wines are fermented with the grape skins and seeds at warmer
temperatures than white wines. The skins float to the top
forming a cap during fermentation and must be moistened
regularly with juice to extract color and flavors. Red wines
are usually fermented for a period of five to ten days and
then are filtered, clarified and preserved with the addition
of sulfites. It is common for red wines to be aged in oak
barrels for a period of about one to two years. As with
whites, the vintner may choose to blend at this stage. The
wine is then finished, filtered and clarified before bottling.
In some rare but important instances, generally among small,
ultra-premium wineries, no or only minimal fining and filtering
is carried out in an effort to capture the maximum amount
of natural flavor components.