Wine Production : Vine to Bottle - Vinum Vine

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WINE PRODUCTION
Cask. Wooden container (usually cylindrical) used for fermenting or
maturing wine and made in varying sizes according to the tradition
of the region.
Centrifuge. Machine used to separate wine from the lees after
fermentation. May also be used in the production of some low-alcohol
wines.
Chaptalisation. Enrichment of must (q.v.) with sugar to increase
alcohol levels. The process is named after Dr Jean Antoine Chaptal,
a chemist who was Minister of the Interior at the time of Napoleon.
Charmat. Sparkling wine production method in which the second
fermentation takes place in tank.
Chlorosis. Vine disorder resulting from iron deficiency in soil, often
found in lime-rich soils.
Clone. Group of organisms produced by asexual means from a
single parent to which they are genetically identical.
Colloids. Ultramicroscopic particles which do not settle out and
are not removed by filtration, and so may cause haze in wine.
Concentrated grape must. Grape juice that has been reduced to
20% of its volume by heating. If ‘rectified’, it has also had its acidity
neutralised. An alternative to using sugar in chaptalisation.
Congeners. The colouring and flavouring matter in wines.
Cordon. Horizontal arm that extends from the ‘woody’ trunk of
the vine.
Coulure. Poor setting of the flowers on a vine, usually due to adverse
weather conditions at flowering time (see also Millerandage).
Crushing. Process of breaking open the grapes ready for fermentation.
Cuvaison. Period of time a red wine spends in contact with its skins.
Cuve. Commonly used French term for a vat or tank.
Débourbage. Settling of solids in must or wine either pre- or postfermentation.
Dégorgement. Removal of yeasty sediment from the bottle at the
end of the traditional method of making sparkling wine.
Degree days. System of climatic classification of viticultural areas
developed by the University of California at Davis.
Délestage. Translated as ‘rack and return’, the vat is completely
drained of red wine and then the fermenting wine is returned over
the cap of skins. It is considered by many to be a gentler process
than pumping over, giving softer tannins and deeper colours.
Density of planting. Number of vines planted in a given area of land,
usually in Europe expressed as the number of vines per hectare.