INTRODUCTORY

SOMMELIER
COURSE AND EXAM
WINEMAKING /
VINIFICATION

 Taking grapes from vineyard to

bottle
 What is the goal of the winery?
• Wine style
• Price point
• Regional laws?
• Sustainability
  Harvest
 Sort
STEPS OF  Crush
WINEMAKING  Press (white wine)
 Fermentation
 Press (red wine)
•
  Aging
STEPS OF  Fining/Filtration
WINEMAKING  Bottling/Packaging
 Cleaning at every step
 CRUSH PAD DECISIONS

CRUSHED or
SORT(1) W H O L E B E R RY ( 3 )
White/Rosé Skin Contact? (4)

Red Cold/Ther mal? (4)

DESTEM(2)
PRESSING (5)
(OR NOT)
Whites/Rosé before fermentation
Reds after fermentation
ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION

ALCOHOL
EITHER AMBIENT
OR INOCULATED
CO2
SUGAR YEAST

AROMAS
 FERMENTATION VESSELS

SIZE
LARGE = 1000+ LITER FOUDRE
SMALL = 225 LITER BARRIQUE

SHAPE
EGG-SHAPED

MATERIAL
WOOD VS. STAINLESS STEEL VS. CONCRETE
WINEMAKING TERMS

Carbonic Maceration
 Tank filled with whole berries under CO2
 Intracellular fermentation
 Berries at the bottom crushed and
ferment normally
 Unique aromas and flavors
 Whole cluster semi-carbonic i.e. Syrah
 Example: Beaujolais
WINEMAKING TERMS
Winemaking Additions
 SO2
 Chaptalization
• Addition of sugar to must to
increase the final alcohol content of
the wine
 Acidification
• Addition of acids to must or to a
finished wine
 Water additions
VINIFICATION TERMS
Lees
 Autolysis
 Extra flavor
 Richer, creamier texture
 Additional aromas & flavors created:
• Bread dough
• Yeast
• Toast
• Light floral
• Nuts
• Other examples…
MALOLACTIC
FERMENTATION
 Tart malic acids converted to softer
tasting lactic acids
 Common in red wines
 Imparts flavor and texture to white
wines
• Butter (diacetyl)
• Buttered popcorn
• Cream
CAP
MANAGEMENT
 How much oxygen?
 Temperature control
 Open vs closed top tank
 Types of maceration:
• Punch down
• Pump over
• Extended maceration
AGING & MATURATION
Considerations
 Costs
 Size of container
 Type of container
• Stainless steel
• Oak barrels
• American/French/Other
• Age of barrels
• Other Containers
 Length of time
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WINE FAULTS
 TCA
 Sulfur Compounds (H2S, SO2)
 Volatile Acidity (VA)
 Ethyl Acetate (EA)
 Brettanomyces
 Oxidation
 Maderization

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PREPARATION FOR
BOTTLING
Fining
 For attractiveness
 Clarification
 Cold stabilization

Filtration
 For microbial stability

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PACKAGING
Containers
 Bottles
 Kegs
 Boxed wine

Closures
 Cork-many variations
 Screw Cap (Stelvin)
 Glass Top (Vino-Lok)

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THANK YOU!