Wine Production

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Throughout the course of this Investigation, how sugar influences the rate of fermentation and how this in turn, affects the overall quality of wine was explored. Three wines were produced, each with varying sugar levels. The Investigation was designed so that one wine had a fairly low sugar content; one had an ideal sugar content and one had a high sugar content. After the fermentation process stopped, a taste test was conducted in order to assess the quality of the wine. The taste testers were blindfolded in order to reduce the chance of biased opinions. Each taste tester not only sampled each wine, but also sugar water and tonic water. This enabled the validity of the results to be assessed. It was found that the majority of the conclusions drawn by the taste testers were legitimate.

During the fermentation process, the yeasts that were initially added to the wine reproduce, via asexual reproduction. Theoretical research has concluded that this is dependant on the sugar content of the wine. The higher the sugar content of the wine, the greater the rate of reproduction. When yeasts are exposed to anaerobic conditions, yeast is able to undergo fermentation, the process by which grape juice becomes alcoholic. Energy is essential to this process. The necessary energy that is required is produced via anaerobic respiration.

Glucose + Oxygen  Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy

C6H1206 + O2  CO2 + H20 + Energy

Figure 11: equation for anaerobic respiration

Author Unknown, 2010

Therefore the greater the amount of sugar (glucose- C6H1206) inputted into the wine, the more energy that it is able to be produced. This energy produced is transferred to the yeasts, providing the necessary energy ...

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...oncentration as it may have generated the greatest concentration of tartaric acid, whereas Wines B and C may have produced other acids present in wine, such as malic, lactic, citric, acetic or succinic acid.

Esters are compounds formed by condensation between an acid and an alcohol. In the Investigation, ethanol in the wine would have provided the alcohol and the acids present would have produced the acid component, therefore it was predicted that the taste test would see to the detection of certain esters. During the taste test, many taste testers described the wine as having fruity flavours, detecting esters such as apples, peaches in wines A and B. The apple ester is a common ester that is detected in alcoholic beverages when ethyl acid is present. The Therefore wines A and B may have had a greater concentration of ethyl acid, when compared to Wine C.

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