Skin Contact

/SKIN KON-takt/

Leaving juice in contact with grape skins.

Full Definition

Skin contact describes leaving crushed grapes' juice touching the skins. For red wines, extended skin contact extracts color and tannin during maceration. For whites, brief skin contact (a few hours) can add texture and complexity. Extended skin contact on white grapes produces orange wine.

Related Terms

maceration extraction orange wine

See Also

Single Vineyard Back to Glossary Smoky

More terms starting with S

Saignee

Bleeding off juice from red wine tanks to make rose.

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Italy's most planted red grape, the base of Chianti.

Savory

Non-fruit flavors like herbs, earth, and umami.

Screwcap

Metal closure alternative to cork.

Secondary Aromas

Aromas from fermentation and winemaking.

Sediment

Solid particles that settle in wine over time.