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Carbonic Maceration

Viniculture
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A fermentation method in which whole grapes ferment in an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide.

Detailed Definition
Carbonic maceration begins inside intact berries rather than in crushed juice, often producing vivid fruit, low tannin, and distinctive floral or candy-like aromas. Its poetic force lies in the image of grapes fermenting privately, sealed in their own skins, each berry carrying a hidden transformation. The process can suggest inwardness, communal pressure, and the strange sweetness that emerges when a thing changes before it is broken open.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Carbonic maceration turned the whole berries fragrant before the crush,” uses the term for fermenting intact grapes in a carbon dioxide rich environment; “Under carbonic maceration, the red wine bloomed with bright, candied fruit”; A poet might imagine the sealed vat as “a cave where grapes breathe without being broken”; The phrase can teach that this technique often produces vivid aromas and a soft, fresh style.
Additional Notes
Carbonic maceration places intact grape clusters in carbon dioxide, allowing intracellular fermentation before ordinary yeast fermentation begins. The method can produce bright color, low tannin, and distinctive banana, bubblegum, or kirsch aromas. Beaujolais is its best-known traditional association.
Also Known As
Whole-Berry Fermentation Intracellular Fermentation
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