1. Harvest: Grapes are picked by hand or machine at the right moment of ripeness. Timing determines sugar, acid and flavour balance.
2. Sorting & Crushing: Grapes are sorted to remove damaged fruit, then crushed (or left whole for some styles). Destemming removes bitter green stems.
3. Fermentation: Yeast (wild or commercial) converts grape sugars to alcohol and CO₂. Temperature and vessel choice (tank vs oak) shape flavour.
4. Maceration (reds only): Red wines macerate with their skins to extract colour, tannin and flavour. Duration: days to weeks.
5. Pressing: The juice is pressed off the skins. Press wine contains more tannin than free-run juice.
6. Ageing: In oak barrels (adds tannin, vanilla, oxygen exposure) or stainless steel (preserves freshness).
7. Blending, Fining & Filtering: Final adjustments before bottling.
8. Bottling & Closure: Screwcap or cork; both work well when applied correctly.
