Wine Making Terms

Cold Stabilization - after the wine has fermented and prior to bottling, it is stored at a temperature of approximately 40 degrees for several days. The purpose of cold stabilizing wine is to remove tartrate crystals. Grapes contain an acid called tartaric as well as potassium. When combined these two things (under cold temperatures) can cause tartrate crystals aka as wine diamonds. They are not harmful, however, the appearance of them makes the wine unattractive to drink. To avoid them from forming in the bottle, the wine making can opt to force them to fall out by cold stabilizing. Tartrate crystals rarely occur in wine kits.

Acidic - there are three main acids that naturally occur in wine. Tartaric (as discussed above), malic and citric. When wine is referred to as "acidic" it means that it has a very sharp taste. This occurs because the grapes were too high in one or more of its acids. If its not treated prior to fermentation, highly acidic juice will create a highly (sharp & bitter) acidic tasting wine.

Finish - used in both wine and beer tasting. A term that describes how it tastes after it is swallowed. Some wines/beers have long lingering finishes while others do not. A wine/beer that does not linger is referred to a clean finish. Some finishes can be bitter, sweet, etc.

Specific Gravity - the measurement on a hydrometer that indicates the density of the liquid. The beginning/original gravity will allow us to gauge the amount of sugar in the must(pre-wine) or wort(pre-beer). The amount of sugar will determine the potential alcohol.