Wine Making - What Ingredients Part 1
Author: John Gygax

Water

It is essential that all water used in making wine be pure and
wholesome. It doesn't seem to matter if the water is hard or
soft; at least, no significant difference has ever been noted.
There is a body of opinion in favour of using boiled water. It
not only precipitates some calcium carbonate but also sterilises
the water beyond doubt and dissipates any dissolved gases, such
as chlorine, used in purification. Spring water is highly
regarded, but well water is often thought to be suspect, and
boiling is recommended. Rain water should never be used without
first filtering it through a sterile chamois cloth and boiling
it thoroughly. It often contains sulphur impurities. Distilled
water is not recommended since it lacks trace elements of
mineral salts so often beneficial to the yeast.

When adding water to a fruit must, it should be remembered that
fruit consists mainly of water. If the fruit is well crushed and
pressed, up to 80% of its weight can be extracted with equipment
suitable for use in the home.

Water is added not only to dilute acids but also to leach out
flavour, sugar and body, as well as all the nourishment. Some
ingredients such as vegetables need to be boiled for this
purpose.

Flavour

Flavour is a combination of taste, odour and texture. There are
four main tastes — salt, sweet, sour, bitter — and three
ancillary ones — metallic, fatty and alkaline. Odours have been
categorised into five groups — ethereal, camphory, floral, musky
and minty. Texture in this context, refers primarily to the
degree of 'thickness'.

Flavour naturally differs with every ingredient and from one
year to another, or one place to another with the same
ingredient. In some fruits, flowers and vegetables it is very
strong and to avoid an over¬whelming flavour care must be taken
not to use too much of the same ingredient. By reducing the
quantity of fruit to obtain a satisfactory flavour the total
body, acid and nourishment are also reduced and these must then
be added to make a balanced must.

In some soft fruits there is a flavour change during
fermentation due partly to the withdrawal of sweetness from the
flavour. Wines made from these in¬gredients taste better sweet
than dry.

Concentration sometimes has the same effect and this is
noticeable in rosehip syrup. Dried herbs and dried flowers are
also extremely concentrated in flavour and a very small packet
goes a long way.

Opinions differ on the merit of using boiling water to assist
in the extraction of flavour. Whilst there are many who use this
method with excellent results there are others who prefer to use
cold water, arguing that this does not dissipate any of the
flavour or volatile acids of the ingredients. By fermenting a
must on the pulp, the alcohol helps to extract the flavour and 4
or 5 days is usually sufficient. Furthermore, the off-coming
carbon dioxide helps to prevent the invasion of spoilage
micro-organisms.


About The Author: John Gygax is a Powertool Fan
http://www.powertooldirect.co.uk