Outline of Wine Production

Wine production (winemaking) encompasses the techniques and technologies used in the transformation of grapes into wines of a target style, of which there are many. This primarily involves vinification (alcoholic fermentation) - the conversion of grape sugars into alcohol by yeast - but is accompanied by a variety of other important changes due to extraction and microbial metabolism of a multitude of other grape components. A secondary, malolactic fermentation (MLF), which can occur simultaneously with primary fermentation or sequentially, is also promoted for some wine styles. Furthermore, production techniques differ depending on whether white or red grapes are used and the type of wine being produced. This chapter offers an overview of wine production which detail the processes and chemical changes that occur at various stages during winemaking. Certain specialty wines undergo processing steps that lead to distinctive changes in final chemical composition and sensory properties. The two most common specialty wines are sparkling and fortified.