noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A winemaking technique in which the crushed grapes are held at sub-zero temperatures in order to weaken the cellular structures in grape skins via ice crystals. This is done prior to fermentation in order to allow for more critical compound extraction leading to increased stability and flavour development. uncountable

Etymology

From cryo- + maceration.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.