Wine Making's Simple Beginning

The historical past of wine making can be traced back to 6000 BC when wine making achieved worldwide recognition in nations like Egypt, Rome, and Greece. The history of making wine pretty much started out in the earlier years of the Bronze Age. Through the archaeological evidences that had been discovered, researchers determined that the most ancient wine production took place in Georgia and Iran since 6000BC to 5000BC. More pieces of proof related to wine making has been gathered in Macedonia or the Eastern part of Europe - where remains of crushed grapes where unearthed.

As time went by in Egypt, wine played an important role in the country's recorded history. Wine has been regarded as a relevant player in the ancient Egyptian ceremonies. And during the classical period of Greece and Rome, wine was consistently used in very important ceremonials. When the Roman Empire gained the ruling authority, the improvement in the cultivation and manufacturing technique of wine took place. Plantations and wine storage areas were founded as wine shipments increased its number in entire Europe together with other neighbouring nations.

More Historical Aspects on Wine Usage and Manufacturing

There was an increased usage of wine during the 15th century and even until today. Wine consumption became huge and even greater than the distressing effect of phylloxera louse during 1870s. And later on, the impact of wine production gotten to the religious sectors such as the Christian Churches and Medieval Islamic due to the philosophy that wine is a forbidden drink. However, the distillation of wine intended for medicinal reasons was started by a Muslim chemist named Geber.

These days, wine making is seen as an in-depth knowledge of scientific study and reflective understanding also known as oenology - a science of wine making. As the study gets more complicated, classical procedures in wine making steadily disintegrate.

The Two Categories of Wine Making

For the record, the making of wine today can be divided into two general categories: still wine manufacturing and sparkling wine manufacturing. Still wine production does not need carbonation as opposed to sparkling wine production, which involves the carbonation process. A classic example of sparkling wine production is champagne. As for the process of wine making, there are three typical wine making methods: pressing, pigeage, and cold and heat stabilization.

The Wine Making Processes

The collected grapes are flattened after which are fermented. The fermentation process usually takes a minimum of one week or two weeks. After the initial fermentation, the grape juice is moved in containers and at this time, grape sugars are changed into alcohol as it becomes wine.

For the pressing process, wine is produced as juice and the grape skins are split through grape mashing. What follows is vinification, wherein grapes in the chai are poured in oak barrels.

For the pigeage process, stomping of grapes is done in an open area or in fermentation tanks. Grapes will be then crushed as carbon dioxide or alcohol gases are released to form caps, which are regarded as the best supply of tannin.

And lastly, the cold and heat stabilization, which aims to reduce tartrate crystals that are likened to clear sands and grains, is carried out. In this method of wine making, volatile proteins are eliminated and then a second fermentation occurs. Soon after, mixing, fining, and other laboratory tests are carried out. And there you go, the most tasty wine you can ever savor.