Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

Soaked to the skin

Thursday 25 April 2024 • 1 min read
Hugo Mendes' son and Arinto

Skin contact, skin maceration, fermentation on the skins – what's the difference? Julia breaks it down. Above, Pedro Mendes, younger son of Portuguese winemaker Hugo Mendes, looks puzzled as they wait for the Arinto to start fermenting with the skins (© Hugo Mendes).

Why separate the skins from the juice in light-skinned grapes and then just discard the skins? Why, when they contain so many more compounds than the juice and when they are able to convey so much about the wine’s place of origin?

That question has stuck in my mind since I first heard it asked. That was...

Become a member to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 287,171 wine reviews & 15,838 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 287,171 wine reviews & 15,838 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 287,171 wine reviews & 15,838 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 287,171 wine reviews & 15,838 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Wine boot camp

daft wine words - wordcloud
Wine boot camp Last year I wrote about another aspect of wine language: false friends and confusing terms. Today it’s the turn of...
Riesling from Keller’s Shubertslay in the Mosel 2024 harvest
Wine boot camp The newest EU regulations on ingredient and nutrition labelling provide quick access to a wealth of important and useful information...
jumbled speech illustration
Wine boot camp The wine world is filled with words that are easily confused or misused. Here are some of the most common...
Many glasses of rose wine at wine tasting, seen from overhead
Wine boot camp Asked recently if pink and orange wines were the same, Julia explains why they are not, and delves into the...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Alder's most memorable wines of 2025
Tasting articles Pleasure – and meaning – in the glass. In reflecting on a year of tasting, I am fascinated by what...
view of Lazzarito and the Alps in the background
Tasting articles For background details on this vintage see Barolo 2022 – vintage report. Above, the Lazzarito vineyard with the Alps in...
View of Serralunha d'Alba
Inside information A pleasant surprise, showing more nuance and complexity than initially expected. Above, a view of Serralunga d’Alba. 2022 is widely...
View from Smith Madrone on Spring Mountain
Free for all Demand, and prices, are falling. A version of this article is published by the Financial Times. Above, the view from...
The Overshine Collective
Tasting articles The second tranche of wines reviewed on Jancis’s recent West Coast road trip. Above, the new Overshine Collective, a group...
Albert Canela and Mariona Vendrell of Succes Vinicola.jpg
Wines of the week A rosé to warm your winter, from £17.30, $19.99. Above, Albert Canela and Mariona Vendrell of Succés Vinícola. The wind...
Les Crus Bourgeois logos
Tasting articles Classic, affordable bordeaux made for pleasure and selected for an independent, reliable and regularly updated classification. For all that we’ve...
Glasses of Cape Mentelle red wine on a tasting mat
Tasting articles This month’s Singapore selection features a majority from Western Australia, including a handsome mini-vertical of Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon. As...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.