Handbook of Enology

As an applied science, Enology is a collection of knowledge from the fundamental sciences including chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, bioengineering, psychophysics, cognitive psychology, etc., and nourished by empirical observations. The approach used in the Handbook of Enology is thus the same. It aims to provide practitioners, winemakers, technicians and enology students with foundational knowledge and the most recent research results. This knowledge can be used to contribute to a better definition of the quality of grapes and wine, a greater understanding of chemical and microbiological parameters, with the aim of ensuring satisfactory fermentations and predicting the evolution of wines, and better mastery of wine stabilization processes. As a result, the purpose of this publication is to guide readers in their thought processes with a view to preserving and optimizing the identity and taste of wine and its aging potential.

This third English edition of The Handbook of Enology, is an enhanced translation from the 9th French 2017 edition, and is published as a two-volume set describing aspects of winemaking using a detailed, scientific approach. The authors, who are highly-respected enologists, examine winemaking processes, theorizing what constitutes a perfect technique and the proper combination of components necessary to produce a quality vintage. They also illustrate methodologies of common problems, revealing the mechanism behind the disorder, thus enabling a diagnosis and solution.

The Handbook describes winemaking in two phases:

Volume 1: The Microbiology of Wine and Vinifications addresses the first phase of winemaking to produce an »unfinished« wine: grading grape quality and maturation, yeast biology then adding it to the grape crush and monitoring its growth during vinification; and identifying and correcting undesired conditions, such as unbalanced lactic and acetic acid production, use of sulfur dioxide and alternatives, etc. Coverage includes: Wine microbiology; Yeasts; Yeast metabolism; The conditions for the development of yeasts; Lactic acid bacteria, their metabolism and their development in wine; Acetic bacteria; The use of sulfur dioxide in the treatment of musts and wines; Products and processes acting in addition to sulfur dioxide; Winemaking; The grape and its maturation; Harvesting and processing of grapes after harvest; Vinification in red and white wine making.

Volume 2: The Chemistry of Wine and Stabilization and Treatments looks at the wine itself in two parts. Part One analyzes the chemical makeup of wine, including organic acids, alcoholic, volatile and phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, and aromas. Part Two describes the procedures necessary to achieve a perfect wine: the clarification processes of fining, filtering and centrifuging, stabilization, and aging. Coverage includes: Wine chemistry; Organic acids; Alcohols and other volatile products; Carbohydrates; Dry extract and mineral matter; Nitrogen substances; Phenolic compounds; The aroma of grape varieties; The chemical nature, origin and consequences of the main organoleptic defects; Stabilization and treatment of wines; The chemical nature, origin and consequences of the main organoleptic defects; The concept of clarity and colloidal phenomena; Clarification and stabilization treatments; Clarification of wines by filtration and centrifugation; The stabilization of wines by physical processes; The aging of wines in vats and in barrels and aging phenomena.

The target audience includes advanced viticulture and enology students, professors and researchers, and practicing grape growers and vintners.