Winemaking by Month | What Does a Winemaker do? | Vinifera Boutique

Making Wine - The Winemakers Year

Below is the yearly cycle of a French winemaker, showing the 'double-work' needed. The colour of the wine depends on the grape skins used. Therefore white grapes are usually used to make white wine, whereas red wine or rosé wine is made from red grapes. The colour is determined by the time that the grape juice is in contact with the skins, which also gives wine its tannins.

Jan- Feb		Vines in the vineyard are pruned to increase the quality of the coming year's harvest. The timing of the pruning will affect spring growth and early pruned vines are at risk of frost damage.
Mar- Apr		Beginning in March, buds will break at different times depending on location, weather and variety, after which the shoots will start to grow. Ploughing the vineyard will also take place in the early months of the year. A few months after initial bud break, the small clusters of unpollenated 'grapes' will emerge.		Wine is moved from one container to another to separate it from its lees. Topping up will continue.
May- Jun		Flowering takes place in the early summer months, transforming the initial clusters into small grapes. Flowering is crucial in determining the year's growth. Warm, stable weather is hoped for during this period, as cold weather, frost and rain can cause low yields and complications. Winemakers can deal with frost by using heaters, but hail storms could be very severe in reducing the crop.		Wines are bottled throughout the spring.
Jul- Aug		During the summer, the vineyards need to be taken care of and sprayed. As the grapes grow, shoots are pruned and need to be positioned to let air and sunlight into the grapes. During the growing process a "green-harvest" can be used to cut some grapes, reducing yield and increasing quality in the remaining grapes. Throughout the summer the grapes grow and as they ripen in August they change colour, this is called "veraison".		While the grapes ripen, acids will decrease and sugar content will increase. The cellar is kept cool during the hot summer months and some wines can be racked again. Before the autumn harvest arrives, the wines in the cellar will need to be moved to make space for the new harvest.
Sep- Oct		As the harvest approaches, the winemakers watch the weather closely, hoping for dry weather, as rain or storms could destroy the harvest and cause complications such as fungal disease. The grapes are then picked based on physiological ripeness, sugar content, pH and acid level. The picking can be done manually or by machine, although manual harvesting has its advantages. The grapes are usually ripe to be picked between September and October depending on grape variety and weather. The difficult decision for the winemaker is whether to pick earlier before the grapes are at their ripest or to wait and risk bad weather leading up to harvest.		The grapes are quickly transported to the winery. At this time all the required equipment needs to be clean and in place. As the grapes arrive in the winery, they are sorted, transferred to vats and the alcoholic fermentation process is started. (The winery may need to work around the clock). When the grapes have been placed in the vats, the skins need to be punched down 1-2 times a day. Maceration can be used to extract colour and tannins from the skins. A wine press is used to extract more juice from the grapes. Throughout the coming months the vintner needs to decide what type of wine will be made from the harvest.
Nov- Dec		Leaves change colour and unpicked grapes can stay on the vines unless they will be used to make sweet wine. The vines become dormant for the winter period. In the months leading up to winter the wines can be transferred to barrels, while the malolcatic process starts, converting malic acid into lactic acid, which is less sour.		Similarly, as yeast can be added for primary fermentation, malolactic bacteria can be added, although the process would start naturally. These processes vary for white wines.