The international consumption of rosé wines has increased by 8% over the past 10 years. France is presently producing almost a third of it. The Provence province in south-east France produces 42% of it. Producers have also learned that consumers require more vegan or...
The clarification of juice prior to the alcoholic fermentation of white wines is actually a standard procedure in white wine making. It can however be executed in different ways. The different methods have different advantages and disadvantages. Flotation has however...
Tartaric acid is not only one of the major fixed acids in grapes, but also plays a role in the composition and taste of wine. As result of its different forms in wine it also influences the pH and cold stability of wine. The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI)...
Ellagitannins are hydrolysable tannins, which do not occur naturally in grapes. It is however the tannins, which are mostly allowed as legal additives during winemaking. The ellagitannins, which occur in wine are extracted from wooden barrels or added as legal...
Wooden barrels in different forms and sizes are used for a variety of beverages like wine, beer, brandy, Cognac and whisk(e)y. It is also used for food like pickled products and balsamic vinegar. Depending on the nature and composition of the products, the influence...
The harvest is the climax of all winemakers’ lives. Late and some sleepless nights typify this time of the year. Grapes must be monitored, juice prepared for fermentation, yeast cultures prepared and the alcoholic fermentation must be monitored and managed. The birth...
South African cellars are increasingly motivated and encouraged to develop the skills and knowledge of cellar assistants. Although this might appear not to be problematic, transfer of knowledge and the development of skills are far more challenging than many in the...
Alcoholic fermentation is the backbone of winemaking. It therefore follows that all processes, physical factors and components of the process will have an influence on the result of the fermentation. Whether stems are absent or not during fermentation is one of these...
The demographic age profile of consumers of different generations is divided according to their birth dates. Consumers born since World War Two are classified as “Baby Boomers” (middle 1940s to middle 1960s), “Generation X” (middle 1960s to early 1980s), “Generation...
Bottling is the last stage where oxygen can be dissolved in wine, causing negative quality characteristics, before the wine reaches the consumer. The possibility of oxygen absorption in wine exists during each process of bottling. Seeing that bottling usually takes...
“Oxygen can make or break a wine.” – Louis Pasteur. Oxygen is an integral part of life and plays an important role in different biological and chemical reactions. Dissolved oxygen is the free molecular oxygen in solution and is expressed as milligram per litre (mg/L),...
Winemaking is a progressive process and winemakers have to make different decisions in the course thereof until the wine eventually reaches the glass of the consumer. Depending on the wine style and type, this period can last from months to years. The final bottling...
