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The Days Of Home Winemakers As Amateurs Are A Thing Of The Past

Back in the days of Ancient Rome the word 'amateur' meant 'lover' and was used to refer to someone who engaged in something out of the love of doing it, instead of for any financial gain. These people were thought of as the highest of experts because they perfected their craft motivated by nothing more than joy for their work.

Although professional winemakers still fill their work with passion and skill, amateurs, helped by knowledge passed down over hundreds of years and modern technology, can often now produce similar results.

The chemistry of the fermentation process was not well understood until the start of the 20th century but, nevertheless, the process of fermentation has been in use for over 5,000 years. Left to its own devices a wine grape will ripen happily until its skin ruptures and the juice naturally ferments by itself. Now, however, this process is guided with a mixture of science and art.

Grapes are placed in a press where they are turned into must which is a mixture of juice, pulp and skin. Natural yeast (which is found on the skin close to the stem) and added yeast reacts with the sugars in the juice to produce alcohol (ethanol), carbon dioxide and heat. This process will continue until either the sugars are exhausted or the yeast is killed by the products of the reaction.

As a result of work undertaken by Pasteur and other scientists we are now able to control the process to produce precisely the result we desire. For people who are not lucky enough to have their own vineyard handy, concentrated wine juice can now be purchased quite cheaply.

Just add acids, yeats, sugars and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a container like a carboy or other jug and allow the mixture to sit for several at approximately 75 degrees fahrenheit (24 degrees centigrade). Specific recipes are generally provided with the concentrated wine juice giving specific amounts and details of how to ferment the wine.

In a few days, siphon the liquid from the pulp and permit it to ferment at about 65 degrees fahrenheit (18 degrees centigrade) for several weeks until gas production (bubbling) ceases. Then, siphon the wine off the sediments (lees) and store the bottles on their sides at 55 degrees fahrenheit (13 degrees centigrade) for six months for white wine and up to a year for red wine before tasting.

Of course, it sounds simpler than it is in reality but it is certainly not beyond the dedicated ability of the amateur. Today, the process is monitored and often adjusted daily and, thanks to cheap refractometers to measure the concentration of sugar, thermometers, hydrometers, temperature controlled cabinets and many other items the job is a lot easier than it used to be.

Of course things can and do go wrong as nature takes its course. Fermentation might not start, it may start and then mysteriously stop prematurely, the wine might be too sweet or hazy or full of sediments. The wine may contain excessive pectin, too many bacteria, taste sulphurous or flat or even moldy. Crystals may form if the temperature is too low or secondary fermentation may result from storing the wine at too high a temperature.

Nevertheless, in no small measure thanks to the Internet, today there are several websites which are devoted to helping the amateur winemaker to produce a wine that can rival those produced by the masters of wine. All it needs is a bit of practice.

Article Source: http://www.bylamoarticles.com

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