Vineyard and Winemaking Terms: A Concise Lexicon
Vineyard and Winemaking Terms
The Root System: The root system is the part of the vine that is underground. Its primary functions are: absorb water and mineral nutrients, anchorage, and storage of reserve substances.
The Shoot System: The shoot system is the part of the vine above ground. It is formed by the trunk, the stems, the arms, rods, shoots, and tendrils. Later the shoots will give rise to the buds. The main functions of the shoot system are: the conduction of sap, the support, and storage of reserves.
Buds: The buds are the organs of the plant where the sprouting buds of the first leaves are found, as well as all the clusters that the future branch may contain. They are located in the node of the branch, next to the insertion of the petiole of the leaf. There are different types of buds.
Tendrils: Thin branch of the vine with a tendency to curl up around other branches.
Drainage: Necessary for the deep roots of the vine. The soil can be drained with deep ditches or tiles, depending on the type of soil. The soils of the vineyard should be emptied to a certain depth, which varies between cold and warm climates.
Fertilization: When the soil is not fertile enough and has not been cultivated for good crops, fertilization is necessary before planting, using a vegetative cover. This should be done one year before planting the vines. A good fertilizer is one that contributes a large amount of fixed nitrogen to the soil.
Winemaking Processes
Vinification: Vinification is the process of winemaking. It is a set of operations designed to obtain wine from the must of the grapes. This process differs depending on the type of wine being made and the location of the winery, but generally follows a pattern.
FA (Alcoholic Fermentation): Alcoholic fermentation is the process by which the sugars contained in the must become ethyl alcohol. To carry out this process, the presence of yeasts is necessary. This can be spontaneous or directed by planting yeasts.
FML (Malolactic Fermentation): Malolactic fermentation is the process by which malic acid is transformed into lactic acid by the action of lactic bacteria. This fermentation takes place in red wines, and rarely in white or rosé wines. It can be spontaneous or directed by planting bacteria.
Lactic Bacteria: Lactic bacteria are responsible for transforming malic acid into lactic acid in the process of malolactic fermentation.
Yeast: Yeast is a microorganism of fungal origin that is responsible for transforming the sugars that the grape must contains into alcohol in the process called alcoholic fermentation. They can be indigenous or commercial. They die when they have exhausted all the sugars and there is a high degree of alcohol because they don’t tolerate high levels of alcohol.
Destemming: Destemming is the process by which the stem and the leaves of the clusters are separated. It is done with a machine called a destemmer.
Crushing: Crushing is the process by which the skin of the grape is broken so that the pulp is released and the juice is released. The juice extractor is a machine that serves to break the grape berries, with minimal damage to the skin, allowing the first drained must to be released. The juice extractors should break the grape grains, without grinding them. The juice extractor usually consists of a receiving hopper and two or more rollers that rotate in the opposite direction.
Pressing: Pressing is a process by which pressure is applied by means of a press to grapes, bunches, orujos, or remains of the hat to extract juice, must, or wine from them and separate the skins and seeds from the must or wine. In white wines, it is pressed at the beginning when the grapes have been previously destemmed and crushed. Instead, red wine is pressed when the alcoholic fermentation has finished.
Racking: Racking is a process by which the wine is passed from one tank to another, or from one barrel to another. It can be done with the help of a pump or by its own weight. Thanks to racking, stool and other solid materials in suspension that have fallen to the bottom of the tanks or barrels are separated from the wine.
Bottling: Bottling is the process by which the finished wine is introduced into the bottle. The most frequent bottling line components in the winery are bottle washers, fillers, cappers, and labelers.
Pumping Over: Pumping over is the process by which the must is extracted from the bottom of the tank with a pump and hose and falls again above the tank. In this way, the must-wine moves and aerates.
Clarification: Clarification is the process by which products of mineral, animal, and vegetable origin are used, among others, that are thrown into the wine to eliminate proteins, sludge, and other solid materials, so the wine remains clean.
Filtering: Filtering is the process by which the wine passes through a filter layer to eliminate microorganisms and other materials of microscopic size, so the wine remains totally clean and does not alter the visual and gustatory quality of the wine. There are different types of filtration according to the pore size with which you want to use to clean the wine more or less.
Aging: Aging is the process by which the wine is left for a certain time (depending on what type of wine you want to make) in a tank or barrel so that a more complete and complex wine is obtained in aromas, flavors, and color. The aging of a wine is the last phase of a finished wine before being bottled. (Not all wines have aging).
Wine Components and Characteristics
Tannins: Tannins are catechin polymers. They are found mainly in the skin and in the seeds of the grape. The tannins of the seeds are extracted with long macerations, and their herbaceous and bitter flavors are obtained.
Skin: It is the thin skin that covers the grape. It contains pigments, aromas, and tannins. It contains a waxy layer called pruin in which yeasts, bacteria, and other microorganisms are found. The skin is responsible for the color of the must-wine and the time it is in contact with it.
Vineyard Management
Suckers: Suckers are latent buds that are found in the trunk and do not sprout from the main stem. They have a high energy consumption and do not let the vine develop the same, so it is necessary to prune and remove the suckers from the vine.
Maceration: It is the process in which the skin is in contact with the must to extract aromas and color and obtain a wine with more body. It is made with red wines.
Pruning: It is the process in which the vegetative part of the plant is removed to limit its growth and increase its yield and the quality of the grapes. Stems and leaves are removed.
Wine Presentation
Labeling: It is the process in which a brief description of the finished wine is put and packed in the bottle as information to the consumer. There are two labels: the front and the back label. On the front there is the name of the wine, the variety, the year it was made, the volume of wine, and the alcohol level. On the back label there is an organoleptic analysis, the batch number, the sample number, who has bottled the wine, and the notification of the sulfite content. There is a further label that indicates the Denomination of Origin to which the wine belongs.
Additional Terms
Yeasts: Is a microscopic fungus, consisting of single oval cells that reproduce by budding or fission, and are capable of converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Spontaneous Fermentation: It is a process in which fermentation is allowed to begin with unselected yeasts.
Stemming: Consists of separating the grapes of the stem, that is herbaceous structure of the clusters.
Leveling: Labor to prepare the land, which must be flat, gently sloping, and a uniform grade in the direction of the water flow.
Wine Types
Red Wine: Is a macerated wine that is obtained from the must of red grapes, fermented with seeds and grape skins.
Rosé Wine: It is a type of wine made from red grapes subjected to a comparatively short maceration on the skins; the duration depends primarily on the intensity of rosé color desired.