Winemaking Made Simple: How Red & White Wines Are Made

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It all starts in the vineyard. Grapes are picked when they’re perfectly ripe—too early, and the wine is too tart; too late, and it’s too sweet.

• White wine grapes are often picked early in the morning or at night to keep them cool and fresh.
• Red wine grapes can be picked a bit later, but they still need to be sorted carefully.

Once the grapes arrive at the winery, they’re checked for quality. Leaves, stems, and any bad grapes are removed—only the best ones make the cut!

Now it’s time to break those grapes open!

• For red wines, the grapes are lightly crushed, and most of the stems are removed. Some winemakers leave a few stems in for extra structure and spice.
• For white wines, the grapes go straight into the press, or they get destemmed first. Unlike red wines, the goal is to separate the juice from the skins as soon as possible.

White wines get an extra step here—pressing! The juice is squeezed out and separated from the skins, seeds, and stems. This keeps white wines crisp and light.

Red wines skip this step for now because they need time to soak with their skins (that’s what gives them their color and tannins).

This is where yeast gets to work, turning grape juice into alcohol.

• Red wines ferment with the skins, which is how they get their deep color and tannins.
• White wines ferment without skins, making them lighter and fresher.

Temperature matters:

• Red wines ferment warmer (around 77–86°F / 25–30°C) to bring out bold flavors.
• White wines ferment cooler (50–63°F / 10–17°C) to keep their fruity, fresh character.

Some winemakers let fermentation happen naturally with wild yeast, while others add special yeast to control the process.

During fermentation, the grape skins in red wine rise to the top, forming a thick layer called the cap.

To get the best flavors, winemakers have to mix the juice with the skins:

• Punching down – Pushing the cap back into the juice.
• Pumping over – Taking juice from the bottom and pouring it over the top.

This helps extract color, tannins, and aroma from the skins.

After the first fermentation, red wines usually go through malolactic fermentation (MLF), where tart malic acid turns into softer lactic acid. This gives red wines a smoother, rounder feel.

Some white wines, like Chardonnay, also go through MLF to get that buttery texture.

Now the wine needs time to develop its flavors.

• Red wines are usually aged in oak barrels to add depth, spice, and complexity. This can take months or even years!
• White wines can also be aged in barrels (like Chardonnay) for a creamy texture, but many are aged in stainless steel to stay crisp and fruity.

Winemakers rack the wine (transferring it from one container to another) to remove sediment and help it develop smoothly.

Nobody wants cloudy wine, so winemakers clean things up by:

• Fining – Adding natural agents (like egg whites or bentonite clay) to remove unwanted particles.
• Filtering – Running the wine through a filter to remove yeast or sediment.
• Adding sulfur dioxide – A tiny bit is added to keep the wine stable and fresh.

Too much filtering can strip wine of flavor, so winemakers have to find the perfect balance!

Not all wines are blended, but if they are, this is when winemakers mix different grapes, vineyard lots, or barrels to get the perfect balance of flavor, aroma, and texture.

Famous blends include Bordeaux reds (Cabernet + Merlot) and Champagne (Chardonnay + Pinot Noir + Pinot Meunier).

Time to get the wine into bottles!

• Some wines go straight to market.
• Others stay in the bottle to age a little longer before they’re ready to drink.

Once bottled and corked (or sometimes capped with a screw top), the wine is ready to be enjoyed! 

From vine to bottle, winemaking is a mix of art, science, and patience. Now that you know the process, you can appreciate every sip a little more! Cheers!