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Wine Terminology


Glossary terms

Yeast

Living substance responsible for the production of the enzymes that permit fermentation, the conversion of sugar into alcohol, with heat and carbon dioxide as by products.

Yeast occurs naturally on grape skins, but many winemakers today use specially selected cultured yeasts to allow better control of the fermentation.

Yield

Quantity of grapes harvested from a given area of vineyard.

Received wisdom is that low yield equals high quality, though in practice there are many factors at work, including density of plantation, local climate, etc. Yields are normally expressed in weight per unit area (tons per acre) or volume per unit area (hectolitres per hectare).

Wine Terminology

What is carbonic maceration? What does abboccato mean? Wine terms explained in our comprehensive wine glossary

Glossary terms

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