RIOJA WINE PRODUCTION

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RIOJA WINEPRODUCTION

• By
• Antonio Maciá Soro

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H I S T O R Y

• A Special Wine Like most of the great
  viticulture regions of Europe, the face of modern
  Rioja was cast during the 19th century.
• With the hope of escaping phylloxera, the deadly
  vine louse found in Bordeaux, many successful
  Bordeaux growers began moving south across the
  Pyrenees to La Rioja in the 1870's.
• Modern Rioja spends more time in small oak
  barrels than almost any other modern wine.

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S O I L S
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C L I M A T E

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S O I L S
A N D
C L I M A T E

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S O I L S
A N D
C L I M A T E

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S O I L S
A N D
C L I M A T E

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M A K I N G

• There are five basic components or steps to
  making wine
• Harvesting
• Crushing and Pressing
• Fermentation
• Clarification
• Aging and Bottling

P R O C E S S

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M A K I N G

• Harvesting or picking is certainly the first
  step in the actual wine making process.
• In order to make fine wine, grapes must be
  harvested at the precise time, preferably when
  physiologically ripe.
• Harvesting can be done mechanically or by hand.
• Once the grapes arrive at the winery, reputable
  winemakers will sort the grape bunches, culling
  out rotten or under ripe fruit before crushing.

P R O C E S S

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The Harvest
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M A K I N G

• Crushing the whole clusters of fresh ripe grapes
  is traditionally the next step in the wine making
  process.
• Today, mechanical crushers perform the
  time-honored tradition of stomping the grapes
  into what is commonly referred to as must.
• Mechanical pressing has also improved the
  quality and longevity of wine, while reducing the
  winemaker's need for preservatives.
• Up until crushing and pressing the steps for
  making white wine and red wine are essentially
  the same.

P R O C E S S

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Crushing and Pressing
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M A K I N G

• Fermentation is indeed the magic at play in the
  making of wine.
• Many winemakers prefer to intervene at this
  stage by inoculating the natural must.
• Fermentation can require anywhere from ten days
  to a month or more.
• Sweet wine is produced when the fermentation
  process stops before all of the sugar has been
  converted into alcohol.

P R O C E S S

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Fermentation
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M A K I N G

• Once fermentation is completed, the
  clarification process begins.
• Filtering and fining may also be done at this
  stage.
• Often, winemakers will add egg whites, clay, or
  other compounds to wine that will help
  precipitate dead yeast cells and other solids out
  of a wine.

P R O C E S S

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Clarification
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M A K I N G

• The final stage of the wine making process
  involves the aging and bottling of wine.
• After clarification, the winemaker has the
  choice of bottling a wine immediately, which is
  the case for Beaujolais Nouveau, or he or she can
  give a wine additional aging as in the case of
  Grand Cru Bordeaux and great Napa Valley Cabernet
  Sauvignon.

P R O C E S S

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Aging and Bottling
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Q U E S T I O N S
What is the right temperature for the tasting of
each type of wine?
How can I know the age of wine?
How must the uncorking be done?

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