Harvest is the picking of the grapes and in many ways the first step in wine production. Grapes are either harvested mechanically or by hand. The decision to harvest grapes is typically made by the winemaker and informed by the level of sugar and pH of the grapes. Other considerations include phonological ripeness, berry flavor, and tannin development (seed color or taste).

Destemming is the process of separating the stems from the grapes. Depending on the winemaking procedure, this process may be undertaken before crushing to lower the development of tannins and vegetal flavors in the resulting wine. 

Crushing is the process when gently squeezing the berries and breaking the skins to start to liberate the contents of the berries. In traditional and smaller-scale wine-making, the harvested grapes are sometimes crushed by trampling them barefoot or by the use of inexpensive small-scale crushers. These can also destem at the same time. However, in large wineries, a mechanical crusher/de-stemmer is used.

Pressing is the act of applying pressure to grapes to separate juice or wine grapes and grape skins. Pressing is not always a necessary act in winemaking; if grapes are crushed there is a considerable amount of juice immediately liberated called free-run juice that can be used for vinification. Typically free-run juice is of a higher quality than the press juice. However, most wineries do use the presses to increase their production gallons per ton, as pressed juice can represent between 15%-30% of the total juice volume from the grape.

Pigeage is a French winemaking term for the traditional stomping of grapes in open fermentation tanks. To make certain types of wine, grapes are put through a crusher and then poured into open fermentation tanks. Once fermentation begins, the grape skins are pushed to the surface by carbon dioxide gases released in the fermentation process. This layer of skin and other solids is known as “te cap”. As the skins are the source of tannins, the cap needs to be mixed through the liquid each day, or “punched” which traditionally is done by stomping through the vat.

During the fermentation and aging process, which takes three to six months, the fermentation continues very slowly. The wine kept under an airlock to protect the wine from oxidation. Proteins from the grape are broken down and the remaining yeast cells and other fine particles from the grapes are allowed to settle. Potassium bitartrate will also precipitate a process which can be enhanced by cold stabilization to prevent the appearance of harmless tartrate crystals after bottling. The result of these processes is that the originally cloudy wine becomes clear. The wine can be racked during the process to remove the lees.

Filtration in winemaking is used to accomplish two objectives, clarification and microbial stabilization. In clarification, large particles that affect the visual appearance of the wine are removed. In microbial stabilization, organisms that affect the stability of the wine are removed therefore reducing the likelihood of re-fermentation or spoilage.

The final dose of sulfite is added to help preserve the wine and prevent unwanted fermentation in the bottle. The wine bottles then are traditionally sealed with a cork, although alternative wine closures such as synthetic corks and screw caps, which are less subject to cork taint, are becoming increasingly popular. The final step is adding a capsule to the top of the bottle which is then heated for a tight seal.

Non-alcoholic/de-alcoholized Wine

1. Contain less than 1% alc. /vol.

The main constituents of grapevine berry juice and wine are:

• Water

• Carbohydrates

• Acids

• Alcohols

• Phenolics

• Nitrogenous compounds

• Inorganic substances