Macération

French · skin contact

Macération is skin contact of black grapes to extract colour; it is allowed for rosé Champagne.1,2

The Champagne specification names maceration together with saignée, direct pressing and blending of white and red wine, rosé d'assemblage.1 Saignée is a form of short skin contact: the juice is bled off after brief maceration.1

For white Champagne the opposite applies: whole bunches are pressed without crushing (grappes entières).3 Colour extraction is what separates maceration from direct pressing, which is pressing without maceration.1 Otherwise Champagne pressing is slow and in separate fractions.3 See rosé.

See also

Rosé sparkling wineStylesSaignéeGlossaryRosé d'assemblageGlossaryPressurage directGlossary

Sources

  1. Cahier des charges de l'AOP « Champagne » - modifications approved by the INAO national committee on 11 September 2024 (national opposition procedure text) (2024-09-11)
  2. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Blending a Grande Marque cuvée
  3. Comité Champagne (champagne.education). Fiche Élaboration du Champagne (FR) (2024-05)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19