How to make white wine?

Have you ever wondered how the white wine How is it made? The concept may seem quite simple. Grapes are harvested, pressed to obtain juice, which is then fermented using yeast, left to mature, and bottled. 
In reality, the process involves many intermediate steps, each of which requires specific knowledge of the wine industry. In this article, you will find the different steps involved in making white wine.

First step: harvesting the grapes

The first step in making wine is harvesting the grapes. The right time to harvest the grapes depends on many different factors that only experienced winemakers can recognize using various techniques. The type of wine to be produced has a strong influence on the timing of the harvest, because the longer the grapes remain on the vine, the more sugar they will contain. 
Good to know: the white wine can be produced from white grapes or black grapes, because the color of the wine actually comes from the color of the grape skin. All you need to do is quickly press the grapes without allowing the must to macerate with the skins.

Step two: destemming and crushing the grapes

Once harvested, the grapes are sorted and destemmed. This means that the berries are removed from the stems (the plant supports to which the grapes are attached). This process is carried out using a machine that gently destems the grapes. Destemming must be done slowly, otherwise the clusters may be crushed. 
However, this process is not mandatory. When producing certain wines, winemakers keep the stems in order to add freshness and tannins to the wine. 
Crushing involves crushing the berries to open the skins and extract the must. This must be done gently so as not to crush the seeds.

Step three: cold pre-fermentation maceration

Before pressing, some winemakers choose to carry out what is known as pre-fermentation maceration. As white wines are fermented with the skins, this technique allows additional aromas to be extracted from the skins. This process is by no means mandatory and is more commonly used in the production of red wines.

Step four: pressing

The harvested grapes—whether crushed or not—are placed in a press that crushes them to release the must (juice). This is a delicate operation, as the aim is to avoid crushing the stems and seeds as much as possible, as these can give the wine an acidic taste.

Step five: settling

The juice obtained is cloudy because it contains numerous bits of grape stems and other particles. These bits, called "lees," must be removed, but sparingly, because wine that has been over-clarified will not have enough nutrients to ensure proper fermentation. On the other hand, if the wine is not clarified enough, it may lose its aromatic finesse.

Step six: alcoholic fermentation

This step is essential because it allows the sugars to be converted into alcohol thanks to the action of the yeasts naturally present in the grapes. If desired, the vineyard can add yeast manually to facilitate fermentation control. 
The choice of fermentation tank type is important. They are often made of wood, stainless steel, or concrete. Some white wines are better suited to wooden tanks, such as Chardonnay, which is fermented in oak, while other wines are better suited to inert containers. 
The fermentation temperature also has an impact on the type of wine desired. In theory, white wines are fermented at lower temperatures than red wines. The lower the temperature, the better the fruit aromas are preserved. The fermentation temperature for white wine should be around 20°C. This process lasts between 10 and 14 days. If the vineyard prefers to produce a drier wine and wait until most of the sugars have been converted into alcohol, the fermentation period will of course be extended. However, if a medium-dry or sweeter wine is desired, fermentation will need to be stopped depending on the desired sugar content.

Step seven: aging the wine

The purpose of aging wine is to add texture, body, and complexity. Aging can take place in barrels or stainless steel tanks, depending on the desired wine. 
Tank aging : this technique is widely used, particularly for wines intended to be drunk young. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine is poured into a tank and left there for a few weeks to achieve a certain stability. 
Barrel aging Unlike tank aging, barrel aging is widely used for powerful wines that need to age. The wine remains in barrels for several months and malolactic fermentation occurs naturally. It is this second fermentation that will bring more roundness to white wine.

Step 8: Assembly

Blending is essential to obtain the desired style of wine. When we think of blending, we often think of wines that come from a mixture of different grape varieties. But this is not the only type of blending possible. Single-varietal wines often come from blends such as: blends of wines from different vintages that have undergone different vinification processes, blends with wines from other estates, etc. 
Blending allows wines to have greater complexity, more acidity, or enhanced aromas.

Step nine: finishing touches

Winemakers strive to minimize the number of treatments required at this stage to ensure that the wine is stable. For example, wines containing residual sugar must be sterile filtered to ensure that no yeast remains.

Last step: bottling

Once all the finishing procedures are complete, the wine is ready to be bottled and sealed with a cork. The wine can be left in the bottle for a period of time to age before being sold.

How to make homemade white wine?

It is, of course, impossible for most of us to carry out all of the above steps to make our own wine. However, there are much less conventional, and above all less complicated, methods of making wine. 
You can find a multitude of interesting recipes that require little investment and for which all the ingredients are available in supermarkets. Many people also opt for preparation kits that include ingredients and equipment. You will easily find a solution that suits your budget and your desires to learn how to make homemade white wine.