Winemaking – from grape to glass
Winemaking is the treatment of harvested grapes to produce wine and covers the process steps from crushing the grapes to filling the bottle. Every one of these stages is aimed at creating a characteristic product.

Must clarification
removes the pomace (solid portion comprising grape skins and stems) from the must, by settling, filtration or floatation. Clarified must or juice requires the addition of yeast to start fermentation.

Fermentation
converts sugars in the grape juice to alcohol and carbon dioxide. Spontaneous fermentation is the process carried out by natural yeasts found on the grapes. Today, the winemaker usually adds pure culture yeasts (dry yeast) to the juice.

Wine filtration
In order to stabilize the young wine, all solids are removed by filtration. This process removes the yeast, bacteria and solids such as proteins, crystals or precipitated pigments.

Fining
removes undesirable flavours and solids. Fining agents such as activated coal, bentonite, casein, gelatine and isinglass among others react with the unwanted particles to form a precipitate.

Blending
By blending wines, the winemaker achieves the style of wine he desires. However, the final blend must contain at least 85% of the base wine named on the label (community, vineyard location).

Preservation with sulphur dioxide
Sulphur dioxide prevents the growth of bacteria and yeasts and therefore contributes towards preserving the wine. Sulphur dioxide also acts as an anti-oxidant therefore prevents the wine from premature ageing.

Bulk ageing
Affects the flavour profile of the wine. In modern wineries, wines are aged in stainless steel vessels, which are economical and easy to clean. They can also be cooled. A cold and slow fermentation helps to preserve the aroma, which would be lost under warmer temperatures.