Growing Wine in France

Wine growing and harvesting: A grapevine produces for 30 years. It takes three years for a young grapevine to begin producing and six years to reach its normal production. Pruning takes place in winter and the vines are sprayed several times a year in order to eradicate the grapevines' enemies: mildew, phylloxera, oidium and vicoses. Artificial clouds protect against frost.

Winegrowing methods vary from one region to another. In Burgundy harvesting the stems begins without delay. In the Bordeaux region, however, harvesting takes place over three weeks, especially for the sweet white wines, and the grapes are harvested as soon as the grape reaches absolute maturity, and not before. The workers go from grapevine to grapevine each day picking only the fully ripe bunches to ensure the sweetness of the grapes. They are called "rotis" (roasted by the sun.)

In Champagne, the grapes are carefully cut off the vine with scissors and any grape that isn't perfect is removed. The grapes are then transported in special carts equipped with springs. Once they reach the winegrower's facility the grapes are stripped from the stems, either totally or partially depending on the region and placed into vats where the grapes are pressed to burst the skins; certain wines, however, retain their grapes intact, with the skin on. The pressing (foulage) is now done by machines, except for very small private wine growers. For centuries this was done by men. The author remembers spending hours under a hot September sun, jumpings in vats with several other little girls, squashing the grapes. It took months to get rid of the stains on our legs. The skins were collected and thrown to the side and chicken gorged themselves, until they were drunk, falling and running in circles. They loved their "vin nouveau."

Once the skins are removed, the grapes are placed in vats where they will ferment. For many centuries these vats were made of wood, but these days they have been replaced by stainless steel vats, with the exception of certain grands crus wines.

The legal definition of wine: The product of the fermentation of fresh grapes. Fermentation occurs spontaneously due to the yeast contained naturally in the grapes. According to Pasteur, the temperature required for fermentation must not exceed 35 degrees Celsius and never reach below 19 degrees. The ideal temperature is 25 degrees. The length required for fermentation varies according to regions, from twenty four hours to fifteen days. Modern tendencies seem to prefer shorter periods. In Burgundy, for example it is now only one or two days. The wine is then filtered and put into oak barrels where fermentation continues at low temperatures. Ordinary table wine is then delivered for consumption and quality wines are allowed to stay in barrels for three or four years before being poured into bottles where they will continue to age.

Our next article will be dedicated entirely to Champagne. See you then.

Francine Fuqua - author, artist and lover of life. Born in war-torn France at the beginning of World War II, I have experienced and remember the horrors of war. Having witnessed the pain and suffering of so many, I have a true love of life and appreciate the freedom I now have living in the United States of America. Join me in a celebration of art, french cooking, my family's rich history and my native country at.

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How to Make Wine From Grapes - The Different Factors That Influence Your Homemade Wine

Learning how to make wine from grapes is something everyone can learn. Doing it properly though, from a good quality recipe can take just a little more time. But it's well worth it. The ability to control the wines development is what ensures you end up with a fantastic tasting wine.

Some of the things you'll be able to control when using a good recipe are Sugar levels. The correct sugar levels are essential in producing a top quality wine. Too little sugar and the alcohol levels will be low. Too much and your wine will be too sugary. Having a good quality recipe will let you adjust your wine's sugar levels with confidence.

Acidity. Don't be put of by the word acidity. Acid in the correct amount is crucial to a wine with good taste, full body and lovely clarity. When to press. A few days into fermentation some grapes need to be pressed. This releases more flavor to give a richer taste.

Additives. Oak can be added to smoothen some wines. Potassium Bisulfite too is often used to kill any mold that may develop. What additives to use, and when, is crucial information. Temperature. Wine that is stored at different temperatures often takes on different characteristics. This is why wine stored in the garage, for example, may well end up tasting different than had you keep it under the bed. Temperature then is an important variable in the quality of your wine. A good recipe will give you correct temperatures to store your particular wine.

Now all this may sound a little complex, but it really isn't when you have a good set of clear instructions.

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Fine Wine Requires Extra Effort and Care During the Vinification and Fermentation Processes

If anything can be said about the making of excellent wine, then vinification and the wine-makers work begins first and foremost always in vineyards.

Picking grapes in a vineyard is nor simple task. It requires careful organization and management and should not nor never left to simple chance of events. Picking of the grapes themselves must be well organized with the aim of filling each vat with the most homogeneous results and material possible. This applies to grape variety, situation of the vine and vines themselves, size of the actual harvest on hand; level of ripeness of the grapes themselves and overall as well as individual health of the grapes gathered themselves.

Overall the basic rule that can never be repeated enough is that it is no use thinking that the deficiencies of one component in fine wine making can be made up by the proper or even better qualities or process down the line. It just does not work that way - when it comes to the creation of and care of fine wine and wines. A person - an amateur who is just starting out dabbling in the fine art of making good if not excellent wine might think that by adding care or better ingredients down the line that they can get away with a poor start or even sloppiness but what inevitably happens is that the best - the really good if not excellent ingredients always seem to get lost in the whole. Starting off to make good wine, and substituting off substandard grape stock to make that product is just false economy overall. Later on , careful tasting of each vat or grouping of wine can control those that "just do not make the grade", but overall if the first lesson and indeed rule of homogeneity is carried out consistently and indeed to the letter , then you can expect few unexpected or nasty surprises in your wine making career and / or hobby.

Red grapes usually go through a crusher stemmer, that is unless the additional tannin from the stems is required and are conserved. The crushing process is extremely light with the overall aim of getting enough juice to start the fermentation. Fermentation either starts naturally, with natural yeasts, or selected cultivated yeasts are used, that is if absolute control is desired.

In a natural fermentation setting and process, the wild yeasts will be the process. Overall normal temperatures to be maintained for the good fermentation of red wine are between 28 and 30 degrees C (that works out to between 82 and 86 degrees F.) Some authorities may use lower temperatures to prolong fermentation.

With white wines it's a slightly different process. The stalks of the vines themselves are not removed. This makes for quick and easy pressing of the grapes themselves. A small amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) may be added go prevent fermentation from occurring right away. Temperatures for the fermentation process of white wines are much lower generally than those employed for creating good red wine. Instead of the range of 28 to 30 degrees C much lower temperatures overall are employed - usually between 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, that corresponds in the Fahrenheit range of 60 to 68 degrees F. Is it worth all this extra effort and organization to produce a fine wine product? You be the judge at the end as you carefully taste your finished wine product. http://ezinearticles.com/?Fine-Wine-Requires-Extra-Effort-and-Care-During-the-Vinification-and-Fermentation-Processes&id=2304049