation Shouldn’t Confused With Whole Berry Fermentation.
  • Hot, Dry Vintages Tend to Lend Themselves Better to Whole Cluster Vinification. The Rachis Have a Minima/ Lessor Amount of Green, Underripe Flavors.

To CRUSH Or NOT To CRUSH

• Whole Berries  or  Partially Crushed Berries  or  Crushed Berries

To STEM Or NOT To STEM

• Whole Stems  or  Partially Stems  or  Not stems

CRUSH & NO CRUSH, STEM & DE-STEM COMBINATIONS

• Crushed Berries  With  No Stems
• Crushed Berries  With  Partial Stems
• Crushed Berries  With  Whole Stems
• Partially Crushed Berries  With  No Stems
• Partially Crushed Berries  With  Partial Stems
• Partially Crushed Berries  With  Whole Stems
• Whole Berries  With  No Stems
• Whole Berries  With  Partial Stems
• Whole Berries  With  Whole Stems

“Carbonic Maceration is the Most Extreme and Pure Version of Whole Cluster Fermentation.”

CARBONIC MACERATION/ Maceration Traditionelle- Whole Bunch Fermentation Without the Presence of Oxygen In a Carbon Dioxide Environment.

• Process That  Occurs When Intact Bunches of Grapes Are Fermented In a Sealed Vat That Has Been Filled With Carbon Dioxide.  Newly Picked Uncrushed Bunches Are Put In Closed Vats With Carbon Dioxide. Grapes On Bottom Are Crushed by Weight as Fermentation Begins. Technique is Considered Reductive Wine Making.
• Carbonic Maceration is an Intra-Cellular, Anaerobic, Enzymatic Metabolism Inside Each Berry and Produces Light Reds, Low Tannins (Minimizes Tannin Extraction), Intense Color, Fruity-Fresh Aromas. Carbon Dioxide is Trapped In Tank, and Grapes Bath In it. During This Process Some Alcohol is Produced (2% ABV.) Along With a Range of Other Compounds That Affects a Wines Aromas and Flavors.
• **Refer to “CARBONIC MACERATION” For Detailed Information.

SEMI-CARBONIC MACERATION- True Carbonic Maceration is Rare. In Most Cases Semi-Carbonic Maceration is Taking Place Where a Portion of the Crushed Grapes On the Bottom of the Vessel Are Going Through Regular Fermentation While Carbonic Maceration is Happening Concurrently.

• VARIETIES ASSOCIATED WITH WHOLE CLUSTER FERMENTATION
  • Pinot Noir   |    Syrah
  • Gamay

• CLASSIC CARBONIC MACERATION WINES
  • Beaujolais AOC.   |   Chinon AOC.
  • Jumilla DO.   |   Rioja DO.
  • Paarl DO.

3) MUST– Mass of Crushed Grape, Juice, Skin, Seeds, Stems, Pulp, Living and Dead Micro-Organisms.

• MUST WEIGHT- Amount of Fermentable Sugars In Must.
  
• POTENTIAL ALCOHOL- Alcohol Level That Could Be Achieved if Must is Fully Fermented, and if Wine Becomes Completely Dry. (Brix & Specific Gravity Are the Two Important Tools Used to Determine Potential Alcohol.)

“These’s No Best Way to Extract Compound From Grapes, it Depends On the Style of Wine You Want to Make and the Grape Variety, Vintage and Vineyard.”

• MACERATION- Period Juice is In Contact With Must Before Fermentation.
• Cold Soak- Maceration Usually Done In Fermentation Tank Where Controlled “Cold” Temperature (48°- 50°) to Keep Yeasts From Commencing the Fermentation Process. Cold Soak is Usually Done For 2-20 (and Beyond) Days With Sulfites to Knock Down Any Micro-Organisms or Bacteria That Might Have Come In From the Vineyard. After Cold Soak is Complete Tank is Heated to Desired Temperature Which Allow For Fermentation to Commence.
• During Maceration Extraction of Phenolics Material of In Grapes (Tannins, Anthocyanins, Flavors Compounds, Colors) Are Leached From Skin Into Must, the Future Aroma of the Wine Are In the Skins of the Grapes.
• RED= 2 to 20 Days…Enhances +BODY, Tannins, Color Development.

MACERATION vs. FERMENTATION Of GRAPES

MACERATION– Period of Time Where the Crushed Grapes(Skins, Seeds, and Stem) Soak With the Grape Juice. The Main Goal of the Maceration Process is to Extract Key Phenolic Compounds Found In the Grape Skins. In General the Longer the Maceration Period the More These Compounds Will Be Extracted From the Grape.

• TYPES Of MACERATION- 
  • Short Maceration- Anything Under 1 Day…Whites and Rose
  • Extended Maceration- Anything Over +30 Days….Barolo 40+Days
  • Extraction- Absorption of Phenolics and Other Compounds From Grape Solids. Extraction Can Take Place Before, During and/ or After the Fermentation Process.
    
    • The Three Biggest Factors Affecting Extraction.
      • Temperature– The Higher the Temperature the Faster Phenolics Are Extracted.
      • Duration–
      • Agitation– The Less You Agitate the Cap the Higher the Risk That Volatile Acid Will Develop at the Top of Your Cap.
  • Extract- Non Volatile Substances That Give Wine Character. (Minerals, Sugars, Pigments)
    • Determined by Evaporating Liquid In Wine and Weighing Residue.

COLD SOAK/ AKA=Cold Maceration– Technique of Keeping Grapes(Usually Red) Cold For a Few Days Prior to Fermentation. The Skins and Seed Ae Soaked In Contact With the Juice, But the Temperature of the Must is Kept Low. (42°- 50°) So Fermentation Does Not Start.   Cold Soak is a Technique Utilized After Destemming and Crushing, But Before Primary Fermentation Begins. Cold-Soak Maceration Can Be Done For Hours, Over Night, Days or a Months.

• BENEFITS Of COLD SOAKING
  • Increases Brings Aroma, Texture, Terpenes, Tannins Phenolics, Color
    • Increases Extraction- Helps With Saturation of Color and Flavor Pre-Cursors.
    • Mixes or Homogenize of Grape Must, 1/ 2 Punch Downs a Day Will Help Also.

• VARIETALS THAT SEE COLD SOAKING
  • Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah

• CONSIDERATION Of COLD SOAKING
  • Make Sure the Fruit is Clean, Sort Out Fruit Looking For Compromised Grapes and Clusters.
  • Get Temperature Cold and Stays Cold, Better Too Cold  Than Too Warm.
  • Smell it Daily, Volatile Acidity (Ethyl Acetate/ Acietic Acid) Will Let You Know is Your Cold Soak is Going Well.
  • Utilized Dry Ice and to Cove On Top of the Must to Prevent Oxidation.
  • Cover Up and Limit Oxygen Exposure.
  • Do Punchdowns or Pumpovers to Ensue Unwanted Microbes Are Inhibited.

• CUVAISON- Period of Time Juice is In Contact With Must During Both Maceration and Fermentation.
  CAP/ MANTA- Mass of Solid Must Matter That Rises to the Surface of the Vat With the Escaping Co2 In the Form of a Layer During Cuvaison. Integration of the Cap Back Into the Fermenting Wine is Needed.
  
• POMACE/ Marc- Mass of Pulp, Seeds, Stems, Skin Left Over After Pressing.
  
• EXTENDED MACERATION- Wine is Left On Must After Fermentation is Completed.
  • **Refer to “POST FERMENTATION” For Details On Extended Maceration.

CHAPTALIZATION– Process of Adding Sugar to Unfermented Grape Must In Order to Increase the Potential Alcohol Content After Fermentation.

• Chaptalization Isn’t Intended to Make the Wine Sweeter, But Rather to Provide More Sugar For the Yeast to Ferment Into Alcohol.
• Is an Vinification Advantage Used In Cool Climate Areas Which Have Difficulty Ripening Grapes.
• French Governing Wine Body Has Been Setting Limits For Chaptalization Since Early 1900’s.
• Cane Sugar, Corn Syrup, Beet Sugar Are Often Used.
• PIONEERS~ ~Jean-Claude Chaptal~ “France” Chemist Who Developed Chaptalization.

4) PRESS

GRAPE PRESS– Machine Used to Extract Juice by Bursting Grape Without Crushing Skin. Different Presses Are Used When Seeking Different End Result. Pressure Must Be Controlled In Order to Avoid Crushing Seeds and Releasing Unwanted Tannins Into Juice or Wine.

• White…Generally Pressed Before Fermentation.
• Red…Generally Pressed After Fermentation.

TYPES OF GRAPE PRESSES

• BASKET PRESS– Large Basket Like Press With Pressure Applied by Large Plate That is Forced Downward On the Fruit by Screw or Hydraulic Device. Juice Flows Through Opening In Basket. (Traditional Basket Press Hasn’t Changed Much Over the Last 1,000 Years.)
• HORIZONTAL SCREW PRESS- Horizontal Cylinder With Large Plates Attached On Each End. Plates are Screwed Together to Press Juice Through Openings.
• BLADDER PRESS- Large Horizontal Cylinder, Closed On Both Ends After Grapes Are Pre-Loaded. Large “Bladder” Filled With Air and Pushed Against the Sides, Pressing Juice Through Openings of the Cylinder.
• LAGAR- Stone Trough Used For Foot Treading of Grapes In Duoro Valley For Port Production.
• ROBOTIC PLUNGER AND TREADER- Low-Sided, Square, Stainless-Steel Tank (Similar Dimensions and Proportions to Traditional Stone Lagar. Four Rectangle Block or Feet Are Suspended From a Ceiling and Can Be Programmed to Move Across.

FOOT TREADING GRAPES

• Treading Grape by Foot– A Person Crushing Grape Bunches With Their Bare Foot In Order to Extract Juice From Their Skins.
• Lagar- Shallow Trough and Fermenter Made of Stone or Cement Traditionally Used For Foot Treading of Grapes In the  Duoro Valley of Portugal For Port Wine Production.
• Portuguese Stomping Party- Immediately After Harvest Grapes Are Stomped by 10 People Walking Back in Forth In Unison.  After Organized Stomping is Done “The Band” Arrives and a Night of Dancing On the Skins Commences.
• History- Since Millennia Grape Stomping Has Been an Important and Effective Way of Crushing Grapes. Painting On Walls Have Linked the Practice to Multiple Wine Regions Over Thousands of Years. During This Entire Time Wine Makers Have Been Trying to Invent a Way to Mimic Its Motion and Effectiveness.

“In Parts of Italy There’s a Custom of Having a Young, Virgin Girl Crush the First Grapes of the Season With Their Bare Feet.”

PRESS FRACTIONS/ CUTS

• FREE RUN JUICE/ “Pressurage”–  Juice Drained Without Pressure From Freshly Pick Grape. (Gravity of the Bunches, Slightly Cracking Open)
  • Around the Core of the Grape is the “Intermediate Zone”, it Contains the Highest Quality Juice Which is High In Acid and Sugar and Come Out In the Form of Free-Run Juice.
    • Generally- 20%- 50% of Juice is “Free Run”, This is Considered Superior, Contains Less Tannins and is Widely Sought After For High-End Wines.
    • 1st. Press- Juice That’s Pressed Out of Grapes.
    • 2nd. Press- Juice That Has Been Pressed Out of the Grapes With Force.
  • When You Get Pressed Juice Near the Skin You Get the Properties of the Skin. (Phenolic, Bitter Tannins, Astringent Acid)
  • Wine Press is Released After Each Press, Then Slowly Pressed Again.
  • Free Run Juice and Pressed Juice Often Blended Back Together to Desired Levels.
  • Free Run Juice is Used For…Sparkling Wine, Rose, Blanc de Noir.
• LIGHT PRESS- General Term For the Press Fraction After the Free-Run Juice Has Been Collected.
• MEDIUM PRESS- General Term For the Second Press Fraction.
• HEAVY PRESS- General Term For Last Press Fraction.

These Press Fractions Are Done at Different Atmosphere of Pressure From .25 to 1.5 and Are Often Kept Separate and Blended Together Later.

5) PUNCH-DOWN vs. PUMP-OVER

PUNCH-DOWN/ “Pigeage”– Done to Keep the Fermenting Wine and Skins Mixed Up During Maceration/ Fermentation.  Done With Pole or by Hand to “Push Down” Manta/ Cap.

• Punch-Downs Extracts Higher Amounts of Tannin In a Wine Depending On Frequency and Force. “Pump-Over” Doesn’t Break Up the Cap but Keeps it Submerged.
• Punch Downs Are Usually Done 1 to 3 Time Per Day Depending On How Much Extraction the Winemaker Wants In the Wine.
• When You Pump Down You Want to Submerge the Cap/Skins. You Don’t Want to Smash the Seeds On the Bottom of the Vessel.  Your Goal Should Be to Make Sure the Cap/ Skins Stay Hydrated and Don’t Start to Dry Out and or Start to Oxidize.
  • ADVANTAGES– Preserves Aromatics

• • VARIETIES THAT SEE PUNCH DOWNS
    • Syrah   |    Zinfandel

PUMP-OVER/ “Remontage”– Fermenting Juice is Circulated or “Pumped-Over” the Cap Mechanically During Cuvaison.

• Pump-Over is a More Delicate Way of Stirring a Wine and Keeps Skins From Getting Too Extracted and Allows Little to No Amount of Added Oxygen In the Fermentation. This Process is More Popular With “Non-Interventionist” Winemakers.
  • ADVANTAGES–  Gets Wine In More Contact With Yeast.

• • VARIETIES THAT SEE PUMP OVERS
    • Garnacha   |   Pinot Noir

• AUTO-VINIFICATION- Machine Used to Draw Maximum Color and Extraction From Grape Must. Auto-Vinification is Non-Electric and Powered by a Natural Build-Up of Carbon Dioxide In Its System and is More Vigorous and Efficient Than Pump-Over. Carbon Dioxide is Given Off and Its Pressure Builds Up Inside the Tank and Forces the Juice Up an Escape Valve Which Spills Into an Open Tank On Top of the Vat Which Pushed Down the Cap.

DOBLE PASTA– Technique For Producing Dry, Dark Red, High Alcohol, Full Body Wine by Bleeding Off a Portion of Macerating Juice or Newly Fermented Wine and Replacing it With More Crushed Grapes. In Order to Increase or “Double”, the Ratio of Grape Skin to Juice of Remaining Wine.

• Doble Pasta is a Method to Produce Extremely Full Body Wines and as a Byproduct There is a Bleeding Off of Wine Which is Enjoyed as Rose.
• Spanish Regions-(With Culture of Doble Pasta Vinification)– Alicante, Jumilla, Utiel-Requena, and Yecia

**Refer to “BIBLIOGRAPHY/ Sources” For Details On Scholarly Works Referenced.