Join us as we explore some of the key winemaking choices that impact wine quality and character.

Can you ferment for flavor, boost aroma, or build structure? What decisions are made as great grapes transition into great wine? Explore red, dry white, and sweet white winemaking variables while pulling yeasts and aromatics into sharp focus.   

The curriculum has been built in conjunction with Bordeaux Science-Agro, a public viticulture and enology school under the authority of the French Ministry of Agriculture. Your expert instructors are practicing enologists and will address these subjects in a focused, concise, comprehensive, and concentrated five-week framework. If you have winemaking questions, this talented faculty will have the answers!  

There are 4 videos in this series for working through at your own pace, and you can find the presentations available for download by using the ‘download pdf’ tabs above.  

Summary: 

Session 1: Maximizing Grape Potenial 

Crafting great wine starts with sound, high-caliber grapes, and terrific terroir. Capitalizing on a New World and Old World winemaking background, Dr. Laura Farris will discuss how to transition that top-tier material to grand vin and all the crucial decision-making along the way. Every choice impacts a red wine’s ageablity. Find out how and why.  

• Key winemaker Choices: AOP fruit vs. Grand Cru Fruit  

• Fermentation Temperatures, Maceration, Extended Maceration, Cap Management? 

• Vessels: Oak, Concrete, Amphora  

• Maturation with Drinkability in Mind 

• Wine Stability and Ageablity 

Session 2: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Exploring the Effect of Microorganisms in Fermentation 

What are the pros and cons of wild vs. cultured yeast fermentations? Are wild yeasts terroir-specific? Can we ferment for flavor?  In this session, Dr. Guilherme Martins, will share how various microorganisms and yeasts affect the fermentation process and the final wine.  He will also address the various fermentation processes that impact wine quality. Find out what is happening under the microscope! 

• Wine Microorganism from Vineyard to Winery 

• Pre-fermentation Maceration and Microorganisms 

• Wine Fermentation – Alcoholic (yeasts) and Malolactic Conversion (lactic acid bacteria) 

• Microorganisms and Wine Quality  

• Differences between Wild and Cultured Yeasts  

• Fermenting for Flavor  

Session 3: White Winemaking at its Best 

In this lecture, Pr. Isabelle Masneuf-Pomarede will discuss the white winemaking steps that impact aroma, taste, and wine style. How do fermentation and holding vessels impact wine? What steps are needed to preserve wine aroma?   From harvest and skin contact to wine aging on lees and bottling …we’ll follow the journey from grape to glass. 

• Production of different wine styles  

• How to express varietal aromas (volatiles thiols)  

• Vessels: Stainless Steel Tank, Concrete, Wooden cask, Amphora 

• Finding balance: Fining and Filtration 

Session 4: How Sweet It Is – The Balancing Act for Sweet Wine Production 

The interplay between sugar and freshness is crucial to a balanced sweet wine. Achieving such balance requires different decisions depending on whether the grapes are fresh, frozen, dried, late harvest, and/or botrytized. In this session, Dr. Jean-Christophe Barbe will discuss various styles of sweet wines and the challenges that exist, from  grapes to bulk ageing, while diving deep into the winemaking “alchemy” that turns grapes into ‘liquid gold.’  

• Over-maturation and Harvest Parameters for Sweet Wine Production 

• A Pressing Matter: Extracting a Sugar-Rich Juice 

• Alcoholic Fermentation Management  

• Balancing Freshness and Residual Sugar and fermentation stop  

• Re-fermentation Risks  

About the Speakers: 

ABOUT LAURA FARRIS: 

After graduating from the University of Milan as an enologist, Laura has acquired winemaking experience in Italy, France, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. 

She is now doing sensory analysis and pedagogical support, as well as teaching wine tasting and coaching for audits at Bordeaux Sciences Agro. She also provides support to the Master of Science in Vineyard and Winery Management pedagogical coordination. 

ABOUT GUILHERME MARTINS: 

Guilherme Martins holds a Ph.D. from the University of Bordeaux (France) in microbiology and biotechnology, and a degree in enology from the University of Vila Real (Portugal). 

His current research topic focuses on the microbial community associated with grape berries: how the abiotic and biotic factors influence this community and its importance on grape composition and quality. 

Guilherme is also a winemaker with experience that covers countries like Portugal, France, and the US. He actively participates in promoting and developing innovations in winemaking research useful for both students and the community at large. 

ABOUT ISABELLE MASNEUF-POMAREDE 

After graduation in Enology at the Bordeaux faculty of Enology, Isabelle got her PhD of “Ampélologie – Enologie” at Bordeaux University. She has been in charge of research in biotechnology at Laffort Oenology company, Bordeaux France for 6 years. Now she is professor of enology, and she is the head of the scientific department of Bordeaux Sciences Agro. Isabelle Masneuf-Pomarede conducts research on wine microbiology, especially of wine yeasts including fermentative and spoilage yeast. 

ABOUT JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BARBE: 

Jean-Christophe Barbe earned his PhD at Faculty of Enology, Bordeaux University, in 2000 where he worked on SO2 binding phenomena in sweet wines from botrytized grapes. 

He joined Bordeaux Sciences Agro in 2001 and is a Professor of Enology. His specialty is Wine and Grape chemistry, Sensory Analysis, Winemaking and Company Auditing. He manages research in Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin de Bordeaux Aquitaine (ISVV)  mainly focused on wine aroma with 60 Publications in international journals, 60 Communications in international congress and 2 Patents. Jean-Christophe is also a winemaker with an experience of more than 25 vintages.