Still — carbonic maceration
A vinification method, not a grape: whole berries ferment under carbon dioxide before pressing, yielding vivid colour, banana-and-bubblegum aromatics, low tannin, and gulpable freshness.
About carbonic maceration
Carbonic maceration is defined by technique rather than terroir, which is why it sits a little apart in any style taxonomy. Whole, uncrushed grape bunches are sealed in a vessel flooded with carbon dioxide; deprived of oxygen, each intact berry begins fermenting from the inside out (intracellular fermentation) before any yeast is involved. The effect is to pull bright colour and aromatics from the skins while extracting very little of the bitter tannin that comes from crushing and prolonged skin contact. The result is unmistakable: vivid purple wines with aromas often described as banana, bubblegum, kirsch, and fresh red fruit, low in tannin and built for immediate, chilled-friendly drinking. The technique's spiritual home is Beaujolais, where Gamay and carbonic (often partial carbonic) define everything from the marketing phenomenon of Beaujolais Nouveau to the more serious, ageworthy cru wines of Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent. In the modern natural-wine movement it has been embraced far beyond France as a route to juicy, glou-glou reds. Editorially it is the clearest case of process, not place, creating a recognisable style.
Production process
Principal producers
- Marcel Lapierre
- Jean Foillard
- Georges Duboeuf
Editorial notes
Often served lightly chilled. Most carbonic reds (especially Nouveau) are for drinking young and fresh, not cellaring — though serious cru Beaujolais made with partial carbonic can age a decade.