Procedure involving the cold maturation of white grapes, destemmed or crushed and whole clusters. The mixture is held at a temperature for a period of time adapted to the sought after objective prior to pressing and fermentation.

To macerate is to soften by soaking, and maceration is the process by which the red wine receives its red color, since raw grape juice (with the exceptions of teinturiers) is clear-grayish in color. In the production of white wines, maceration is either avoided or allowed only in very limited manner in the form of a short amount of skin contact ...

There are four main ways to apply cold in pre-fermentative practices: ice wine production, berry freezing, cold maceration of grape must, and cryoconcentration of grape must. Scientific studies investigating these techniques report that certain compounds, especially phenolic compounds, can be elevated in the must, resulting in wines with ...

Nevertheless, some white wines, particularly those made from more aromatic grapes, benefit from a limited cold maceration. This allows for the diffusion of fruity aromas and aroma precursors from the grape skins, as well as the extraction of some desirable phenolics, and contributes to the body and ageing potential of the wine.

Cold maceration technique White grape juice with skins and seeds can be transferred into a cooled tank or is cooled by an heat exchanger. The temperature must be reduced to a value of about 8-10 ° C . A brief contact period between juice and skins permits the release of primary aroma compounds and of flavorprecursors.