🍇 How Red Wine Is Made — Step by Step

The creation of red wine starts long before the bottle — it begins in the vineyard, under the hot Argentine sun.
Each grape carries within it the taste of the soil, the air, and the light.

When the grapes reach perfect ripeness, usually between February and April in Argentina, they are carefully hand-picked to avoid damaging the skins — where the future color and tannins live.

Once the grapes arrive at the winery, they are crushed and destemmed.
This process separates the stems and lightly breaks the grape skins, releasing the precious juice — called must.

Unlike white wine, the juice of red wine stays in contact with the skins. This contact gives red wine its deep color, body, and complex aromas.

Fermentation is where magic meets science.
Natural or added yeasts begin to consume the sugar in the grape juice, transforming it into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

This stage usually lasts 5 to 15 days.
During this time, winemakers gently mix the skins with the juice — a process known as punching down the cap — to extract maximum color and flavor.

Temperature control is crucial: cooler fermentation preserves fruit aromas; warmer ones bring depth and tannins.

After fermentation, the winemaker presses the must to separate the young wine from the grape skins.
The first liquid that runs freely is called free-run wine — soft and elegant.
The pressed portion, richer in tannins, adds structure and intensity.

These two parts may be blended depending on the desired style.

This is where red wine truly matures.
Depending on the style, it may rest for months or years in stainless steel tanks, large wooden vats, or oak barrels.

Oak barrels add flavors of vanilla, spice, and toast — while time softens tannins and deepens complexity.
Many Argentine Malbecs age 6–18 months in French or American oak before bottling.

 Before bottling, the wine is clarified to remove any sediments using natural settling, filtration, or egg-white fining.
Then it’s bottled, corked, and labeled — but even now, the wine continues to evolve quietly inside the bottle, awaiting its moment to be poured.  

Finally, the red wine reaches your table.
When you swirl it in your glass, you’re not just tasting grapes — you’re tasting the land, the weather, the patience, and the passion of everyone who touched it.

Each sip tells the story of time, sun, and human care — from vine to bottle.

Making red wine is both an art and a science — a slow dialogue between nature and the winemaker.
From harvest to bottle, every step shapes its soul.
In Argentina, especially in Mendoza, this process becomes poetry: where altitude, sunlight, and craftsmanship unite to create wines of power, elegance, and warmth.