Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

Chapter 711 Different Tastes

This is exactly the question I've been waiting for; smug mode activated!

Lin Ping's lips curled slightly upwards. He took a deep breath and spoke rapidly, "The flavor characteristics of wine are composed of five aspects: fructose, fruit acids, tannins, alcohol content, and minerals. Tannins are widely found in grape skins, and their main function is anti-oxidation. Regularly drinking wine can effectively delay aging and ensure the healthy and intact body of aged wines..."

"Young Master Lin, there's something I'm not sure if I should say." Meng Qingge was completely confused; there were at least ten unfamiliar words in his speech.

Lin Ping was also panting heavily, nodding between breaths as he said, "Go on."

This is his specialty; it's not only logical and well-founded, but also very sophisticated. The key is that others can't understand it, which makes it all the more high-class.

"Can't you speak like a human being!" Meng Qingge said angrily. She had been putting up with Lin Ping for a long time.

The same thing happened last time at the old house. They were just making tea, why were they talking about acrylamide? Guess how many of those words I actually wrote?

If it weren't for the old man's presence, and the need for Meng Qingge to maintain her image as a well-behaved girl, she probably would have already started cursing.

Lin Ping felt ashamed; the taste of failure in pretending to be an official was not pleasant.

"Decanting! It's about letting the wine fully interact with the air, causing the acidic tannins to oxidize and thus eliminating the sour taste," Lin Ping explained in the simplest terms, left with no other option.

Although there were still a few unfamiliar words, Meng Qingge roughly understood what he meant.

"So, you should shake the wine in the big bowl before drinking from now on?" Meng Qingge said, offering her interpretation.

Lin Ping couldn't help but admire her intelligence. He nodded first, then added, "It's just a temporary measure. After some time, when a product called glass comes on the market, it can be used to make decanters. Of course, it can also be made from ceramics."

As a time traveler, it would be somewhat inadequate not to manufacture glass.

To make glass, only two raw materials are needed: quartz and soda ash. Quartz is everywhere and not surprising, but soda ash is a bit more troublesome.

After all, the industrial technology of the Daye Dynasty was not sufficient to mine the soda ash underground, so Lin Ping had to take matters into his own hands.

Previously, he had discovered a large amount of mirabilite under the rock salt mine in Jiangcheng, which could be used to produce soda ash by burning coal.

In other words, he could bring glass to life at any time.

When Meng Qingge heard the word "glass," she wasn't surprised. Who knew how much of her hometown dialect Lin Ping, this country bumpkin, still had? She only cared about the quality of the wine.

"Although the wine isn't that sour or astringent, the flavor is still a bit bland, and I'm afraid it won't sell well," Meng Qingge commented aptly.

If Lin Ping only wanted to introduce methods for sobering up, there would be no need to come to the wine shop.

He gathered his thoughts and said calmly, "Wine is just a general term. It refers to any wine made from grapes. Wine can also be divided into red wine and white wine, etc. We are going to make red wine."

"Red wine can be divided into three types: dry red, semi-dry red, and sweet wine. Dry red wine contains the most tannins, has a rich and full-bodied flavor, and is considered the finest among red wines. Sweet wine is sweet and fragrant, and is considered the aristocrat of red wines. Semi-dry red... is neither sweet nor full-bodied, and has a bland taste."

Lin Ping gave a general overview of the wine's condition, hoping Meng Qingge would understand.

"So, we're brewing a semi-dry red wine?" Meng Qingge immediately realized.

Lin Ping nodded. "That's right. If it were dry red or sweet wine, it would definitely be a hit in the entire capital and even the Daye Dynasty."

"How can we make dry red and sweet wines?" Meng Qingge asked excitedly.

She never judged people by their poverty. Although Lin Ping was poor, his hometown was a magical place where any recipe he took out could sell well in Kyoto.

"So-called dry red wine is made by breaking down all the sugar in grapes. However, yeast slows down the breakdown when the alcohol content reaches 10 degrees, so natural fermentation is not enough to break down all the sugar, resulting in semi-dry red wine." Lin Ping tried to explain in a way that Meng Qingge could understand.

Meng Qingge smiled awkwardly. Clearly, she still didn't understand, but she grasped the key point and hurriedly asked, "How can I make the sugar completely break down?"

The other party's intelligence truly surprised Lin Ping. He then explained, "This requires a second fermentation, which allows the wine to re-expose itself to air during the brewing process, promoting the reproduction of yeast. Then, the wine is placed in wooden barrels for a longer period of aging."

"How long is 'a longer period'?" Meng Qingge always managed to grasp the key point. Right now, she urgently needed to brew a batch of best-selling liquor.

Lin Ping shook his head and said, "It will take at least three months, and at most ten years. After all, the longer the aging time, the higher the quality of the dry red wine."

"Three months?" Meng Qingge's mouth dropped open, clearly unable to accept this timeframe.

"There's no need to worry. Qingfeng Tower will give the Meng family enough time," Lin Ping said, seeing Meng Qingge's concern.

"However, the other wines in the distillery are not enough to last for three months. At that time, Qingfeng Tower will face the embarrassing situation of having no wine to sell. We must not let the Meng family's influence affect the development of Qingfeng Tower."

As a trustworthy businesswoman, she couldn't betray Qingfeng Tower like this, even though Lin Ping had already made a promise.

"What about sweet wine? Wouldn't the brewing time be shorter?" Meng Qingge asked again.

“It needs to be much shorter. After all, sweet wine is all about the sweetness, and the more sugar it contains, the better. However, making high-quality sweet wine requires special ingredients, and the time isn’t right yet,” Lin Ping explained in a low voice.

To achieve a high sugar content in wine, yeast growth must be inhibited, which is usually achieved by adding a high concentration of alcohol.

Even so, because grapes contain a lot of water, which reduces the sugar content of sweet wines, it is necessary to remove the water from the grapes before winemaking.

With current separation technology, the requirements are naturally not met, so Lin Ping is waiting for an opportunity.

"How long will it take?" Meng Qingge seemed to be used to speaking to Lin Ping in this tone.

Lin Ping's answers were also infuriating, always ambiguous.

"It could take anywhere from ten days to two months," Lin Ping replied. "If Miss Meng trusts me, she might as well buy a batch of grapes immediately to avoid being overcharged by certain people."

The "certain people" Lin Ping mentioned were naturally Zhang Mingfang. If it weren't for his interference, grain prices wouldn't have doubled.

Although grain prices remain high, grape prices have not fluctuated yet, so the Meng family should take the opportunity to hoard grapes and speculate.

The reason is simple: reduced grain production will inevitably lead to increased costs for brewing alcohol. In order to save grain, the imperial court may even issue a decree to prohibit brewing alcohol.

Even if the wine quality is slightly poor, people will see the business opportunity, and the price of grapes will naturally rise.

Moreover, Lin Ping even suspected that Zhang Mingfang would interfere, so it's better to buy grapes sooner rather than later.