Approximate temperatures for serving different wines

Sparkling wine: 7 to 9 degrees
Young dry white wines, pink wines, strong wines and late crops: 9 to 12 degrees.
Large white wines: 10 to 12 degrees.
Young red wines and light: 12 to 15 degrees.
Red wines with concentration and large red wines: 16 to 20 degrees.

To prepare red wine

In red wine, grape juice causes fermentation in the presence of the solid parts of the grape, like the skin, the pulp and the seeds.

Squeezing: The juice is squeezed by breaking the skin grape by means of machines called grape treaders or squeezers that can be of various types.
Separation: Consists of separating the grains of grape of the herbaceous part of the bunch.
Sulfur: Sulfurous anhydride is added to the vessel that complies with two functions: antiseptic and antioxidant.

Fermentation-Soaking

To produce red wine the grape juice is left in contact with the pulp, skin and seeds. Here, two simultaneous processes are carried out. The fermentation, carried out by the yeast transforms the sugar of the grape juice into the alcohol of the wine. Also, by the soaking process, the grape juice that will be in contact with the solid parts of the grain, like the skin and the seed, will contribute to the color and texture of the future wine. The time in which this process will occur depends on the type of red wine desired. Another type of soaking exists, called carbonic soaking, that consists of placing the grapes in carbonic vessels saturated with gas and a relatively high temperature, where the grape suffers a process of smooth dissolution that allows the wine with boast a rich flavor.

Malolactic Fermentation

As we have previously mentioned, among the constituents of the grape, three organic acids are found mainly: tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid. Citric acid disappears quickly during the process of alcohol fermentation. The malic acid is of biological importance for the wine. In the first place, during the fermentation process, alcohol is transformed by the yeast and certain lactic bacteria, called lactic acid.
Then, after the alcoholic fermentation, the yeast performs what is know as second fermentation or secondary fermentation, in which the malic acid is transformed into lactic acid. This makes a pleasant and smooth constitution. While the tartaric acid, the most stable of the three, passes to form the true acid constituent of the wine.

Moving: In the new wines a clarification process is produced. This implies that the deposits fall to the bottom of the vessel as sediment. It in not advisable that the wine spends a lot of time on top of the sediment, so wine must be siphoned into clean bottles. Take care in this part of the process as not to disturb the sediment.

Clarification: This step consists of adding a substance of colloidal nature (vegetable or animal) to the wine. These substances drag toward the bottom of the vessel and those elements in left in suspension are not desired in the wine.

Aging: Red wine, like we have said, can be young, with outstanding characteristics such as coolness and fruitiness. They are called young red wines. But the classic red wines are a product of the aging process that consists of stationing the wines, above all in vessels of wood, where, after the malolactic fermentation happen a series of physical and chemical processes to arrive at what is known as aging of the wine. The time is now composed of an aromatic "Bouquet" and the color is stabilized.

Bottling: The aging process ends with bottling when the producer estimates that the aging of the wine has reached perfection.