Le Cordon Bleu - Wine Essentials #5

Red wine is basically white wine with two additional steps. Maceration. And malolactic fermentation.

Maceration is the process of allowing the crushed juices to sit with the grape skins. Extracting the skin’s pigments and thus coloring the wine. Since all grape juice is white this needs to occur for all red wines. Subsequently, you can make white wine from red grapes. Skipping the maceration step.

Champagne is the most famous example. Champagne is made from chardonnay (white grape), pinot-noir (red grape), and pinot-menie (red grape). Once the grapes have been burst open the juice is immediately removed for white champagne. Or, allowed to slightly macerate for rosé champagne.

In general, white wine comes from white grapes. And red wine comes from red grapes. In France that is. There are other examples from around the world.

The grapes are named blanc de noir – white of black – white juice with a black (or red) skin. And blanc de blanc – white of white – white juice with white skin.

The second additional step in red wine production – malolactic fermentation – must occur. In fact, it will occur naturally at some point in the process. This is the transformation of malic acid into lactic acid. Encouraged by bacteria, this ultimately softens the wine by reducing the acidity.

During malolactic fermentation an abundance of CO2 is produced. CO2 which must escape. If malolactic fermentation occurs after bottling, the pressure will pop out the cork. Something good to get out of the way prior to bottling.

Wine is aged – temporarily – in barrels. Usually oak barrels. Our professor made it clear that oak-taste in wine is not necessarily a good thing. Oak is used to impart structure on wine. To give it a skeleton to develop on during bottle aging. Oak adds tannin – astringency – to the wine. Too much can taste bitter.

We were reminded that wine is a fruit drink. Made of grapes. This should be the first aroma on the nose and the first taste on the mouth. Not oak. Not alcohol. And certainly not something else.

The various segments of vines that are brought into the winery with the grapes can also have some use. For wine production, the vines can also add tannin if left to macerate with the juice. This is hard to control and is seldom done. Stems usually end up producing a type of fertilizer to be used else where.

The juice and pulp-ly goodness of skins, stems, and seeds, are placed in a large stainless-steel vat. For fermentation. As the CO2 is created, forming bubbles, they rise to the top. As they journey to the surface, impurities – skins, etc… - attach and float along. Forming a cap. Maximizing the juices’ contact with the skins, wine is pumped from the bottom and pour over the top. Through the cap. Mixing it all up.

Once the fermentation is completed the wine is extracted through a filtered-pipe at the bottom of the vat. This is called free-run wine. This is 90-95% of the wine. The balance is left in the sediments that have sucked up some of the juice. This is pressed thus creating, pressed wine.

Pressed wine is very dark and highly tannic. Portions of this wine might be added to the free-run wine to create a balanced, tasty product. Pressed wine is not always used. If the free-run wine is to the wine-makers liking then there is no need for additions.

This class marked my second to last. That means with the final class next week comes a written and blind-tasting exam. My written cuisine exam is also coming up next week. I can’t believe it’s here so soon. Needless to say, there is a lot of studying in my near future!

Session #5 – Tastes

• Côtes du Rhône (grenache, syrah, carignan) by Mas des Roches, 2007
• Côteaux du Tricastin (syrah ) by La Truffière, 2007
• Côtes de Bourg (merlot, cabernet-franc, cabernet-sauvignon) by Relais de Poste, 2006
• Santenay (pinot-noir) by Olivier Leflaive, 2006