Formerly used term for the addition of sugar to grape must for the purpose of increasing the alcohol content. However, this does not mean sweetening the wine (as it is often misunderstood), but only additional sugar as a basis for the subsequent alcoholic fermentation. The process is named after the French chemist Jean-Antoine Claude Chaptal (1756-1832), who advocated the procedure as Minister of Agriculture in France. Strictly speaking, chaptalisation is usually understood as the addition of sucrose or beet sugar (see also dry sugaring). In many sources, however, this is used as a synonym for enrichment (EU naming standard) regardless of the means used.
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