What You Need to Know
Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation. The technique is named after its developer, the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal. This process is not intended to make the wine sweeter, but rather to provide more sugar for the yeast to ferment into alcohol.
Steps
- 1.
Bordeaux Supérieur (France): Compensates for cooler vintage conditions
- 2.
Eiswein production (Germany): Supports fermentation after water removal
- 3.
Cold climate Pinot Noir (Oregon, USA): Achieves target alcohol levels
The Science
Primary Reaction
Fermentation