Understanding Wine

This book is aimed at the person with no formal scientific training, yet who is interested in the science behind wine and wants to know the mechanism behind the complex transformations that take place. Scientific terminology has been kept to a minimum and an attempt has been made to use everyday words and phrases. This books describes the entire winemaking process from grape growing to packaging and shipping. This book has sold over 40,000 copies and is a must have for wine lovers and wine education program students. This fourth edition has been fully revised with up to date information on the latest winemaking techniques and a new chapter on specialty wines including orange wines, natural wines, biodynamic wines, low alcohol wines and more.

Wine chemistry inspires and challenges with its complexity, and while this is intriguing, it can also be a barrier to further understanding. The topic is demystified in Understanding Wine Chemistry, which explains the important chemistry of wine at the level of university education, and provides an accessible reference text for scientists and scientifically trained winemakers alike. Understanding Wine Chemistry: Summarizes the compounds found in wine, their basic chemical properties and their contribution to wine stability and sensory properties Focuses on chemical and biochemical reaction mechanisms that are critical to wine production processes such as fermentation, aging, physiochemical separations and additions Includes case studies showing how chemistry can be harnessed to enhance wine color, aroma, flavor, balance, stability and quality. This descriptive text provides an overview of wine components and explains the key chemical reactions they undergo, such as those controlling the transformation of grape components, those that arise during fermentation, and the evolution of wine flavor and color. The book aims to guide the reader, who perhaps only has a basic knowledge of chemistry, to rationally explain or predict the outcomes of chemical reactions that contribute to the diversity observed among wines. This will help students, winemakers and other interested individuals to anticipate the effects of wine treatments and processes, or interpret experimental results based on an understanding of the major chemical reactions that can occur in wine.

- First critical analysis of Rosé and its future - Rosé wine is currently fashionable, with substantial marketing and promotion network for anything pink - Author is a Master of Wine and the world's leading authority on pink wines Rosé has seen a huge boom in sales over the last twenty-five years. Popular particularly with younger drinkers, its move into the spotlight seems to be part of a fashion for all things pink. The wines are often thought of as fresh and undemanding but while for many that is part of their appeal, here Master of Wine Elizabeth Gabay reveals the other side of rosé, discovering wines (some unavailable beyond the winery steps) that are every bit as complex and intriguing as their red and white cellar mates. After taking us through the history of rosé and discussing varieties and winemaking methods, Gabay turns her attention to the regions where rosé is made, first introducing us to historic wines such as Tavel, Cigales and Rosé d'Anjou. She next journeys to the heart of the revolution, Provence. The region's pale-hued wines have become the height of fashion, with wineries owned by Hollywood stars and wines such as Garrus commanding premium prices. Unsurprisingly this has led to much emulation, but as Gabay continues her global rosé investigations she discovers that pale is not the only interesting form of rosé. Indeed, one challenge for rosé producers is persuading drinkers to look beyond the colour, for as Rosé demonstrates these wines come in a huge variety of styles. From traditional clairet rosés made using the saignée method to vins gris, natural wines and experimental styles, produced as far afield as British Columbia and Marlborough, California and Crimea, Gabay has tried (nearly) all of them. The result is a detailed yet conversational book that will provoke discussion among those in the industry, wine aficionados and students.

Discover new favorites by tracing wine back to its roots

Understanding Wine Chemistry Understand the reactions behind the world’s most alluring beverages The immense variety of wines on the market is the product of multiple chemical processes – whether acting on components arising in the vineyard, during fermentation, or throughout storage. Winemaking decisions alter the chemistry of finished wines, affecting the flavor, color, stability, and other aspects of the final product. Knowledge of these chemical and biochemical processes is integral to the art and science of winemaking. Understanding Wine Chemistry has served as the definitive introduction to the chemical components of wine, their properties, and their reaction mechanisms. It equips the knowledgeable reader to interpret and predict the outcomes of physicochemical reactions involved with winemaking processes. Now updated to reflect recent research findings, most notably in relation to wine redox chemistry, along with new Special Topics chapters on emerging areas, it continues to set the standard in the subject. Readers of the second edition of Understanding Wine Chemistry will also find: Case studies throughout showing chemistry at work in creating different wine styles and avoiding common adverse chemical and sensory outcomes Detailed treatment of novel subjects like non-alcoholic wines, non-glass alternatives to wine packaging, synthetic wines, and more An authorial team with decades of combined experience in wine chemistry research and education Understanding Wine Chemistry is ideal for college and university students, winemakers at any stage in their practice, professionals in related fields such as suppliers or sommeliers, and chemists with an interest in wine.

Any student who has ever logged credits in a viticulture and enology class knows David Bird's book: it is the most widely assigned wine science primer in the English-speaking world. This completely revised and updated edition to Bird's classic textbook deciphers all the new scientific advances from the last several years, and conveys them in his typically clear and plainspoken style that renders even the densest subject matter freshman friendly. The new material includes an expanded section on the production of red, rose, white, sweet, sparkling, and fortified wines; information on histamine, flash detente, maceration, and whole bunch and whole berry fermentation; an expanded chapter on wine faults, including Brettanomyces; a new section on HACCP analysis as applied to a winery; and much more.

Wine yeast and bacteria have been extensively characterized in terms of physiological and metabolic traits largely in pure culture analyses. Winemaking practices derived from this basic knowledge have undoubtedly improved wine quality. Phylogenetic studies and genome comparisons in extensive collections have revealed the processes of evolution and adaptation of the two main microbial species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Oenococcus oeni, present in wine. However, grapes and grape juice contain a variety of microorganisms and these principal agents of fermentation are in fact part of a complex microbial community that evolves dynamically in a special niche. Thanks to the new methods of analysis, the complexity of the microbiota can be measured in any sample of must or wine. In addition, there is greater appreciation of diversity within the main species present in wine. Intraspecific diversity has been evaluated in yeast and bacteria species and strains can be typed even in the mixture of selected or indigenous strains. Descriptions of microbial profiles in all the regions of the world suggest that the microbiota is a significant element of terroir or regional signature. It is no longer enough to simply describe what is present. It is important to consider evolution, physiology and metabolism taking into account microbial interactions within the community. Research in wine microbiology has also expanded our understanding of the participation and role of non-Saccharomyces organisms in winemaking, and refined knowledge on microbial spoilage. However, it is challenging to go from the simple description of these phenomena to their interpretation. The greatest difficulty lies in analyzing the functioning of the extraordinary complex system of yeast and bacteria present during different stages of the fermentation. Interactions in the very particular environment of fermenting grape induce alternations of relative populations’ dominances and declines with subsequent impacts on wine composition. Some mechanisms have been identified or suggested, but much remains to be done. The recent advent of inoculation with non-Saccharomyces in oenological practice, sometimes leading to inconstant results, reflects the profound gaps that exist in knowledge of the complexity of fermentation and wine microbial ecosystems. Understanding how the microbial community works is expected to provide a sound basis before using fermentation helpers and starters, taking into account the indigenous microbiota. It will also aid in monitoring and understanding native or uninoculated fermentations that rely on the complex interactions of grape, winery and fermentation biota for their aroma and flavor profile. The aim of this Research Topic was to bring together current knowledge on several key aspects of wine microorganism biology: i) Evolution / co-evolution of yeasts and bacteria in their process of domestication and adaptation to the oenological niche. ii) Mechanisms of interactions between species and strains, both on grapes and in grape must. iii) Metabolism and physiology of yeast and bacteria in interactions with each other and with the environment, considering to what extent expected objectives (typicity, lower alcohol, etc.,) can be reached by using selected strains. iv) Development of novel technologies or approaches for the assessment of changes in a dynamic microbial community and the linking of such changes to wine flavor and aroma properties. v) Diversity, ecology, physiology and metabolism of B. bruxellensis. Damage from this spoilage agent is not effectively prevented because we do not fully understand the biology of this species, particularly in interaction with other yeast and bacteria. Each chapter presents advances in these areas of study. Research in wine microbiology, particularly in the wine microbiome and its impacts on wine composition is enhancing our understanding of the complexities and dynamics of microbial food and beverage ecosystems.