What is wine? 

By The Tishbi Winery team
 

Wine is a natural product, made solely from fresh grapes. The grape juice undergoes a fermentation process, where fresh yeast is used to transform the juice into wine. During the fermentation process, the yeast converts the grapes’ natural sugar to produce alcohol.

Up until today, throughout the world, over 20 types of grapevines have been defined, among them, the main grapevine used in winemaking: the wine grapevine. There are over 2,000 varieties of this species, but only 40 of these varieties have enough character and taste to be clearly identified. (Out of these 40 varieties, only a small handful has become accepted and common in wine regions throughout the world.)

Wine is categorized according to different characteristics such as colour, level of sweetness, and grape varieties.

Categorization according to colour

White wines: wines made from white grapes or, to be more exact, green grapes

Red wines: wines made from red grapes

Blush wines: light red wines made from rose red grapes through the white winemaking process

Categorization according to levels of sweetness

Dry wines: wines that are not sweet or whose sweetness levels are below the human taste threshold

Semi-dry wines: slightly sweet wines. With these wines, the fermentation process is stopped once the desired level of sweetness has been achieved (semi-dry wines are usually white and rose)

Semi-sweet wines: wines with medium sweetness levels

Sweet wines: wines that still contain the natural sweetness of the grapes. These wines usually undergo a short fermentation period in order to preserve the grapes’ sweetness. These wines are also called ‘dessert wines’.

Categorization according to grape variety

Varietal wines: wines made from one grape variety or which contain more than 85% of one variety. These wines bear the name of the grape from which it was made, for example, Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Sauvignon is the name of the variety of red grape used to make the wine).

Blends: wines made from several grape varieties. These wines do not bear the name of a specific grape variety, but rather are given commercial names, such as Baron Cabernet.

How is wine produced?

Wine making begins in the vineyard. First, you need to choose a location with suitable soil and climate conditions for the grape you wish to plant. This is a very important decision since each grape variety requires its own unique soil and climate conditions in order to reach its highest level of excellence and realize its full potential.

The Ripening of the Grapes

With the awakening of the grapevine in spring, the grapes receive close and strict attention until harvest time. Deciding when to harvest is one of the winemaker’s most important decisions. The grapes’ degree of ripeness at harvest time is most important. During the ripening process, the grapes’ sugar level content increases, while their acidity level decreases and they develop typical aromas of ripeness. The optimal time to harvest grapes is when the grapes’ sugar level is high enough, the acidity level is still relatively high and the taste and aroma levels are at their peak.

The Harvest

Grape harvesting takes place during the summer months (July-October), during the night and early morning hours. Harvesting may be done by hand or machine. At Tishbi’s, we prefer hand picking our grapes, as we believe it results in a higher quality wine. This is due to the fact that hand picking involves cutting the entire grape bunch, including the stems from the vine and transporting the intact bunches to the winery. (This prevents the fermentation process from beginning on the way from the vineyard to the winery.)

Crushing the grapes

As soon as the grapes arrive at the winery, the grapes are separated from the leaves and the stems and go straight into the crusher (during the crushing process it is very important not to crush the seeds along with the grapes as they have a bitter taste, which may spoil the taste of the wine).

Juice Extraction

After the grapes have been crushed, the juice is extracted and separated from skins, seeds and stems. In ros? wines, the juice, skins and seeds are steeped for a few hours (pulp fermentation) before the juice is extracted to provide a pleasant pink or red tint. In red wines, the skins are separated from the juice only during the fermentation phase or at its conclusion.

What is fermentation? How is it done?

Fermentation is the process that transforms grape juice into wine. This process takes place with the help of natural wine yeasts, which are added to the grape juice. The yeast converts the natural sugars of the grape juice to produce alcohol, carbon dioxide (CO2) and energy in the form of heat. Fermentation parameters are one of the main differences in the making of red and white wine.

In white wines, the grape juice is clear and fermentation takes place at low temperatures. This allows for a continuous two-week fermentation process, which serves to preserve the green grapes’ special aroma. In red wines, the juice and skins are fermented at relatively high temperatures. Fermentation lasts between 4-7 days; and a red tint is derived from the grapes’ skins. Aromatic materials and taste enhancers are added to the wine to enrich it with a bouquet characteristic of its grape variety. In dry wines, the fermentation process is concluded when the yeast has almost completely converted all the sugar. In semi-dry wines, the fermentation process is stopped when the desired levels of sweetness have been achieved.

Barrel Ageing

Some wines are stored in wooden barrels for an ageing period of weeks or years, according to the type of wine, the age of the barrel and the style of wine as determined by the winemaker. During this ageing period in the barrel, the wine’s complexity is enhanced by the fragrance of the wood and the vanillin contained in the oak barrel, which become integrated into the wine. While in the barrel, the wine undergoes a chemical process referred to as the ‘ageing process’. This process serves to soften the wine, stabilize its colour and increase its complexity.

Blending 

The wine’s final state is reached when it has been blended with wines from two or more vineyards, after which it is clarified, stabilized, filtered and bottled. Oftentimes, wine is further aged in the bottle.

When the wine is ready to be marketed, it is bottled. However, some wines remain in the winery’s wine cellar for additional ageing for several months or years before actually being marketed. During this period, the bottle ageing process perfects the barrel ageing process by improving the quality of the wine and increasing its complexity.

The Art of Tasting

In wine tasting, we use all of our five senses:

Sight

Pour the wine into a glass; don’t overfill it (less than 1/3 of a glass). Hold the glass against a white background and note the following details:

Wine colour – indicates the wine’s character, how it was made, its age and quality. In white wines, the colour ranges from light greenish to straw yellow. Over time, the white wine’s colour takes on a golden tint. In red wines, the colour may range from the crimson purple characteristic of young wines to the deeper brownish or dark red characteristic of older red wines. Over time, the colour takes on a distinctly brownish tint.

Wine clarity – The wine should be clear, not murky; however, sediment is not necessarily a bad thing.

Bubbles – In sparkling wines, the size of the bubbles, the rate of bubbling and the length of time the bubbles remain in the glass are examined. Small bubbles that rise up in a straight line within the glass indicate a high-quality sparkling wine.

Wine body – Observe the body of the wine by twirling the glass. Does the wine adhere to the sides of the glass, forming what are called "legs"? Good legs may indicate a thicker body and a higher alcohol content and/or sweetness level (this doesn’t necessary determine the quality of the wine).

Smell

Twirling the glass releases the wine’s aroma. Twirl the glass. Hold it close to your nose and breathe in deeply. Repeat several times to experience additional fragrances. Every wine has its own aroma, characteristic of its grape variety, from which it is made, in addition to the fragrances added during the wine making and ageing processes – these additional fragrances are known as the wine’s bouquet. Certain fragrances in the wine may also indicate flaws in the production process or in the way the wine was stored. These may include odours such as: sulphur, vinegar, fishiness, fuel, rubber and plastic, among others.

Taste

Take a sip. Hold the wine in your mouth and roll it around a bit. Take some air into your throat through the wine. The wine becomes warm and releases aromas and tastes. This first taste teaches us about the wines dryness and acidity levels, whether or not its components are balanced – we continue to experience these tastes after the wine is swallowed. (In professional wine tasting, we swallow only a very small amount of wine, the rest is spit out. This is the best way to experience the richness of the wine’s taste.

Touch

When we taste the wine, we experience certain characteristics in the wine, such as the presence of carbonation, astringency, viscosity and temperature. Low carbonation (CO2) levels don’t necessarily indicate a flaw in the wine as long as it is clear. Carbonation adds a refreshing aspect to the wine and keeps it from souring.

Hearing

Raise a glass – cheers!

Wine at mealtimes

Raising a glass at the beginning of a meal serves to break down barriers and lighten the atmosphere. Wine is a perfect complement to any meal, in the evening, the morning, at picnics or social gatherings. There are many rules about which wines go with which foods – and it’s worth learning them – however, it’s also worthwhile to just experiment with new and different combinations. The more you experiment, the more chance we have to discover other interesting combinations, which allows us to decide which of our favourite wines go best with each course of every meal. Just as you wouldn’t use only one spice for every type of food, it would be equally unwise to stick with only one type of wine for every meal. The same food, spiced and cooked differently may go well with several types of wine. For example, grilled fish goes well with a light Chardonnay. However, the same fish, cooked in a spicy sauce would go well with a young Beaujolais-style red wine, such as Tishbi Junior.

Wine in a restaurant

It’s best to order wine when you order your meal so that you can choose a wine that complements the food. You’ll have to decide whether you want to choose one type of wine to accompany the entire meal or several wines to accompany each course.

White wines: Make sure the wine has been well chilled before it is served. If not, the bottle should be returned to the waiter (or wine steward) and replaced with another, chilled, bottle. The waiter opens the bottle at the table and pours a first glass for the person who ordered the wine so that he can taste it (the host usually tastes the wine. If the host’s identity isn’t clear, then let the person who ordered the wine taste it or simply ask: “Who will be tasting the wine?”). This first taste is to verify that the wine is not spoiled or flawed in any way (not, as is commonly supposed, in order to determine if the taster likes the wine).

After the taster has approved the wine, wine is poured for the guests. The glass should be filled less than half way (so that the wine can be twirled in the glass). If any wine remains in the bottle, the bottle should be left on the table. If the wine is cloudy, if there is sediment in the bottle or if the wine is flawed in any way regarding its taste or smell, the bottle should be replaced with a new bottle and the entire ceremony should be repeated.

Storing wine

Wine is a delicate product that needs special care throughout its lifetime. Each wine has its own lifespan, which may range from one year in young wines to decades in high quality red wines. Each wine must be allowed its required ageing conditions (for those wines which require ageing) so that they can reach their full potential.

Recommended serving temperatures

Red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot 18-22° C

Young, Beaujolais-style red wines 13-16° C

White, rose and dessert wines 10° C

Sparkling wines 7° C

A few terms for general knowledge

* A bottle of wine contains 5-6 glasses.

* After pouring the wine into the glass, twirl the bottle just a bit, to prevent wine from dripping down the sides of the bottle.

* Wine that has undergone extensive barrel ageing (i.e. red Reserve wines) should be opened half-an-hour before drinking to let the wine ‘breathe’. The wine may also be decanted – this ‘stimulates’ the wine and is pleasing to the eye.

Bouquet – the fragrances added to the wine during the wine-making and ageing processes, such as the wood fragrance derived from the oak barrel in which the wine is aged, the smell of yeast in sparkling wines, etc…

Body – terms such as ‘full-bodied’ and medium-bodied’ refer to the wine’s viscosity level and the way it feels in the mouth.

Aperitif - first drink, ‘appetizer’ drink

Degestif – last drink, aids digestion

Decanting – transfer of the wine from its original bottle into a special serving bottle in order to separate the wine from the sediment at the bottom of the bottle, especially regarding red wines that are rich in tannin.

Tannin - groups of astringent and bitter compounds found in the seeds and skins of grapes that slow oxidation and promote ageing.

Generic Wine – wine made from combining several grape types.

Varietal Wine – wine made from only one type of grapy variety or which contains 85% of one grape variety and bears the name of this variety.

Semi-dry Wine – wine that is slightly sweet

Dry Wine – Wine that is fermented until it is dry, meaning that all the sugar is converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide during the fermentation process.

Balanced Wine – wine whose components all serve to complement one another.

Flat Wine – we say a wine is ‘flat’ when its acidity level is too low, making it dull and tasteless.

Ageing – the maturing process immediately following fermentation. This process is carried out in wood barrels, tanks or bottles. Each wine undergoes the ageing process that best suits its grape variety / varieties according to the wine-maker’s instructions.

Astringency - A wine-tasting term to describe dryness of the mouth on tasting a wine. If pronounced and unpleasant, it may be due to excess tannin. (Astringency is the feeling we experience when tasting certain types of unripe fruit.)

Alcoholic Fermentation – the process by which grape juice is transformed into wine; this occurs through the help of the wine yeast, which converts the natural sugar in the grapes to produce alcohol.

Malo-Lactic Fermentation - Malolactic fermentation is a natural process due to the action of certain bacteria, which change malic acid into lactic acid.

Must - The skins, seeds and juice of crushed grapes.