The Tale of Fermentation:

Once upon a time, humankind discovered alcoholic fermentation (I wish they had that on camera). The age old natural process of fermentation is one of the happiest mistakes of human history; aside from discovering fire which, to no one’s knowledge, could have rightfully been inspired by the consumption of a delicious fermented beverage… who is to say? The process of alcoholic fermentation, which begins with the sun and ends in the glass requires very little human input at all except putting the grapes in the right place at the right time. Fermentation is a classic tale of the battle of good and bad, full of suspense, near tragedy, and saved in the end by a misunderstood yet faithful warrior…

The tale begins on the vine with photosynthesis, the process where green plants are able to synthesize sugars from carbon dioxide and water with the help of sunlight and that special green matter we call chlorophyll. These sugars go through complex pathways and transformations then end up in delicious form as the fruit we call grapes. As the grapes hang on the vine, all around in the ambience of our atmosphere float these tiny organisms called yeasts and other bacteria (the good and the bad). The yeast and bacteria gravitate towards the succulent grapes the riper they get, just as droves of humans are attracted to the vineyards and farms come harvest season here on the North Fork. This traveling gypsy band of yeast and bacteria form what is called “the bloom,” that white film that you see covering the grapes around harvest time.

Now remember I said there are good and bad bacteria? Right, so this is where the vineyard manager and winemaker have their most important role in fermentation and the creation of high quality wines. Just as we must control with careful diligence the droves of bachelorettes stumbling into our tasting rooms, the winemakers and vineyard managers must make sure that these bad bacteria and their posse of oxygen don’t harm the freshly harvested and crushed grapes and their juice ruining everything that has been worked for thus far. Let the battle begin.  Cue in sulfur dioxide, the most misunderstood anti-oxidant warrior in all of the land. She, being sulfur dioxide, is the great protector and peace maker in the world of fermentation. She keeps those yeasts, bad bacteria and posse of oxygen at bay by Joan of Arcing the process of oxidation and fermentation before the time is right.  Lo, she is hated by some and praised by others. Most consumers think she, sulfur dioxide, the heroine in this story is the root of all evil and should be burned at the stake, what a putrid mistake that would be. Oh the woes of being misunderstood. Yet, she presses on with intent on fighting the good fight for quality and long lasting wines. Let us take a step back and define in chemical terms what is happening at this moment.

YEAST + SUGAR = ALCOHOL & CO2 (carbon dioxide), & SO2 (sulfur dioxide in small amounts, a completely natural byproduct).

As the grapes are being harvested that traveling gypsy band of yeast and bacteria that has created the “bloom” around each and every grape and their posse of oxygen is waiting in angst for the berries to break so they can have themselves a party converting all those sugars into alcohol. But, we forgot that these bad bacteria and posse of oxygen come from the bad side of town and all they want to do is destroy everything! Just as the party begins in swoops the winemakers dose of Sulfur Dioxide to save the day, slowing down the yeasts premature fermentation and rendering the bad bacteria and oxygen useless in their actions on the juice and skins (what is called “The Must”). Oxidation and other unfavorable actions are halted and “The Must” is safe… for now.

Now the winemaker has taken control of this rowdy group of yeasts, bacteria, and oxygen. They were in desperate need of a chaperone or in more relatable terms a Designated Driver (the “DD”). Acting as the “DD”, the wine maker allows certain yeasts back into “The Must” of course only the most favorable ones that don’t cry or purge once they have consumed too much, they just pass out. The party can then rage on and the conversion of sugars to glorious alcohol by the good yeasts continues until everyone has had their fill and the sugar mill runs “dry” (get it) and everyone is passed out on the lawn. That leads us to the CO2 (carbon dioxide) that was also created while the fermentation party was raging into the wee hours of the morning. The CO2, fermentations hippie artist friend, was blown away freely in the wind of course. If it was raining though and the party had to stay indoors everyone would have absorbed the hippie artist friend’s vibes and become a bubbly mess (aka Sparkling Wine/Champagne, a lesson for another time). Thus concludes the tale of alcoholic fermentation. Now everyone raise a glass of fermented grape juice and cheers in remembrance of the endless battle raging between good and bad bacteria, their posse of oxygen, yeast, the war heroine sulfur dioxide, and the creation of alcohol. Remember to celebrate with joy, thanksgiving, and responsibility every time you imbibe.

Julia King
Tasting Room Associate