Wine Making Terminology part 1

Wine Making Terminology part 1

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Last week we focused on some of the terms used in reference to grape growing. This week I thought we would concentrate on terms used in the wine making process. Every field of study seems to have its' own vocabulary, and the wine industry is no different. One such term is destemming. This is the process of removing the green stems or stalks from the grape clusters. This is necessary to do before the grapes are pressed or begin fermentation. The reason is; those stems will cause the wine to have a green or unripe flavor. Another term, not used as much in the new world, but I like it, is Cuvaison. Cuvaison refers to the time during fermentation when the grape solids and skins are left in the fermenting wine to impart color flavor and texture. An extention of the term Cuvaison is the term extract or extracted. A wine left in contact with the solids, especially the skins, will have greater extraction. This is a delicate balance as leaving the wine on the solids or the skins too long may create a wine that is out of balance and termed "over extracted". Now removing the solids from the wine is a big step in the winemaking process and it is done by processes termed filtration and fining. Fining is a method in which a coagulant such as egg white is added to the wine and it pulls the solids from the liquid. Filtration as the name implies is when the wine is screened through materials to remove solids. So there are a few new terms used in wine making. And thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.
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