Just What The F@#$ Is Carbonic Maceration?!
You may have seen these words on a wine bottle and wondered to yourself just what they mean. Carbonic Maceration is a winemaking process that lends certain qualities to wines that make them enjoyable to drink any time at all, but especially around Valentine's Day - so we thought we would take a moment to talk about what it is, and what it does for wine!
In more traditional forms of fermentation, grapes are crushed, which puts the juice in contact with yeasts present on the skins of the grapes. In No Yeast Added winemaking, the juice is then either pressed off of the skins or left on, depending on if you're making red or white wine, and allowed to ferment using the natural yeast. Some wineries add their own yeast after juicing, which kills the natural yeast - a process known as inoculation.
Carbonic Maceration - Carbo in France, or Cab Mac in Australia - is a kind of whole bunch fermentation. Entire clusters of grapes, stems and all, are tossed into a vat, which is then drained of oxygen and pumped full of carbon dioxide. The anaerobic environment starts a fermentation process at the cellular level, and the grapes start producing alcohol until they reach around 2% alcohol by volume. At that point, the grapes burst open, juicing themselves, and fermentation can proceed as normal.
Carbo tends to produce wines with softer tannins and juicier, fruitier taste and aromas, that are meant to be drunk while young. It's often associated with Gamay grapes and Beaujolais wine (especially the style Beaujolais Nouveau), but it can be used with any any style of wine and any grape.
Curious to see what Carbo can do for a wine? Ask at the shop and see if we have any in stock!
Want to learn more about this winemaking process? Try these links: