White wine production

To make a wine, you need ripe grapes, yeast – and time.

Step 1
The winemaker harvest the ripe grapes.

Step 2
The grapes are destemmed, crushed and pressed.

Step 3
The winemaker fines the cloudy grape juice.

Step 4
Yeast helps kickstart the alcoholic fermentation.

Step 5
Optional: malolactic fermentation (MLF). This process imparts a buttery flavour to the white wine.

Step 6
Storage or maturation in wooden barrels or stainless steel tanks.

Step 7
The wine is bottled, corked, labelled and of course: put on the market!

White wine can also be made from red grapes. Yes, the pigment in grapes is found in the skins. If the winemaker doesn’t let the grapes come into contact with the must, the grape juice remains white. This type of wine is known as «Blanc de Noirs».