Chaptalization—what? Chaptalization. And also pupitres, sur lie, and carbonic maceration. These are some rather pungent terms that occasionally pop up during a wine tasting or in a restaurant. In the first blog post in this series of wine words, I discussed the Wine words that come up during tastings . Now it's about wine words related to the ins and outs of the cellar.
Barriques. This is the name for 225-liter oak barrels. Barriques originated in Bordeaux and are now used worldwide.
Batonnage. The stirring of yeast in a vat of white wine. The goal is to produce a wine with a more fragrant and rounded (softer, creamier) flavor.
Chaptalization. Chaptalization is the addition of sugar to the must, even before fermentation has begun. A winemaker doesn't do this to sweeten a wine, but to create a higher alcohol content. In France, the minimum alcohol content is set in the AOCs, so it's important that the grapes have sufficient sugar to reach that percentage. Of course, there are regulations attached to this; you can't simply add sugar to the must. Chaptalization is more common in cooler regions where grapes can struggle to fully ripen.
Oh, the rules. The wine world was in an uproar when Château Giscours was accused of chaptalization in their 2016 vintage. Read here. the article on Decanter.
Foeders. These are large wooden barrels – from 1,000 to 20,000 liters.
Malolactic fermentation . This fermentation converts the sharp malic acid into milder lactic acid and creates aromas of butter and dairy. It also makes the wine creamier in texture. In wine circles, you sometimes hear questions like , "Has this wine undergone malolactic fermentation?" Laugh. The observant reader will wonder why this is called fermentation, because no yeast is involved in this conversion. look. Actually, it's a conversion.
Maceration carbonique . This is a method of making red wine and is called "carbonic acid soaking" in Dutch. The goal is to create a youthful, juicy wine with plenty of color and fruit, but few tannins.
Methode charmat. This is one way sparkling wine like Prosecco can be made. The second fermentation takes place in a closed tank, not in the bottle, as with Champagne. The bubbles are usually slightly less fine, and the wine itself is fruitier (fewer yeast notes). You can find more information about this under: " How to make sparkling wine? "
Traditional Method. The traditional method for creating bubbles in wine and making champagne. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle, and the carbon dioxide released is retained in the bottle. This results in a fine mousse. In early 2018, I visited Billecart-Salmon and inspected the traditional method up close.
Pigéage (immersion) . Immersing the cap. During fermentation, the skins float on the juice like a cap. The winemaker can choose to immerse the cap (pigéage) or to pour the juice over the skins (remontage). This prevents the cap from drying out and is a way to extract (more) color and tannins from the skins.
Pupitre. The name of a wooden wine rack formerly used in Champagne. It serves for remuage . During the second fermentation, a yeast plug forms that must be removed from the bottle. This wasn't so easy, but fortunately, Veuve Clicquot A solution for this is this bottle rack. The champagne bottle starts horizontally in the rack and is rotated by a "remueur" (someone who rotates the bottles a quarter turn daily) until it is almost vertical in the rack and the yeast plug has settled. This is currently only done by small houses, or by large ones as a kind of attraction/cultural preservation. There is now a machine that can do it a bit faster (see this blog )
How is champagne made? See my blog about the method traditionelle .
Remuage . Turning Champagne bottles in the racks ( pupitres ) so that the yeast sediment falls into the neck and can be removed from the bottle.
Rémontage (pumping over). Pumping over the must. During fermentation, the skins float like a cap on the juice. The winemaker can choose to immerse the cap (pigéage) or pour the juice over the skins (rémontage). This prevents the cap from drying out and is a subtle way to extract (more) color and tannins from the skins.
Skin maceration. The skins of red grapes contain color, flavor, and tannins. The grape juice is colorless, so it's essential to make red wine that the skins come into contact with the juice. The length of time the skins are left with the juice is called skin maceration. The longer the maceration, the more color, aroma, and flavor (including tannins) are released into the wine. Think of it like soaking a tea bag in hot water. A gentle way to extract flavors (and reduce the bitter tannins) from the skins is through a cold maceration before fermentation begins.
Sur lie. Sur lie literally means "on the lees." After fermentation, the wine continues to mature on the (dead) yeast cells. This generally makes the wine creamier, richer, and fuller-bodied. If it is also stirred occasionally ( batonnage ), this becomes even more intense.
To create this list I consulted the following sources:
- Jancis Robinson – The Oxford Companion to Wine
- Winefolly – How Wine Making Processes affect wine
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