Welcome to Wine 102!

Welcome back to another winemaking session! I hope you enjoyed the last one on ‘How Red Wine Is Made,’ if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you do so!  

Some of you may ask, ‘Isn’t the white winemaking process similar to red wine’s?’ Briefly speaking, yes and no. Yes, there are indeed some identical steps of winemaking between them both, but there are also a few pretty interesting distinctions, so just hear me out.

 

White Winemaking Process

 

Step 1: Harvesting

Same as any other kind of wine, harvesting is the first and foremost step of winemaking. Harvesting wine grapes can be challenging for winemakers because they need sensitive instincts and experience to determine the optimal ripeness. Compared to red wine, grapes of white wine are usually harvested a bit earlier at a chillier temperature, mostly early in the morning or later at night to maintain a fresher and brighter taste.

Once the grapes are harvested, they are then immediately transported to the winery via bins, truck beds, or trailers for the second step called pressing.

 

Step 2: Pressing

A major difference between red and white winemaking is the timing and sequence of the pressing step. While such a step takes place later in the production of red wine, it happens immediately after harvesting for white wine, allowing winemakers to separate grape juice from the pulps and skins before alcoholic fermentation begins. 

As grape skins are separated from the juice, any kind of grape can be utilized to create white wine. The reason is that in a grape, only the skin carries dark pigments that bring color to the wine. Regardless of the types of grapes, all juice is still clear white. Interestingly enough, most of the classic French champagnes are made with a blend of red and white grapes, including Chardonnay (white grape), Pinot Grigio (red grape), and Pinot Meunier (red grape).

Furthermore, sulfur dioxide gas and potassium metabisulfite is added during the pressing step to nullify the spoilage microbes and native yeasts to prevent the wine from fermenting. 

 

Step 3: Settling

After pressing, winemakers then transfer the freshly squeezed juice to cold tanks for settling. 

The reason for them to do so is to allow time for suspended solids like grape stems and skins to sink to the bottom of the tank, reducing the chances of bitterness brought to the final wine product. 

 

Step 4: Alcoholic Fermentation

Once the unwanted particles dive to the tank’s bottom, the clarified juice on top can then be transferred to barrels for the next step - Fermentation. To make fermentation occur, yeasts are an inevitable element as they have the power to consume sugar and oxygen and convert them to alcohol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Just the same as red winemaking, the 2 types of yeasts include commercial and natural yeasts, where the commercial ones are used to produce consistent results while the natural ones are organically found in grapes, bringing a different and interesting flavor to the wine every time.  

It normally takes 14 days for white wine to ferment. It is very common for winemakers to use sealed stainless steel tanks during fermentation, as these tanks can reduce oxygen exposure and as a result, allowing the wine to preserve richer floral flavors. That being said, some white wines like Chardonnay are still traditionally fermented in oak barrels to enhance the flavors of spice. 

 

Step 6: Malolactic Fermentation

Similar to red winemaking, white wine can also go through malolactic fermentation (yet not mandatory), where the bacterias within the juice convert tart malic acid into soft lactic acid. As this process brings a creamy and buttery texture to the wine, winemakers often bring this effect to only rich wines like Chardonnay but not crisp wines like Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Step 7: Maturation

After that, some white wines then start the maturation process for a couple of months or even years, depending on the nature of the wine. 

During this time, winemakers start regularly stirring the ‘lees’ - the dead yeasts from the bottom of the tank. The purpose of doing so is to bring out a creamier texture and an extra bread-like aroma to the wine, as well as to prevent oxidation. 

 

Step 8: Blending

After maturation is complete, the wine then goes through the blending process. Same as red winemaking, winemakers can choose to blend among vineyards, grape varieties, and even barrels for the best final product. Although it is common to make single varietal white wines, some fine white wines are also made with a blend of several grapes, like Driftwood’s Classic White 2007. 

 

Step 9: Fining

The final step of finishing the wine is fining and filtering. Because the wine is still cloudy at this point in the stage, winemakers often use fining agents to remove unwanted proteins from the wine. 

Then, filtration begins to sanitize the wine and reduce spoilage bacterias. 

 

Step 10: Bottling

The last step of white winemaking is, of course, bottling! After the wine is bottled and labeled, it is ready for sales!

 

Next Up:

That's it for wine-making lessons! Both winemaking processes can be so similar but different, and the pressing stage especially contrasts the nature of red and white wine! Next up, we will be talking more about wine labeling, aromas, and flavors, so be sure to stay tuned!

And if you are craving some fine white wines from Portugal or Australia, feel free to go shopping at our online wine shop. (Personal recommendation: Driftwood's Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is really good if you fancy some relatively dry wine!)