French term for the manual or mechanical tamping down of the pomace (grape skins, etc.) floating on the surface during a mash fermentation, especially in the production of red wine, in order to achieve a better extraction of the colour and tannins. Traditionally, in southern wine-producing countries, this is still done by tamping with bare feet in lagars (shallow troughs or vats). See also under overpumping and vinification.
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