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A SIMPLE GLOSSARY OF WINE MAKING TERMS
GlossaryHere's a brief guide to some of the more technical language used in winemaking. We trust that you'll find a relatively straightforward explanation of each of the terms that we define. But if you would like to find out more about any of them (or are seeking an explanation for a term not covered in this glossary) please don't hesitate to contact us. The OUR WINES section of our web site (in the menu above) also includes pages that help explain the process of growing vines and making wines. Use the alphabet to help you find the term that you seek to understand... |
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This refers to the changes in the character of a wine after the fermentation period is finished. At Domaine de Mourchon our wine is matured for an average period of 18 months before it is put into bottle. This maturation process allows the tannins to soften and the wine to take on a gentle complexity. Depending on the characteristics of the grape variety and the conditions of the individual vintage the wine is matured in a combination of concrete vats and French oak barrels. One of the considerable appeals of the style of wine we make here at Domaine de Mourchon is that the wine is ready to drink when bottled but will also benefit from bottle ageing. Also see - Oak Ageing
Annual Growth Cycle of the Vine March - The first sign that the vines are no longer dormant and that there is renewed activity of the root system is in March when there is ‘bleeding’ from the pruning cuts. Those buds left by the pruners start to swell and a few weeks later ‘bud break’ is marked by the first signs of green in the vineyard. May - Once the warm weather gets under way in May the principal period of growth begins and shoots can grow up to 3 cm per day. June - Rapid growth slows down at the time of flowering and fruit set which commences around the end of May, beginning of June. This is a crucially important time for the wine grower as the flowering triggers fertilization and subsequently the berries being set. July/August - The next notable developmental stage is ‘veraison’, which is when the grapes change colour and begin to ripen. Ripening then proceeds rapidly as the sugar increases and the acidity declines. October - Leaf fall is the last developmental stage before the vine once more begins its dormant period. A.O.C. (Appellation d'Origine Controllée) 'Appellation d'Origine Controllée' translates as 'Controlled Name of Origin'. It is France's strictly controlled system for regulating the style and controlling the quality of wine sold as originating from a particular place. This system controls many aspects of the wine production process for every recognized wine producing area of France. This includes what a wine may be called, the parcels of land upon which its grapes are grown, the grape varieties that it can include, maximum harvest yield and a variety of production controls. Also see - Terroir An essential part of vineyard management is to control the canopy of the vine and maintain a balance between the leaf and the fruit. By curtailing excessively vigorous growth in the vines and achieving the right balance of fruit and leaf exposure to the sun, the wine grower can improve the yield and quality and also control diseases. Trimming, shoot thinning and leaf removal are therefore just some of the very important practices carried out in the vineyard during this period. Also see - Green Harvesting
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Fermentation is the process which sees the conversion of sugar into alcohol. At Domaine de Mourchon the red wines are made by placing the juice and skins of the black grapes into 100-hectoliter stainless steel vats for fermentation between 25 and 30 degrees centigrade. The addition of yeast stimulates the process of fermentation which converts the sugar to alcohol. ‘Remontage’ is an important activity to be carried out during fermentation. It is the process of pumping the liquid over the macerating cap of solids in the fermentation tank and serves to encourage the alcohol to extract the colour and tannin from the skins.
Also see - Malolactic Fermentation
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Green Harvesting or Crop Thinning This is the practice of removing some bunches of grapes after fruit set and before they have started to ripen, the aim being to decrease the eventual yield and allow the remaining fruit to ripen more steadily with a more numerous and mature flavour compounds. It is a practice that must be carried out by hand and is therefore costly to the vigneron. The harvest or ‘vendange’ is the process of picking the grapes and transferring them to the winery. It marks the transition from the wine growers viticultural responsibilities in the vineyard to the start of the wine makers vinification processes. There is no set formula for the harvest as each year climatic conditions dictate differently to the winemaker. Grapes are to be picked when they have reached an optimal balance between the natural accumulation of sugar and the decrease of natural acids. This can be a hectic time as hot and dry conditions can mean rapid acceleration of maturation and wet and humid conditions can mean the possibility of rot. Because our parcels here at Domaine de Mourchon each have unique aspects and microclimates they rarely ripen at the same time. This means that although it would take a dozen pickers just 8 or 9 days to harvest the entire vineyard, the picking is spread over a three or four week period.
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Maceration is the process of steeping the skins and solids of the grape in the must, the aim being to extract the tannins, flavour compounds and colouring agents. Maceration varies according to the phenolic content of the grape variety and the style of wine targeted by the wine making. Although maceration naturally occurs during the fermentation of red wine, many wine makers encourage an additional maceration period after fermantation has finished. Cold maceration is a pre-fermentation process and it therefore involes the aqueous extraction rather than the alcoholic extraction of the phenolic content. The aim of this practice being to produce greater fruit and aromatic qualities as well as adding colour and complexity to the wine. This is the conversion of tart malic acids into rounder tasting lactic acid. The process is not related to the alcoholic fermentation and nearly always takes place after it, for this reason ‘le malo’ is often referred to as the secondary fermentation. Wooden barrels are used to age wine because the fibre of the wood allows small amounts of oxygen to be introduced as the wine inside the barrel evaporates. The wines must be topped up from other barrels to prevent significant oxidisation. Oak is the preferred wood for barrel ageing as it imparts natural flavour compounds and tannins which compliment wine. It is important that the winemaker chooses the provenance of the oak used to make his barrels carefully as oak from different regions can vary significantly in the flavours it imparts. Once the suitable wood has been sourced then the choice of cooper is also an important one as the methods used to construct and ‘toast’ the barrel will all significantly effect the eventual complexity of the wine.
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The aim of pruning is to produce fewer, but larger, bunches of fruit and to therefore control the next harvest’s yield. Approximately 80% of each year’s shoot growth is removed. The method of removal is a highly specialized skill, as the pruning technique is related to how each vine has been trained to grow. After the pruning, the vine shoots or ‘canes’ are crushed and reintroduced to the soil to encourage humus. At this point, we also introduce a necessary amount of organic fertilizer made from sheep manure. The process of pumping the liquid over the macerating cap of solids during fermentation that serves to encourage the alcohol to extract the colour and tannin from the skins. Also see - Fermentation Agricultural practice which aims to avoid environmental degradation and to encourage ecological diversity. Amongst other things the input of agrochemicals is reduced, green cover crops are used to fertilize the soil and ploughing is used rather than herbicides. It is seen as a more rational approach than strictly organic viticulture and is known in France as ‘culture raisonée’.
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There is no exact translation into English for this much used and sometimes controversial term. In general terroir applies to the natural environment of a viticultural site including, soil, topography and microclimate. France's A.O.C. (Appellation d'Origine Controllée) system recognises that the same grape variety grown in a different environment will produce a different wine. Thus the French system seeks to encourage wines that express not simply the typical characteristic of the grape variety but also the distinctive qualities of their 'terroir'. Critics of the A.O.C. system claim that certain producers of mediocre wines have become complacent as they rely on the terroir-based cru system and not good craftsmanship to sell their wines. Also see - A.O.C. The practical art of transforming grapes into wine. Also see - Fermentation, Maceration, Malolactic Fermentation
Refers to all aspects of cultivation, husbandry and vineyard management in preparation for the winemaking process. Also see - Annual Growth Cycle, Canopy Management, Green Harvesting, Harvesting, Pruning, Sustainable Viticulture, Yield
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Yield is measured by the output of hectolitres per hectare and is an important statistic in wine production as, in essence, a low yield of fruit means high quality wine. There are various elements which will effect the yield of a vine including vine age (older vines produce less fruit), climatic conditions and viticultural practices. In France the A.O.C. system dictates strict guidelines to vignerons in order to maintain a quality production. Also see - A.O.C., Green Harvesting, Pruning
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