Meaning & use
délestage
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
a winemaking method in which juice is drained from a tank of fermenting red grapes and then pumped back over the skins
Grammar: Uncountable: you say the use of délestage, not a délestage.
Patterns
- use délestage
- a délestage technique
The winemaker used délestage to soften the tannins in the wine.
Délestage helps extract color and flavor without harsh bitterness.
During délestage, the juice is removed and returned to the tank.
Common combinations
- use délestage
- Some producers use délestage to make smoother red wines.
- a délestage technique
- The délestage technique is common in Bordeaux.
- during délestage
- During délestage, the cap of skins is kept moist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rack and return
- This is the English term for the same process and is easier for non-specialists to understand.
Commonly confused: délestage or pumping over?
délestage vs pumping over
Pumping over (remontage) sprays juice over the cap, while délestage drains the juice out and then returns it. They are related but not identical.
Practice
What does délestage refer to in winemaking?
Choose one answer.
Délestage is a technique for extracting color and flavor by draining and returning the juice. Adding sugar is chaptalization, filtering is filtration, and aging in oak is barrel aging.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “délestage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.