Q & A
What is ‘Hyperoxidation’ in winemaking?
Hyperoxidation is a deliberate exposure to the must, consisting of aerating the wine must voluntarily (sometimes violently) so that the susceptible phenolics will oxidize during the fermentation…
Q & A
What is an ‘Assemblage’ in the context of winemaking?
The process of choosing which lots to combine to create the final blend, known as “assemblage,” is a crucial step in the creation of fine wines…
Q & A
Understanding Acidification when talking about wine
The ‘Acidification’ is a winemaking process consisting in increasing the acidity in a grape must or wine. It is a legal and common practice in warm wine regions where grapes tend to loose acidity quickly in before harvesting (while cool wine region tend to enrich and/or chaptalize must or wine to compensate for the lack of grapes’ maturity)…
Intermediate
Understanding the role of Acetaldehyde in a wine
‘Acetaldehydes’ are the most common member of the group of chemical compounds known as ‘Aldehydes’, a natural constituent of nearly all plant material, including grapes. Acetaldehyde is the next to last substance involved in the fermentation pathway (and is therefore a minor constituent of all fermented products). Acetaldehyde is naturally present in wine and all wines still contain acetaldehyde after fermentation…
Q & A
What is ‘Protective Juice Handling’?
Protective Juice Handling designates grape and must processing techniques that minimize exposure to oxygen and therefore the risk of oxidation. This is thought to be particularly crucial for white wines because, after the grapes are crushed and the juice is released from the fruit,…
Q & A
What is ‘protective winemaking’?
The idea of “protective winemaking” is to reduce oxygen exposure and the associated risk of oxidation. ‘Protective juice handling’ is typically included in this approach…
Q & A
Understanding the “Saignée” technique in winemaking
“Saignée” is a French term meaning ‘bleeding’ (from ‘bleeding a tank’). It is a winemaking technique which results in a rosé wine made by running-off (or ‘bleeding’) a certain amount of free-run juice from just-crushed dark-skinned grapes, usually after a shot prefermentation maceration…
Q & A
Understanding Mannoproteins
Mannoproteins are polysaccharides released from yeast cells during fermentation. They can also be released through autolysis during lees aging…
Q & A
What is called “MARC” in French wine?
The “Marc” is the general French term both for ‘grape pomace’ and, more widely, for ‘pomace brandy’. The ‘grape pomace’ is in fact the debris from direct winemaking (usually the debris resulting from after pressing the grapes) while the ‘pomace brandy’ is produced by distillation…
Q & A
What is “Pomace”?
Since ancient times, English cider producers have referred to the waste products of fruit processing as “pomace,” which is derived from the Latin word “pomum,” which means “apple”…