🍷 Winemaker

A winemaker is the person who makes wine and decides what it will be like. He or she watches the fermentation and chooses the picking time, the way of ageing and the moment of bottling. The job covers several tasks. The winemaker receives the grapes, runs the work in the winery and builds the blend, that is, mixes wines from different varieties or plots. The winemaker works with an oenologist, a specialist in the science of wine, and consults them on analyses. On small farms the winemaker and the grower are often the same person. Large companies hire several specialists. Sometimes wine is made away from where the grapes grow. A négociant buys grapes or finished wine from winemakers, matures it and sells it under their own brand. This is an old practice, for example in France. A winemaker's work is not only about taste. It needs cleanliness, attention to temperature and some chemistry. In the end, a wine's style can hint at the approach of a particular maker.