Special process in the preparation of red wine. Other names are carbonic fermentation, carbon dioxide, carbon or whole cluster fermentation or maceration. It is also called fermentation because it starts during the maceration. The process was discovered more or less by accident in France in 1934. A team of researchers was investigating the possibilities of keeping table grapes as fresh as possible over a longer period of time. For this purpose, the grapes were kept under a carbon dioxide protective gas cover at 0 °C. After two months, they began to ferment. They were processed into wine that was lighter, more fragrant and less tannic than with conventional mash fermentation. If carbon dioxide is present in a closed container, a very special kind of fermentation takes place. It takes place without the influence of yeasts within the berries. This is why it is often referred to as intracellular fermentation.
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