Wine is known to be the beverage of gods and now even the doctor recommends a red glass of wine a day so, all the more reason to learn how to make wine and enjoy a glass with your meal when possible.

How to make wine

A good wine is judged from the soil that it was grown on so, it is safe to say that good wine comes from good soil. Climate is the next factor that influences the taste of the grape, which in turn makes the wine. Last but not least the time when the grapes are harvested is yet another major factor, which will have its say when the wine is ready to be tasted.

Wine is the fermented juice of the grapes; once the harvest is picked, the grapes are separated from the pips and then pressed to extract the juice.

Fermentation is then achieved by the simple formula of sugar + yeast = alcohol + carbon dioxide (CO2). Sugar is naturally present in the grapes as they get to be ripe, yeast is added traditionally but not always in today’s wine making procedure. The fermentation process is complete when the sugar is converted into alcohol or the alcohol level reaches 15 per cent, which is enough to kill the yeast. Carbon dioxide then dissipates into air.

Now that you have the knowledge of how to make wine let us go through the basics of how to taste it as well.

Wine Tasting

Here we have to follow five easy steps, which I guarantee you will enjoy and use the next time you open a bottle of wine:

Color – the color of the wine will indicate the grape type, age and body even before you taste it. In red wine the richer the color the heavier the body, if it has brownish tints it indicates maturity.

Swirl – wine is placed in barrels when the process of fermentation takes place and then in sealed bottles which does not allow air to pass through therefore it will take couple of minutes sometimes a lot more for a wine to release its aromas or bouquet as a sommelier would call it, once wine comes in touch with the air.

So, get a glass and pour a small amount into it and swirl it in order to let the air aerate it and release its bouquet.

Smell – after a good swirl, place your nose in the glass, yes, you read that correctly, in the glass and smell the wine. This will tell you before you taste it if the wine is in good condition or not; a corky smell will give away that air got into the bottle and therefore the wine taste may be compromised.

Taste – finally you get to taste the wine, this is done by taking a small sip and swishing it in the mouth against your palate from side to side thus, covering your entire tongue and with its buds appreciating the taste of the wine.

Savor – After the taste give it a few seconds and try to analyze the after taste and notes of the wine – usually you will be able to tell the different accents of the wine which one reads on the labels as berry notes or chocolate after taste.

Learning how to make wine is a fascinating process but even more enjoyable is learning how to appreciate and successfully pair it with the meals. Take your time and start the tasting process now that you know how to make the wine.