🍷 Cold maceration
Steeping chilled must with the skins before fermentation starts.
Cold maceration is soaking chilled must with the skins before fermentation starts. Must is the juice together with pulp, skins and seeds. The word maceration means leaving the juice in contact with the solid parts of the berries.
Why is it done? The skins hold a lot of colour, aroma and tannin. At a low temperature fermentation does not start, but the juice slowly draws the wanted substances out of the skins. The process is gentle, and the wine turns out brighter in colour and aroma, without extra harshness.
How is it done? Crushed grapes are cooled, sometimes with dry ice, and left for a few days. Then they are warmed, yeast is added and ordinary fermentation begins. The method is more often used for red wines, for example from Pinot Noir, but it is also applied to aromatic whites.
Cold maceration is one kind of maceration. It is a decision of the winemaker and does not suit every wine. It is described in professional winemaking guides, including the code of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Cold maceration → kind of → 🍷 Maceration → kind of → 🍷 Winemaking → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Maceration
Frequently asked questions
What is cold maceration?
Soaking chilled must with the skins before fermentation begins.
Why is cold maceration used?
To gently draw colour and aroma from the skins before fermentation starts.
Which wines is it used for?
More often for reds, for example from Pinot Noir, but sometimes for aromatic whites.