The first sign of the cycle beginning anew is in spring with the budbreak, when vivid green leaves push their tips through buds on the vines. The flowering stage follows and is crucial because it's when the vines self-pollinate (some with the help of insects), and only pollinated, fertile blossoms will become berries, launching the next stage in a vine's life. This transition point from flower to berry is technically known as fruit set.

The harvest depends on many factors - grape variety, region, current weather conditions. The desired style of wine is an important factor: Grapes with less sugar yield crisper, more acidic wines; grapes picked very late, on the other hand, can result in heavy, sweet wines known as "late-harvest." Even with the aid of equipment, picking grapes is very laborious, and harvesters must work quickly, as sugar levels will continue to rise rapidly in late summer or autumn heat.

At this point, the focus shifts from vineyard to winery and the crush - when the grapes arrive and their crushing begins. Machines generally handle this step nowadays, but older traditions do linger in some parts of the world and the grapes that go into some of the most venerable bottles of Port are still crushed by human feet.

The must (grape pulp and juice) is transferred either to stainless-steel tanks or to wooden vats or barrels for its fermentation. This is a natural process by which yeast - either naturally present or added by the winemaker - converts (metabolizes) the must's sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process also generates other compounds in small amounts, which can add distinctive aromas and flavors to a wine. The conversion creates so much heat that wineries cool larger fermentation tanks artificially. If not the temperatures would rise enough to kill the yeast, effectively stopping the process. Ordinarily, when the yeast has exhausted the sugar supply, it dies, and fermentation ceases.

The duration of fermentation varies, but it lasts at least a few days. Afterward, the new wine is drawn either into stainless-steel tanks (typical of most white wines) or oak barrels (more likely for red wines and Chardonnay) for aging. Oak imparts its own character to a wine, and vintners regulate its influence by varying the age and size of the barrels they use. Properly moderated, oak aging is one of the distinguishing marks of a fine wine.

The subsequent transfer from the vats or barrels into bottles can happen in a few weeks or a few years, depending on the type of wine.

Meanwhile, in the vineyard, the spent vines will be carefully trimmed and pruned to ready them for the following year. Winemakers are fond of saying "wines are made in the vineyard, not in the winery." This isn't exactly true. However, winemaking is perhaps the greatest example of man cooperating with nature to create something that neither of them could have produced alone.