(VinePair) - With grapes solidly post-fermentation across the Northern Hemisphere, winemakers are finally beginning to give thanks for a little free time in their schedules. Now that the buzz of machinery has stopped, winemakers slip into the season filled with winemaking minutia which, while not as exciting as harvest, is crucial to producing good, drinkable wine.

Essentially, post-harvest winemaking is a study on how not to ruin a good thing, and in short that means protecting wines from oxidation. Oxidation is the process where by air breaks down the flavor compounds in wine, leaving it brown and tart instead of deliciously fruity. Like forgetting a bottle open overnight to discover it’s gone sour in the morning, the same changes occur in the flavor and aroma of wines in wineries, just on a much larger (and more expensive) scale.

During the period between harvest and bottling — which can take anywhere between two months and two years — winemakers aim for an oxygen sweet spot