Pruning
Pruning
Pruning is the essential act of cutting back dormant grapevines to remove old wood and limit the number of future buds. It is important for managing vineyard health, controlling grape yield and improving fruit quality. Pruning is typically done during the winter when the vine is in its vegetative rest state. The technique involves removing the previous year’s canes and leaving new buds for the upcoming year’s production. There are two methods of pruning, namely cane pruning (guyot) and spur pruning (cordon).
See Also
Hybrid
Hybrid varieties are created by crossing two or more different grapevine species to get a final product that offers resistance to cold, diseases and humidity, making them ideal for tough climates.
Fermentation
Fermentation is a natural biochemichal process where yeast consumes the natural sugars in grape juice and converts them into alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat. At the end of fermentation, grape juice is converted into wine.
Oak
Oak imparts flavor, aroma and texture into wines through fermentation in oak barrels. These barrels act as gentle, breathable vessels that add complex notes and improve the wine's overall structure and mouthfeel.
Dosage
Dosage is the final step in producing traditional sparkling wine (such as Champagne) where a small amount of wine and sugar, known as liqueur d'expédition is added to the wine after sediment is removed (disgorgement), just before corking.
Must
Grape must is the freshly pressed, unfermented grape juice which contains the fruit's skins, seeds and sometimes stems (collectively referred to as pomace).
TCA
TCA stands for 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, a chemical compound that causes "cork taint". It forms when natural fungi in corks or wooden barrels interact with chlorine in cleaning products, resulting in musty, moldy or wet cardboard aromas in wines.
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is the major yeast species involved in wine fermentation. Also known as "wine yeast" or "baker's yeast", it converts the sugar in grape juice to ethanol and carbon dioxide, creating wine.
Malic Acid
Malic acid is a naturally occuring organic acid in wine grapes, primarily found in unripe or cool climate berries. It gives a sharp acidity, tartness and freshness to wine.