Real-Life Communication
You are a winemaker talking to a group of tourists about your winery.
"Winemakers
are involved in the process of making wine, but in smaller wineries they may
make the wine, work in the shop and give tours," says winemaker Helen Maher.
"It all depends on the size of the operation."
"There is so much to
know about making wine that you never stop learning," adds winemaker Elias
Phinioti.
As you tour the vineyard and the wine cellar, this is what
you tell the tourists:
In February, the grapevines are pruned.
The vines also need to be tied up for support, and the buds nipped to control
growth. In the summer, the grapes are sometimes sprayed to control mildew
growth.
Mildew isn't to be confused with botrytis, a benign mold that
actually enhances the taste of wine. In addition, leaves are stripped in the
summer to expose the grapes to the sunshine.
In late September, the
grapes are picked and the winemaking process can actually begin. First the
grapes are crushed, de-stemmed and pressed. The resulting juice is racked.
Racking
is done to draw off the dead yeast cells and solid particles. It is done several
times to remove sediment. Next, the wine is allowed to ferment, which can
take six weeks to five months.
The following spring, the wine is filtered
and bottled. The wine then needs time to age in a cellar before it is ready
to drink.
At the end of your talk, you ask,
"Are there are any questions?" And, of course, there are a few. How will you
answer them?
Questions
- What time of the year do you pick the grapes?
- What is botrytis?
- What does racking the wine do?