Words of wines

DE-BUDDING - The removal of some of the buds borne by the vine. It permits a better control of the yields. The exposure of the grapes to the sun is also improved.

DECANTING - It consists in pouring the wine into a carafe to separate it from the deposits (mainly for old wines). It also aerates wines with a closed nose.

DE-EARTHING - The process of removing excess soil covering the vine plant.

"DÉLESTAGE" - This red winemaking operation aims at increasing the extraction of colour. It also consists in extracting all the juice of a maceration tank and in putting it back on the marc after a two-hour wait.

DELIMITATION OF THE PARCELS - Selection of the parcels on which the wines produced will reach the required quality level to claim to A.O.C or to A.O.V.D.Q.S seal.

DE-STALKING - Synonymous with de-stemming.

DE-STEMMING - Operation that consists in separating the stalks from the berries. It is often carried out before the fermentation in vats of red wines. Synonymous with de-stalking. In some countries it designates the thinning-out technique (of the bunches).

DIATOMS - Fossilized and purified algae used to clarify wines by filtering.

DIGGING - It consists in turning over the earth to eliminate weeds and to aerate the soil.

DISTANCE - Space between the vine stocks regulated by the appellation decrees. Distance in the row: space between the stocks in a same row. Distance between the rows: space between the rows of stocks.

DRY - Character of a wine which has no more residual sugars. All the wines of Centre-Loire are dry (with less than 5g of residual sugar a litre).