Winegrower’s glossary

Ageing (élevage)

The period between the end of fermentation and bottling, in vats or oak barrels, during which the wine matures. At Fronton, red wines are aged at least until 15 January after the harvest.

Alcoholic fermentation

Yeasts turning the sugar in grapes into alcohol. It lasts from a few days to a few weeks.

Anthocyanins

Red and purple pigments in the skins of black grapes, which give red wine its colour. Négrette is especially rich in them.

AOC, PDO

Controlled or, under the European name, protected designation of origin: a wine produced within a defined area under a specification that sets the grape varieties, yields and practices. Learn more

Autan wind

A hot, dry south-easterly wind typical of the Toulouse area. In late summer it hastens ripening and dries the vines after storms. Learn more

Blending

Combining wines from different grape varieties or vats to make a cuvée more complete than any of its parts.

Boulbène

Local name for a poor, acidic soil of fine sand and silt, common on the terraces of the Tarn and the Garonne. At the estate it lies on a layer of clay. Learn more

Budburst

The moment in spring when buds open and the first leaves appear. Négrette buds late.

Chai (winery cellar)

The building where grapes are made into wine and where the wine is aged, in vats or barrels.

Clone

The offspring of a single vine chosen for its qualities and propagated identically. Négrette has five approved clones. Learn more

Coulure (poor fruit set)

Flowers or tiny young berries dropping after flowering, often because of cold or rain: the bunch ends up with fewer grapes. Négrette is prone to it.

Cuvée

A wine made from a precise selection of plots, grape varieties or ageing, sold under one name.

Grape variety

A variety of vine: Négrette, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay are grape varieties.

Grey rot

A disease caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, which rots bunches in damp weather. It is the main threat to Négrette, whose bunches are tightly packed.

Harvest

The grape harvest, and also the harvested grapes.

Lees

The deposit of yeast that forms at the bottom of the vat after fermentation. Ageing on fine lees gives the wine roundness.

Maceration

Prolonged contact between the juice and the grape skins, which gives the wine its colour, its tannins and part of its aromas.

Malolactic fermentation

A second fermentation, carried out by bacteria, that turns sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid. At Fronton, red wines must have completed it before they are sold.

Millerandage

A bunch with berries of uneven sizes, some of which stay small, after difficult flowering. Like coulure, it makes Négrette yields irregular.

Négrette

A black grape from south-west France and the main variety of the Fronton appellation, where it is grown almost exclusively. It gives wines with violet aromas, low in acidity and tannin. Learn more

Organic farming

Farming without synthetic chemical fertilisers or pesticides, inspected every year by a certification body. The estate’s vines have been certified by Ecocert since 2005.

PGI

Protected geographical indication: wines from a wider area than a PDO, with more flexible rules on grape varieties and yields. The estate produces Comté Tolosan PGI wines. Learn more

Phylloxera

A tiny aphid from America that destroyed most of Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century. It reached the Frontonnais in 1878; since then vines have been grafted onto rootstocks that resist it.

Powdery mildew

A fungal vine disease that covers leaves and bunches with a fine grey powder. Négrette is highly susceptible to it.

Pressing

Squeezing the grapes to extract the juice. For white and rosé wines it happens before fermentation.

Rootstock

The vine that provides the roots, onto which the grape variety is grafted. It protects the vine from phylloxera.

Settling (débourbage)

After pressing, the juice rests in the cool so that suspended particles settle; it is then drawn off this deposit. It is a step in making white and rosé wines.

Single varietal

A wine made from one grape variety, like Naturellement Négrette.

Sulphites

Sulphur dioxide, used to protect wine from oxidation and bacteria. Their presence must be stated on the label.

Tannins

Substances from skins, seeds and wood that give red wine its structure and a slightly drying feel in the mouth.

Terroir

The combination of a soil, a climate and the know-how of those who farm it, which gives a wine its character. Learn more

Véraison

The moment in summer when grapes change colour, from green to black or gold, and begin to ripen.

Vintage

The year the grapes for the wine were harvested.

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