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Campden Tablets:

Tablets used in winemaking to sanitize equipment and fermentation media and add free SO2 to the must or wine. When crushed and dissolved, they provide sulfur dioxide (SO2) in a convenient form. Tablets must be crushed to use, but this ensures the proper dosage and assists in their dissolution. The active ingredient in Campden tablets can be purchased bulk from most winemaker suppliers under its chemical name, potassium metabisulfite. For sanitizing bottles, primaries, secondaries, funnels and other equipment, two crushed tablets dissolved in 1 gallon of water will suffice. Do not rinse equipment after sanitizing. For adding to must, use one crushed and dissolved tablet per gallon of must and wait 12 hours before adding yeast. Campden tablets come in various sizes and doses, so inquire if not packaged with instructions. Most tablets are intended to dose 5 US gallons (19 liters) or 5 Imperial gallons (23 liters). Also see Potassium Metabisulfite and Sodium Metabisulfite.

Cap:

The layer of fruit pulp, skins, and possibly seeds that forms on top of the must during fermentation in the primary fermentation vessel. The cap forms when carbon dioxide emitted by the yeast rises to the surface, carrying solid material with it. The steady rise of CO2 keeps the solids at the surface where they form a "cap." The surface of the cap should not be allowed to dry out, as it is a pefect medium for mold growth. One should "punch down the cap" at least daily, but preferrably twice a day. This keeps the cap moist and, by submerging it briefly, coats it with sulfite-bearing wine that kills mold spores (assuming, that is, that the must was treated with Campden tablets or potassium metabisulfite initially).

Capsicumel:

See Mead

Capsule:

A decorative foil, plastic, or mylar sleeve placed over the cork and neck of a wine bottle.

Caramelized:

The taste and/or odor of caramel, achieved by heating a sweet wine. In non-grape wines, this characteristic can be achieved by cooking the fruit to extract the juice, set the color or extract polyphenolic compounds from the skins. It is the browning of sugar that most often produces this character. Juice that is steam extracted usually does not possess this characteristic. The perception of some caramel is desired in some wines (sweet sherries), but considered a fault in most others.

Carbon Dioxide:

The colorless, ordorless gas emitted by yeast during fermentation. During Aerobic Fermentation, the gas fills the Ullage but does not completely prevent desired oxygen from entering the Must. During Anaerobic Fermentation, the gas fills the Ullage but the Air Lock prevents undesired oxygen from entering the must. An Air Lock allows carbon dioxide to escape without allowing oxygen into the fermentation vessel. The chemical shorthand for carbon dioxide is CO2.

Carbonic Maceration:

A technique for producing light red wines with low tannins, intense color, and fresh, fruity flavors and aromas. This process involves dumping whole bunches of freshly picked, uncrushed grapes into large vats filled with carbon dioxide. The bottom grapes are crushed by the weight of the grapes above them, and fermentation begins with the exuded juice and develops upward. Eventually, fermentation begins within the whole grapes, and they begin to exude more juice. Finally, the whole batch is pressed, and fermentation is finished in a standard way.

Carboy:

A large glass or plastic bottle of 2 gallon capacity or more, with or without handles, and sometimes fitted with a spigot or plastic tubing at the bottom for drainage. Carboys are usually 3-, 5- or 6-gallons, but the author has seen all of the following: 2-gallon, 2.2-gallon, 2.5-gallon, 2.8-gallon, 3-gallon, 5-gallon, 6-gallon, 6.5-gallon, and 7-gallon.

Casein:

A fining agent made from milk protein.

Chaptalize:

To add sugar to a must or juice to increase its alcohol potential, or to a new wine to balance the taste of its alcohol or the bite of its acidity or tannin.

Citric Acid:

A colorless acid found in all citrus fruit, pineapples, and in lesser amounts in several other fruit.

Claret:

Properly, the English term for the red wines of Bordeaux, but more commonly the term for any light red wine.

Clarify:

The process of a wine becoming clear, which occurs when all of the yeast and microscopic bits of pulp from the base ingredients of the wine settle to the bottom of the secondary, leaving a clear wine without haze. A wine that has clarified to the nth degree and is crystal clear is called brilliant.

Clarre:

See Mead

Cloudiness:

A wine that is visually unclear. Cloudiness is considered a severe fault often due to faulty winemaking.

CO2:

See Carbon Dioxide.

Cold Stabilization:

The process of removing excess potassium and tartaric acid under chilled conditions as Potassium Bitartrate to prevent its precipitation in the bottle when chilled.

Complexity:

Multiple layers and nuances of bouquet and flavor that are perfectly balanced, completely harmonious, and delightfully interesting.

Cork:

Wine bottle closure made from the bark of cork oaks (Quercus Suber). Quality corks have very fine grain, only minor or no faults, good compressability, and have been cured to contain between 5 and 8% moisture.

Corked Wine:

A wine that's been affected by a faulty cork, specifically by a chemical compound (2,4,6-Tricloroanisole-246-TCA) that humans can perceive at levels as low as 30 parts per trillion. High levels of this compound produce an unmistakably odor and flavor that many describe as that of moldy, wet cardboard or newspapers. At moderate levels, a corked wine takes on a musty quality; at lower levels, it seems lacking in fruit.

Corkscrew:

Device for removing corks from wine bottles. See Wine Openers at Wine Accessories.

Crock:

A large-mouthed, cylindrical, earthenware vessel, glazed to contain liquid. The best sizes for winemaking are 1-1/2 gallon, 3 gallons, and 6 gallons; these adequately handle the ingredients for any 1 gallon-, 2 gallon-, or 5 gallon-batch recipe.

Crust:

The sediment thrown off by red wines as they age in bottles--usually associated with sediments in port.

Cyser:

See Mead