The Journey from Vineyard to Glass: How Your Favourite Wine is Made

More Than Grape Juice

Wine-drinker or not, just about everyone has a fairly accurate notion about the winemaking process. Which is more or less that wine production involves the crushing of grapes, the juice from which is then fermented and somehow, at some point, gets into bottle.

While this is true, there are of course several other crucial factors contributing to the finished product before it’s corked or screw capped. So, let’s go through what steps are necessary in the journey from vineyard to white, red, rosé and sparkling wines and get a clearer understanding of what’s in your glass, and how it got there.

The Growing Season

Grapes must be grown, after all… For growers and winemakers, it all gets down to harvest time and the winemaking weeks that follow it. As for the lifecycle of a vine itself, this can be divided into six main stages where here, we refer to the Northern Hemisphere’s calendar. For wines produced in the Southern Hemisphere, just invert this calendar.

Bud-break

When buds left after winter pruning begin to swell, showing initial signs of green shoots emerging. Usually when temperatures reach 10C or higher.

Separation of Leaves

Within a week or so of bud-break, leaves begin to separate from the buds, when embryonic tendrils become visible. At this point, however, they are still vulnerable to late frosts that can strike.

Flowering

A crucial period ocurring between 6 and 13 weeks after bud-break when minuscule caps of fused petals emerge. Once these caps fall away, their stamens are exposed, ready to be pollinated and thus begin berry development.

Flowering Effects

A crop’s eventual size is dictated by how successful the pollination period has been. Here, poor weather conditions can lead to stalks shrivelling and berries dropping away (coulure), or bunches suffering uneven berry sizes within it (millerandage).

Veraison

The French term for the swelling and colouring of the hard, green baby grapes that have replaced any buds having survived any harsh flowering conditions. Here, proper ripening begins and inside the grape where sugar levels start to quickly build.

Full Ripeness

Although there will continue to be a degree of subjectivity in what constitutes ‘full ripeness’ (since this will be dependent on what style of wine the winemaker seeks), in general, it is indicated in black grapes by deeply coloured skins and in white grapes, a deep, greenish-yellow hue. Inside, seeds should now show no sign of greenness.

In The Vineyard, In The Cellar

Now, here’s an outline of what each month leading up to that pivotal time entails both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

January

Vine pruning, usually done by hand, where early-budding varietals may be done later to avoid frost damage later on. In the cellar, wines now in tank or barrel will be undergoing malolactic fermentation. Here, bacteria transform the harshness of malic ‘appley’ acidity into softer, ‘milky’ lactic acid, thus increasing texture and body whilst imparting specific flavour complexities.

February

Pruning continues; wires, posts and stakes are mended and/or secured. In the cellar, barrels are topped up since wine contracts in the cold, thus affecting its internal level. Topping up also reduces the risk of oxidation.

March

Vineyards are ploughed for weed control and decompacting soil. Inside, wines destined for younger drinking are now bottled.

April

Vine suckers are removed to tidy up vines and thus concentrate energy into the young shoots that have formed. April is also when ‘racking’ takes place in the cellar, whereby wine is moved from one container to another in the interest of removing potentially harmful sediments left over from the fermentation process. Racking can be done up to three or four times during a wine’s first year in barrel.

May

Because frosts can strike as late as May, precautionary measures are taken in the vineyard to offset the catastrophic effects they can have. Often, these are by way of tractor-towed flamethrowers, portable heaters (‘smudge pots’), heated wires, wind machines or even by helicopter for breaking up cold air. At the winery, orders are prepared and assembled for dispatch before the heat of summer.

June

Vine shoot-positioning when young shoots are tied on to wires so that the vine is in a position to gain maximum exposure to sunlight. Racking may continue, particularly for finer wines.

July

Since rain and humidity are strong fungal disease-promoting agents, July is when spraying against pests and disease is at full-tilt. It’s also when wines that happen to be in their second year of ageing will be bottled, ideally before temperature extremes move in.

August

Veraison now well and truly underway. Grapes for red wines soften whilst developing deeper colours; any bunches not quite achieving this state will have their leaves removed to increase exposure or be discarded altogether. At the winery, major preparations are being made or the incoming harvest – which, in hotter regions, may already have started.

September

Harvest time. The most common, pivotal operation this time of year. When a vineyard and winery become one. When, with full consideration of weather forecasting, deciding picking time is most crucial of all. At this point, grape pickers will need to have been hired, organised, and, as is often the case, housed and fed, and picking machines and drivers must be at the ready for when picking time commences. Indoors, all necessary equipment and additions – yeast, sugar, acids – must be in place.

October

Now shorn of their fruit, vines will continue to build up carbohydrate reserves for withstanding the winter that approaches. Elsewhere, sorting, crushing, pressing and fermentation of grapes is underway, where extraction of colour and flavour from their skins is now a daily task.

November

Vine leaves turn colour and wither, then drop off, usually upon the first frost. Red wines are now being fined and filtered, where first-year wines may be moved from fermentation vessel to barrel.

December

Vines are dormant by now, set to withstand the oncoming winter. Cuttings may be taken for propagating young vines, and pruning may also begin. In the cellar, first tastings of the wines in barrel can start which will in turn dictate the decisions about how the different lots of wines will be used. Malolactic fermentation will likely be under way, encouraged by the introduction of lactic bacteria and the warming of the cellar environs.

White Winemaking

• Harvesting: White wine grapes - chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier - are often harvested earlier in the season to retain their natural acidity. Cooler harvest temperatures help preserve the bright, fruity aromas characteristic of white wines. And, depending on the style the winemaker is after, fruit may be transferred immediately to a chiller to ensure freshness and acidity is preserved.

• Crushing and Pressing: Unlike red wines, white wine grapes are sorted, destemmed and crushed, then immediately pressed to separate the juice from the skins. This prevents the extraction of tannins and colour from the grape skins, resulting in a clear, light juice.

• Fermentation: The juice is fermented at cooler temperatures (typically 12-18°C) compared to red wines. This slower fermentation process preserves delicate aromas and creates a clean, vibrant profile. Stainless steel tanks are commonly used, although some white wines, like oaked Chardonnays, may undergo fermentation in oak barrels.

• Ageing: Many white wines are bottled soon after fermentation to capture their freshness. However, some styles, such as oaked Chardonnays or certain Rieslings, benefit from extended ageing in oak or on lees (spent yeast cells), which adds richness and complexity.

• Clarification and Bottling: Before bottling, the wine is clarified through fining or filtration to ensure it’s crystal clear and free from sediment.

Red Winemaking

• Harvesting: Red wine grapes – cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, pinot noir – are harvested at peak ripeness, often later in the season to ensure optimal sugar levels and flavor development. Grapes can be handpicked or machine-harvested, depending on the vineyard’s approach.

• Crushing and Fermentation: After harvest, the grapes are sorted, destemmed and crushed to release their juice while keeping the skins and seeds intact. These skins are crucial, as they contain pigments, tannins, and compounds that provide red wine with its structure and colour. For less tannic grapes such as pinot noir, producers may include ripe stems in the mix for added support.
  Fermentation typically occurs in large vats, where yeast converts sugars into alcohol. During this time, winemakers regularly mix the juice and skins (a process called ‘punching down or ‘pumping over’) to extract maximum flavour and tannins.

• Carbonic Maceration: This is an alternative fermentation method and one most commonly used in Beaujolais whereby whole bunches are loaded into a sealed vessel along with a dose of CO2. As the lower levels of fruit in the vat are gradually crushed by the weight of those above, they break down, causing a natural process of fermentation to begin. The major difference in outcome here is wines with a far fruitier, more youthful flavour profile and considerably lower tannin content owing to minimal skin contact during fermentation.

• Pressing: Once fermentation is complete, the grape skins and seeds are pressed to extract any remaining juice. This step marks the transition from a rough, tannic liquid to something smoother and more refined.

• Ageing: At this point they are commonly transferred to oak barrels or steel tanks where they’ll undergo malolactic fermentation, then age further for the development of further complexities. These complexities include notes of vanilla, spice, and toast when oak, where in stainless steel tanks they retain a fresher, fruit-driven style. Ageing duration varies from a few months to several years, depending on the desired profile.

• Bottling: Finally, the wine is filtered, stabilised, and bottled, where it may undergo further bottle age before release.

Rosé Winemaking

There are your whites and reds done, but still you may ask ‘How is rosé wine made?’ As its hue would suggest, in a way found somewhere in between the two. In three possible ways, in fact.

• Harvesting: Rosé – especially in its Provençal heartland – is typically made from red varietals like grenache, syrah, cinsault and carignan. These are often picked earlier than for red wines to maintain freshness and lower alcohol levels.

• Main Techniques:

• Maceration: The most common method, where grape skins are left in contact with the juice for a short period (anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days) to achieve the desired pink hue.
• Saignée: A method where some juice is ‘bled off’ red wine fermentation to concentrate the remaining red wine. This is then fermented separately into rosé.
• Blending: Though less common, blending white and red wines is permitted in some regions, such as for rosé champagne.

• Fermentation and Bottling: Rosé wines are fermented at cool temperatures like whites to preserve their fresh, fruity character, and usually bottled young to retain elegance in style and delicacy of aromas and flavours.

Champagne & Sparkling Wine-making

• Harvesting: In Champagne, the principal, permitted grape varietals are chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, which are also used for premium English sparkling wines. Typically, these are picked earlier to retain high acidity—a critical component for balance and freshness in sparkling wines.

• Base Wine Production: The journey begins with the creation of a still wine base. These base wines are typically dry, high in acidity, low in alcohol, and often kept in reserve later to be blended prior to a secondary fermentation. These are known as ‘NV’ – ‘non-vintage’. In particularly good years, champagne houses will produce sparkling wines from base wines made only with fruit from that year – hence ‘vintage’ champagne.

• Secondary Fermentation: Sparkling wines gain their bubbles through a secondary fermentation. In the traditional method (used for champagne), the base wine is bottled with a mixture of sugar and yeast, which initiates fermentation inside the bottle. This creates carbon dioxide, resulting in those signature bubbles. At this point it will be aged on its lees for a minimum of 15 months as is required for NV champagne. It is this ageing period that will ultimately determine the style that is sought, where less ageing on lees renders a brighter, more floral, zesty, orchard fruit style, and where extended ageing brings forth a richer, nuttier, breadier, brioche and honeyed fruit style.

• Riddling and Disgorgement: In traditional-method sparkling wines, bottles are gradually rotated and tilted (riddling) to collect sediment in the neck. These days, this process is mostly carried out by way of ‘gyropallet,’ a large-scale, mechanised apparatus which elevates and rotates pallet quantities to ensure the lees in each bottle are fully deposited into the bottle’s neck. Once the sediment is fully in place, it is then frozen and removed (disgorging), leaving the wine clear and pristine.

• Bottling Under Pressure: The final step involves sealing the wine under pressure to preserve its effervescence until it’s ready to be enjoyed or undergo further bottle ageing.

Terroir Expression – Better Wine

Finally, the concept of terroir. A concept that recognises the unique, ever-so-crucial combination of soil, climate, topography, and human influence that shapes a wine’s character. A wine’s ultimate identifying component. In other words, because the same grape varietal – or indeed, varietal blends – can produce vastly different wines depending on where they are grown, the use of the term is in recognition of a wine’s ‘sense of place.’

Whether from the limestone soils of Champagne or the sun-drenched vineyards of Tuscany, terroir influences everything from acidity to aroma. Ultimately, it is the expression of this connection to a vineyard’s situation that we at Mr.Wheeler Wine prioritise when choosing the better wine we do.

Explore our portfolio and experience these expressions for yourself!

-- David Adamick, Mr.Wheeler Wine