Vintage Memories and Wine Making

The transition of mankind from hunter-gatherer communities to settled order begins approximately 10 thousand years BC. The most important problem that arises with the transition to settled life is the storage of the collected food. The need to store food in natural conditions has created different applications in every field. While grain can be preserved in some way, it has been possible to store food for a long time with applications such as drying meat and making beverages obtained from agricultural products. The fact that fermented beverages both preserve their nutritional value and can be preserved for a long time has caused these beverages to have an important place in human history. The best known of these beverages are beer and wine. According to various findings, the history of wine begins approximately 6000 BC.
Historically, the collection of grapes at a certain time every year has been perceived as the generosity of nature to meet the long-term needs of society. Over time, the idea of showing the gratitude of the society towards the generosity of nature has turned the vintage event into a feast / celebration. In various regions and countries of the world, the vintage is organised with events that include feasting, entertainment and celebration. In this context, the vintage has become a cultural phenomenon in Anatolia, known as the homeland of grapes.
The vintage coincides with the time when the sugar content in grapes is at its highest. Today, it is possible to determine this with measuring devices. The right time varies according to the grape variety and weather conditions, but generally the transition from summer to autumn is the appropriate time for vintage. The best time is nowadays only possible with measurements. For this purpose, the sugar density of the grapes is measured with a refractometer and a decision is made. Today, I will tell you about my experience of the vintage and how to make simple wine at home as a hobby.
Last year, I went to the vintage on 16 September with a friend and returned home with the grapes I bought at the end of a wonderful day. Afterwards, I made some wine from the grapes I bought and I must say that it was not bad at all. When I tell you that the grape type is Kalecik Karasi, I don't need to tell you the name of the place I went to. There is a very common saying; ‘you can make bad wine from good grapes, but you cannot make good wine from bad grapes’. In this sense, Kalecik Karası is a very special grape that is suitable for making good quality wine. But this does not mean that the wine you make will be of good quality.
This year, the date of 25 August was set for the vintage due to the temperatures being above the climate norms. I set off with a friend of mine and we arrived at the vineyard at around 10:00 a.m. Those who had arrived before us had already taken their grape shears and started picking grapes. After exchanging greetings, we took our grape shears, baskets and gloves and headed to the vineyard. The unfavourable weather conditions were showing themselves in the vineyard. The grapes were a little smaller than last year and would probably spoil if the vintage was delayed. We brought the grapes we picked in two hours to the blasting machine and started to sip our tiredness coffees.
When everyone finished picking, the food brought by everyone was arranged on a table in front of the vineyard house. The scene was like a feast. In the meantime, everyone started to drink their tea and coffee, laying the foundations for a deep conversation. However, before we started to eat, the grapes were put through a blasting machine, filled into the drums we had brought and weighed. It is necessary to open a parenthesis for the blasting machine here. (This device performs the process of blasting and de-stemming of each grape berry, which is required for wine making, in a matter of minutes. Thus, one of the most labour-intensive stages of winemaking is out of the way). After filling our jerry cans and putting them in the car, all we had to do was to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and chat with the nice people. Of course, the owner of the vineyard, the worldly sweet Hasan Hocam, put a few bottles of wine from the previous year on the table for tasting, which added a different colour to the day.
The dishes prepared by those who came for the feast without any agreement and without making a decision created a completely different flavour and abundance of images. When it was time to leave after a wonderful day, wishes were expressed to meet in a year's time. After a wonderful day, the return from Kalecik to Ankara, although tiring, left a peaceful smile on the faces with the flavour of a pleasant day.

Wine Making

It is necessary to find a cool and dark place for the bins in which the punctured and de-stemmed grapes are stored. For many people, creating such a space in August can be a problem. This must be taken into account before starting winemaking. In terms of temperature, it is important that the room does not exceed 25 degrees Celsius. In fact, in a normal vintage in mid-September, this is not a serious problem. But the end of August increases the risks associated with the winemaking process in a hot environment.

The lids of the bins are opened, a cheesecloth (a porous fabric) is laid over them and the bins are stirred every 4-6 hours. Since the grapes take on a red colour during this process, it is useful to stir them at the specified time intervals as much as possible. Although the process normally takes about a week at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, I ended the process on the fifth day at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. During this period, partial fermentation begins as the wild yeasts on the grapes work. The foaming in the stirring process shows that the wild yeasts are working.

At the end of this initial process, the wort in the drums must be squeezed through a cheesecloth and separated from the seeds and pulp. You can also use colanders and strainers for this purpose, but a cheesecloth is a good idea to separate the small pieces. The separated liquid is a liquid that is still sweet when you taste it, but a small amount of alcohol has formed in it. After this stage, we take the liquid we have obtained into fermentation containers and put on an airlock. I need to underline an important point here. No yeast mixture is needed for natural winemaking. However, I used wine yeast in order to eliminate the risks that may arise in fermentation. I achieved good results in the wine I made in the same way last year.

During the fermentation process, temperatures of 18-20 degrees provide a suitable environment for a 3-4 week fermentation period. However, high air temperatures can shorten this process. It is already possible to understand this when the air outlet stops completely. The important thing is to make sure that the air outlet stops completely in the fermentation vessel. After this stage, the process we call simplification begins. By siphoning, the liquid in the fermentation vessel is removed and the sediments at the bottom are prevented from entering the new vessel. It is important to remember to install the airlock after each process.

After several repetitions of the simplification process (about a week to ten days), if possible, the wine can be bottled after passing it through several layers of cheesecloth. It is not necessary to use corked bottles for homemade wine. The important thing is that the bottled wine is not allowed to breathe in any way. One method for this purpose is to pour a little olive oil over the bottle. The olive oil can be removed with a napkin before drinking. Thus, the problem of contact with air, which would cause the wine to spoil, is solved. However, it may not be a good thing for everyone to see drops of olive oil on the wine in the glass, even if they are very small.

What I have described is a winemaking process based purely on experience. Everyone can do it differently. There are many sources on this subject, many different methods of making wine. Even those who do this job more professionally can use substances such as potassium metabisulphite, sulphur and so on. Thus, it may be possible to preserve the wine for a longer period of time and to obtain clearer wine. However, in my method, which does not use any foreign substance (except wine yeast, which is harmless), I can say that there was no deterioration in the wine within a year. I should also add that it is important to observe the rules of cleanliness as much as possible in all processes.

This is just a recommendation for those who want to enjoy life and are looking for a variety of pursuits. Commercial winemaking is certainly a different process and requires considerable investment. It is also very important to comply with the legislation on marketing and taxation. It is also necessary to be sufficiently aware of the dangers of alcohol to human health. Beyond this, being aware of the colours in the journey called life contributes to making life more livable.