Carbonic maceration

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In winemaking, the process often used in Beaujolais, in which whole grapes are fermented without crushing.

A conventional alcoholic fermentation involves crushing the grapes to free the juice and pulp from the skin. Carbonic maceration ferments most of the juice while it is still inside the grape, although grapes at the bottom of the fermentor are crushed by gravity and undergo conventional fermentation. The resulting wine is fruity and very low in tannin, and ready to drink quickly, but lacks the structure for long-term aging. In the most extreme case, Beaujolais nouveau, the period between picking and bottling can be less than six weeks.