Winemaking Terms Flashcards
What is Élevage?
Aging in barrel. Maturation period lasting several months to several years. Important changes to color, clarity, flavor, oak, integration, and mouthfeel occur during this time.
What is assemblage?
Blending. Component wines that differ by variety, vineyard, or vineyard parcel, or by winemaking, are combined to create a blend.
What is mise en bouteille?
Bottling. The final step of winemaking. Care must be taken to ensure that wine quality is preserved. High-speed, modern bottling lines are equipped with inert gas to reduce oxygen pickup
What is chapeau?
Cap. The Layer of grape skins forced to the top of the tank by CO2 during fermentation
What is cap managment?
Any technique used to mix the tank and break up the cap to increase extraction and reduce temperature
What is carbonic maceration?
Intracellular fermentation by the grape’s own enzymes in the absence of oxygen. Fermentation will proceed to a few degrees of alcohol. Lends characteristic flavors and aromas to the wine
What is chaptalization?
The addition of sugar to must to increase the final percent ABV. Used when grapes do not achieve sufficient sugar ripeness
What is cold-soak?
Red grape must is held at a low temperature (close to 0ºC) prior to fermentation, typically for 2 to 10 days. Believed by some to enhance color extraction.
What is foulage?
Grapes are intentionally crushed, either with a crusher or incidentally through pumping the must, to aid with extraction and promote a quick fermentation
What is égrappage or éraflage?
Destemming. Grape berries are removed from the stem, generally using a destemming machine.
What is dégorgement?
Disgorgement. Process to remove yeast collected in the neck of the bottle after second fermentation. The neck is frozen, the cap is removed, and pressure inside the bottle expels the yeast.
What is liqueur d’expédition?
Dosage. A mixture of wine and sugar used to fill the bottle after disgorgement and adjust the sweetness
What is égouttage or écoulage?
Draining. Removing the wine from the fermentation tank, leaving skins and seeds behind. Often occurs just after primary fermentation.
What is extended maceration?
Leaving the wine on its skins after primary fermentation is complete for a period of a few days to a few months for better tannin integration
What is filtration?
Filtration is used to clarify wine or remove yeast and bacteria. Filtration to 0.4 microns is generally considered sterile. Filtration may be nominal or absolute
What is collage?
Fining. The addition of a fining agent that selectively removes astringency, bitterness, proteins, or reductive aromas from the wine
What is a gyropalette?
Equipment used for high-speed, automated riddling
What is vendage or récolte?
Harvest. Grapes are picked. This may occur during the day or at night by hand or by machine
What is vin de taille?
Heavy press wine. In Champagne, refers to the next 500 liters extracted from 4,000 kilograms of grapes after the vin de cuvée during pressing. Darker colored, more phenolic, and lower acidity than the vin de cuvée.
What is levurage?
Inoculation. The addition of a yeast culture to the must for a more predictable fermentation
What is lees?
Sediment consisting of yeast and other grape solids that settles out of the wine after fermentation
What is bâtonnage?
Lees stirring. Mixing a barrel using a long wand to incorporate the lees. This practice may lessen reductive aromas and improve mouthfeel