Grapes and its cultivation

- urbanites love to indulge in a glass of red wine after dinner
- exquisite and fragrant red wine is balanced in body and structure
- it offers inmeasurable gastronomic enjoyment
- wine begins with the cultivation of grapes

- different kinds of grapes must grow in different types of soil
- grapes of the highest quality will grow in abundance
- sound management and ideal climate produce top-quality grapes that can be fermented into great wine
- drinking a little glass of red wine a day helps blood circulation
- the quality of grapes determines the quality of wine

- seasonal climate for cultivation affects the ripeness and quality of grapes
- low temperature may result in frost; humidity and rainfall also affect the cultivation of grapes
- grapes are cultivated through propagation of vines
- takes 5-6 years to bear fruit

- a rod is tied to enable the sapling to creep up and prevent it from drooping
- farmers fertilise and water the crops daily using completely unprocessed fertilisers
- an enormous amount of grapes are squashed daily

- special method is used to avoid polluting the environment
- the heaps of squashed grapes and vines will be used in the next season as compost
- the compost has fragrant smell of grape aroma

- every 667 square metres of vineyard can grow 150 - 180 grapes
- they grow densely and adapt well to the soil
- aim to reproduce the original flavour of grapes from that land
- no pesticides is sprayed on the grapes and truly organic

- 200 tonnes of grapes can be cultivated on the land
- grapes need ample air and space
- some roses are planted in front of every row of grapevines which play the role of sensors
- as roses grow on the same soil as the grapes, if the roses blossom well, it'll also spell a bumper harvest of grapes
- there're also swarms of pests and the roses will attract them all so that the pest will not damage the grapes

- harvested grapes will be transported to the winery
- first a series of mind-boggling procedures to sort out the grapes
- undesirable grapes will undermine the wine quality if they get into the mix
- weeding out the undesirable grapes is the most tedious procedure
- dried ones like dried raisins will be condemned & dumped into a box

- a machine separates the vines and the grapes
- 3 tonnes of grapes are sorted out every 2 hours
- selected grapes are poured into a tank to ferment for 3 weeks
- plunging is a process whereby grapes are pressed to the bottom
- fermenting will produce some gas that pushes the pulp to the surface
- this process will render the wine an even colour & fragrance
- must be done every 2 days & the duration required is determined by the brewer after tasting

- about 20 fermenting drums and alot of strength needed to press the grapes
- when the grapes are first placed into the drums, workers simply throw themselves in & stomp on the grapes
- it is believed that there's better control on the strength manually will not damage the pulp
- all the wine after fermentation will go into these barrels made of oak from France
- these barrels are sold at S$2000+ per piece
- the wine are stored for 9-12 mth so it can absorb the aroma of the oak and turns into a highly aromatic wine

- wine tasting techniques involves great knowledge
- must learn the place and year of production, flavour, colour, taste, fragrance and even what food complements the wine

- wine appreciation: first hold up a glass of red wine by its stand, look for its colour
- then twirl and stick your nose in to smell- tastes spicy rather than sweet, and goes well with beef, Indian curry
- drinking wine has gradually become a culture
- red wine is gaining appreciation in the Orient
- the whole process of cultivating and fermenting grapes into wine takes 3-4 years or more than 10 years