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| The Course |
| From the grape to fermentation |
Grapes: the truth behind
wine
What we find in our wineglass is nothing but grape juice which
has been transformed by fermentation, cellar work and time.
As already mentioned, no technology is capable of changing a
mediocre grape into a great wine, so it is the quality of the
grapes which holds the key to the production of great bottles
of wine. The choice of variety best suited to a geographical
and environmental context is therefore fundamental. This is
a difficult choice for the vinegrower, who also has to take
account of market trends and try and anticipate them (because
a new vineyard does not start to produce high-quality grapes
until its third year).
It is important to choose the right clone, with a suitable way
of training the vines, and to carry out all vineyard operations
in accordance with the type of production desired. The case
of Pinot Noir illustrates the different elements which help
towards high-quality vinegrowing. This vine, which has black
grapes, is one of the most important for champagne and many
sparkling wines produced
by the classic method.
But it is also the vine which produces some of the best red
wines in the world (Those of Burgundy, for example, and many
Italian wines as well). In the case of the sparkling wines the
skins of the grapes (which are responsible for the colour of
the wine) are removed before winemaking, whereas for the red
wines they are left in. Not all the clones are the same, though:
there are varieties of Pinot Noir which are particularly good
for sparkling wines, while others are ideal for producing great
red wines. In the first case the bunches of grapes are larger,
with larger grapes. In the second case is reverse, the bunches
are smaller and the grapes are smaller too, with a better pulp
to skin ratio. It is the skins which provide most of the phenolics
which are so important for red wine.
The way the vines are treated and the operations carried out
in the vineyard are different too. If the vine is to produce
a sparkling wine, production can be higher and the vines are
grown in such a way as to allow this. In order to produce great
red wines, on the other hand, the vines must be tended so as
to produce low yields and try and concentrate the substances
required in a smaller number of bunches of grapes. In its growth
cycle the vine transfers a certain number of substances to its
fruit. Therefore, by reducing the number of bunches the grapes
will be richer. Using the 'wrong' clone has a radical effect
on the finished product. If, for example, red Pinot Noir grapes
destined to sparkling wine are made into red wine by leaving
the skins in, the wines will be lacking in structure, have little
colour, few tannins and high acidity.
If, to continue the example, Pinot Noir grapes destined to red
wine are made into wine without the skins to give a base wine
(for sparkling wine) it will lack acidity, a key element in
sparkling wines.
One rule is observed everywhere vines are grown: for each type
of vine there are suitable clones and suitable ways of growing
them. The most important thing is to decide what type of wine
is to be made from each vineyard and respect it. The aim in
the cellar, then, is not to ruin the raw material that nature
has produced.
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