If you have spent much time on the North Fork of Long Island or in any wine country in the Fall you likely know that September and October are harvest season. On Long Island Harvest typically starts the second week of September. This time of year the grapes for sparkling and white wine grapes begin reaching optimal ripeness and harvest season begins!
When the grapes have reached optimal ripeness they are harvested. Harvesting can happen one of two ways, either by machine or by hand. How you harvest is decided depending on the winemaker’s preference. Once harvested the grapes are brought to the winery, where they are destemmed and then loaded into the press. It is while the grapes are in the Press that all of that delicious grape juice is gently extracted from the grape skins.
Fun Fact: The sugar content in a grape is measured using a system of measurement called “Brix” the higher the brix number, the more sugar in a grape.
Once the grapes are pressed, the grape juice is pumped into a tank where it is chilled and settled. The settled juice is racked off (aka transferred) any remaining grape pulp and brought back up to temperature to prepare to start the fermentation process. At this point the juice is inoculated with yeast and fermentation begins.
During fermentation the yeast cells consume the naturally occurring sugars in the grape juice. As the yeast consumes the sugar it produces alcohol and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 as it is released creates a protective barrier at the top of the tank, preventing oxygen from coming in contact with the wine. Once all of the sugars have been consumed and converted into alcohol the yeast cells die and precipitate out of the liquid, settling to the bottom of the tank. Once everything has settled, the clear wine is racked off the solids (aka dead yeast cells) into a new tank where it undergoes the final finishing touches (heat stabilization, cold stabilization, filtering, etc) before it is bottled, chilled and served!
