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Merlot (/ ˈ m ɜːr l oʊ / MUR-loh) is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape.
The natural occurrence of fermentation means it was probably first observed long ago by humans. [3] The earliest uses of the word "fermentation" in relation to winemaking was in reference to the apparent "boiling" within the must that came from the anaerobic reaction of the yeast to the sugars in the grape juice and the release of carbon dioxide.
The next process in the making of red wine is malolactic conversion, a bacterial process which converts "crisp, green apple" malic acid to "soft, creamy" lactic acid, softening the taste of the wine. Red wine is characteristically transferred to white oak barrels to mature for a period of weeks or months; this practice imparts oak aromas and ...
With sparkling wines, the by product of secondary fermentation is the containment of the carbon dioxide bubbles which makes the wine "sparkling" as well as dead yeast cells known as lees (visible in the picture) that must be removed in a process known as disgorgement that happens prior to corking.
The wine can then be siphoned or "racked" off the compact solids into a new container. [3] But this process may take many months, or even years, as well as several rackings, in order to produce a perfectly clear wine. Producers can accelerate the process by using fining agents, filtration and/or flotation. [1]
The harvesting of wine grapes is one of the most crucial steps in the process of wine-making. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar , acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to produce.
To macerate is to soften by soaking, and maceration is the process by which the red wine receives its red color, since raw grape juice (with the exceptions of teinturiers) is clear-grayish in color. In the production of white wines, maceration is either avoided or allowed only in very limited manner in the form of a short amount of skin contact ...
Wine is a complex mixture of chemical compounds in a hydro-alcoholic solution with a pH around 4. The chemistry of wine and its resultant quality depend on achieving a balance between three aspects of the berries used to make the wine: their sugar content, acidity and the presence of secondary compounds.