Winemaking

Winemaking is the process of making wine, starting by picking the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making is over a million years old. There is evidence that shows that the earliest wine production took place in Georgia and Iran around 6000 to 5000 B.C. The science of wine and winemaking is known as oenology. A winemaker may also be called a vintner. The growing of grapes is viticulture and there are many types of grapes.

Winemaking process

There are five main stages to the wine making process. The first stage is harvesting or picking. After the harvest, the grapes go to a winery and prepared for primary ferment. At this stage red wine becomes different than white wine making.

Red wine is made from the pulp and juice of red or black grapes and fermentation happens together with the grape skins, which brings it its flavor and color. White wine is made by fermenting juice which is made by pressing crushed grapes to take out the juice. The skins are removed and have no role in white winemaking.

Winemakers

List of top 15 wine producing countries by volume. (Volume in thousands of hectoliters)

Country	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Italy	48,525	42,772	45,616	52,029	44,739	50,000	50,900	42,500	48,500
France	44,381	50,757	41,548	42,004	46,698	47,000	45,200	36,600	46,400
Spain	35,353	33,397	31,123	45,650	41,620	37,700	39,300	32,500	40,900
United States	20,887	19,140	21,650	23,590	22,300	21,700	23,600	23,300	23,900
Argentina	16,250	15,473	11,778	14,984	15,197	13,400	9,400	11,800	14,500
Australia	11,420	11,180	12,260	12,500	12,000	11,900	13,100	13,900	12,500
South Africa	9,327	9,725	10,569	10,982	11,316	11,200	10,500	10,800	9,500
China	13,000	13,200	13,511	11,780	11,178	11,500	11,400	11,400	10,800
Chile	8,844	10,464	12,554	12,820	10,500	12,900	10,100	9,500	12,900
Germany	6,906	9,132	9,012	8,409	9,334	8,900	9,000	7,500	9,800
Portugal	7,148	5,622	6,308	6,237	6,195	7,000	6,000	6,700	5,300
Romania	3,287	4,058	3,311	5,100	3,700	3,600	3,300	4,300	5,200
Russian Federation	6,400	6,353	6,400	5,300	4,900	5,600	5,200	4,700	4,700
Hungary	-	-	-	2,600	2,400	2,600	2,500	2,500	3,400
Rest of the World	27,847	30,906	27,194	31,000	27,100	29,800	29,900	30,900	30,700
World	264,425	267,279	257,889	290,100	270,000	277,000	273,000	251,000	282,000

More readings

• Thomas Pinney. The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years. Berkeley. University of California Press, 2012.
• James Simpson. Creating Wine: The Emergence of a World Industry, 1840–1914. Princeton University Press, 2012.