Term for the period during the production of red wine and, in some cases, white wine, in which the grape must remains on the skins during mash fermentation (see there) in order to extract as many anthocyanins (colouring agents), tannins and aromatic substances from the berry skins as possible. The longer this period lasts (days, weeks to many months), the more colourful and tannin-rich the wine becomes. The process itself is known as maceration (softening of plant or animal tissue on prolonged contact with liquids). See also under extraction.

The picture on the left shows open fermentation tanks with pumps for pumping over (mixing the mash) during mash fermentation. The picture on the right shows a red wine mash during open mash fermentation.
![]()
If I were to rate websites, you would deserve the highest rating. It is rare to come across websites that provide such a large amount of data and are still so intuitive to use. Respect for the lovingly researched and informatively prepared encyclopedia. Keep it up!
Lothar Lindner
Innsbruck