There’s nothing like enjoying a glass of wine at the end of the day. A simple wine can compliment any occasion. Wine can be empowering and very relaxing. I’ve been to many vineyards over the years. If you haven’t been to one yet, you need to. Wine tasting for a beginner is a great start. Wine can compliment food as well. You’ll find that many different types of wine can pair with certain foods. There are several selections to choose from, a variety of white and red wines.
I recently visited, “South Coast Winery Resort & Spa,” in Temecula, CA. It’s one of the best and most popular vineyards to visit. They are known for being one of the top wineries in
Southern California. It’s set in a beautiful location, with miles of vineyards, greenery, and luscious floral landscapes. It’s a perfect place to wine, and dine with that special someone.
During my visit, I spoke Assistant Manager, Sean Suthers. Although, he had no personal affiliation with the vineyard, he’s worked there many years. His job over sees different areas of the resort. However, his top priority is always customer satisfaction. Making special occasions like weddings memorable. He is very detailed in preparation, so a guest will have an experience to remember. He took me on a little tour in the wine tasting room. I received a tour of the restaurant as well. The food looked and smelled amazing. He provided me with a free ticket to sample a wine. I was very fond of the Pinot Grigio. However, my favorite type of wine has always been a Moscato. It’s a sweet, slightly bubbly, white wine made from Muscat Blanc grapes. I have always been curious about the process of making this delicious wine. During the interview, he discussed the process of wine with as much detail as he could. He said the process consists of four stages: Harvesting, Crushing, Fermentation, Clarification and Aging.
Wine making has been around many years. Each wine maker or vineyard uses different techniques. Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced through the fermentation of grapes.
Harvesting is the first step in the wine making process. It’s an important part to help make a delicious wine. Grapes are the only fruit that have the necessary acids, esters, and tannins to consistently make natural and stable wine. Tannins are textural elements that makes the wine dry; it adds bitterness and astringency to the wine. When the grapes are picked it determines the acidity, sweetness, and flavor of the wine. Harvesting can be done by hand or by a machine. Wine makers prefer to harvest by hand because mechanical harvesting can be tough on the vineyard. Once the grapes are taken to the winery, they are sorted, and the bad ones are removed. After the grapes are sorted, they are ready to be de-stemmed and crushed. For many years, men and women did this by stomping the grapes with their feet. However, due to technological advance we no longer need to use our feet. Mechanical presses stomp or trod the grapes into what is called must. Must is simply freshly pressed grape juice that contains the skins, seeds, and solids. For white wine, the press will quickly crush and press the grapes in order to separate the juice from the skins, seeds, and solids. This prevents unwanted color and tannins from leaching into the wine. Red wine is left in contact with the skins to acquire flavor, color and additional tannins.
The second step in the wine process is Fermentation. Fermentation gives off heat, so most wineries refrigerate the must so the temperature stays constant throughout the process.
Other fruits and
