The level of color and flavor extraction you get during fermentation is critical to the quality of the finished wine. Color is extracted primarily before, or early in the fermentation process. To get the proper tannin extraction to balance the fruit component you must manage your cap (grapes/skins that float to the top) carefully while you are at the point in fermentation where you can extract the proper types of tannin. Some wines require a greater amount of skin contact with the wine to achieve the proper balance, so for some fermentations we submerge the cap under the fermenting wine. Kian Tavakoli explains the process.
