🍷 Oenology

Oenology is the science of wine and how to make it. The word comes from Greek words for wine and knowledge. A specialist in the field is called an oenologist. They make sure the wine comes out clean, stable and tasty.

Oenology covers the whole path from grape to bottle: harvest, crushing, fermentation, ageing, clarifying and bottling. The oenologist measures sugar, acidity and strength, chooses yeasts, watches temperature and hygiene, and blends different batches. To check the result they use laboratory analysis and tasting.

Oenology is tied to wine as a whole and to the oenologist's work, which is the core of the profession. It rests on chemistry, biology and microbiology. Many scientists have advanced it, the best known being Louis Pasteur, who showed the role of yeast in fermentation. Another science, viticulture, studies the vine, while oenology begins where the grapes have already been picked.