Vinifying white wines: pressing occurs before fermentation

The vinification process for white wines is slightly different to that for reds. Unlike with red wines, where the winemaker is seeking to extract tannins and color from the skins and pips through maceration, grapes for white wines are pressed immediately after harvest, usually without being destalked.

The juice is then put in oak barrels or vats and alcoholic fermentation occurs.
White wines in the Bourgogne region are then left to undergo a secondary malolactic fermentation, unlike white wines produced elsewhere. During malolactic fermentation, the malic acid in the juice turns to lactic acid, making the wines smoother.

Watch our animation about vinifying white wines to improve your knowledge!

Vinifying white wines

Burgundy white wine vinification

Fining

Fining

Fining : the addition of a protein (such as egg white), mineral (bentonite) or synthetic (pvpp) substance called fining agents, brings about the formation of particle clusters in suspension in the wine that cloud it or that can cloud it. It settles at the bottom of the tank by sedimentation and allows the wine to be clarified. 

  • Clarify and stabilise the wine
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The process for vinifying

white Bourgogne wines

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