WineMaking Terms - Gross Lees to Hydrogen Sulfide

Gross Lees:

Loose sediments containing a large quantity of fine pulp from the fruit or other base materials from which the wine is made. The pulp does not compact well on its own and therefore is loosely suspended in wine. Gross lees can be compacted somewhat by adding gelatin to the wine, or they can be coarsely filtered or centrifuged to recover much of the wine trapped within them.

Hazy:

A relatively clear wine that has a moderate amount of suspended particulates. Not quite as severe a fault as cloudiness.

Heat Stabiliztion:

The process of removing excess protein to preserve a wine's clarity when stored under warm conditions. Heat stabilization is usually performed with a Bentonite fining.

Herbaceous:

An odor suggestive of herbs or broken green stems of plants. It is a positive characteristic is suggestive of the base and not too pronounced, but a fault if excessive or from spoilage.

Hot Wine:

A wine with excessive alcohol that creates a burning, prickly sensation in the mouth and throat.

Hydrogen Sulfide:

H2S for short, Hydrogen sulfide is produced in all wines by yeast combining with various forms of sulfur, but in excess creates an undesirable, rotten-egg-like smell in wine. If not corrected, the wine is ruined as the gas is transformed into mercaptans, with a skunky odor, and then disulfides, with a sewage smell.

Source: Jack Keller

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