wine is a light- or medium-body red wine with hints of currant and blackberry. Made from a small, thin-skinned grape called the pinot, Pinot Noir is lighter in color than most red wines because of the lower amount of pigment in the thin skin of the grape. It is a very fragile type of grape and only grows in a warm climate with a lot of sunlight and quality drainage. The sweetness of the grape depends on the length of time it is left on the vine. The Burgundy, or Bourgonge, region of France is considered the best area to grow pinot grapes.
Instructions
1. Pick the pinot grapes at a nearby vineyard between February and April. Immediately transfer them to a grape crusher.
2. The grape crusher will crush the grapes and squeeze out their juices, as well as separate the skins and stems from the fruit. Do not try to remove the skins from the juice---it is the skin that gives the wine its red color.
3. Pour the juice into a ventilated vat and add wine-making yeast to start the fermentation process. The yeast will react with the natural sugars in the juice to produce alcohol, and the yeast cells will die when all of the sugar has been converted.
4. When the wine has reached the desired color, move the wine to an oak or stainless-steel barrel. The wine will be stored in a cool, dry location while it ferments for an additional three to four months.
5. Next you must "rack" the wine in order to transfer it away from the dead particles of yeast that separate during the fermentation process. You will know the wine is ready for racking when a layer of sediment forms on the top. Use a siphon to move the wine to another barrel.
6. After the wine "rests" for an additional 20 to 24 months, add egg whites to the barrel to absorb excess tannin.
7. Rack the wine one final time, no later than seven to 10 days after the egg whites are added. After the final racking, the wine is ready for bottling.
Tags: Pinot Noir, fermentation process, grape crusher, move wine, pinot grapes, wine ready