Winemaking process

Angeles Pozo-Bayon and M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas 

The amount of wine extracted from the solera is replaced with an identical volume of wine from the upper row. It is designated the first criadera. Likewise, the amount extracted from the first criadera is replaced with wine from the next row (the second criadera), and so forth (Fig. 2.1). Finally, the uppermost criadera, which contains the youngest wine, is replaced with sobretablas wine. The number of stages typically ranges from 4 to 6. Usually, the number is positively correlated with the quality of the final wine. 

Other types of high-quality wines are produced in the Jerez region. These are sweet wines made from the varieties, Pedro Ximenez and Muscat. The wines are produced after the grapes have been sun-dried for about 5-10 days. The resulting raisining produces a very dark must. Further, the musts are partially fermented. Fermentation is arrested by adding rectified ethanol. This produces very sweet, dark wines. 

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Research in France continued until 2001 (Flanzy et al., 2001), focusing on the underlying mechanisms of the grape-berry AM, with its impact on fruit ripening, and on the comprehensive exploitation of this winemaking process. 

This winemaking process is applicable to a range of wine styles. In addition, its flexibility allows winemakers to adjust it to his/her particular needs and economical objectives. 

Madeira wines exhibits a peculiar winemaking processing, fundamental to the development of its specific characteristics. It is a fortified wine made on the island of the same name of the coast of Portugal. The Madeira Island has a long winemaking history dating back to the Age of Exploration, when Madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the New World or... 

Today, Madeira is noted for its unique winemaking process, which involves heating the wine up to temperatures as high as 50 °C for an extended period and deliberately exposing the wine to some degree of oxidation. Because of this unique process, Madeira is a very robust wine that can be long-lived, even after being opened (Stevenson, 2005). 

FIGURE 7.1 Schematic diagram of Madeira winemaking process showing the basic key unit operations that characterize Madeira wines. 

Viticulture and oenology play an important role in the economy of many countries, and considerable efforts are devoted to improve the quality of products and to match the broadest demands of the market. Many industrial processes are finalized to obtain products with peculiar characteristics. The peculiar characteristics of Madeira wines arise from the specific and singular winemaking process. Once fortified, the wines may be subjected to one of the two different heating processes (Fig. 7.1) Estufagem (baking process) or Canteiro (wood casks). 

At the beginning of the winemaking process, the yeasts start to metabolize the sugars and other nutrients present in the grape juice. The yeasts use all these nutrients to obtain energy and increase tlieir population (Boulton et al. 1996 Ribereau-Gayon... 

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