Must

Must is Grape after the crush and before it is wine. Juice, skins, seeds, and pulp are in play until the cellar decides otherwise. White wines often separate juice from skins early. Red wines keep skins (and often seeds) in the ferment so color and Tannin extract ¹. That contact is Extraction, not jam-making maceration.

The same berry can become Jelly: U.S. jelly identity lists grape among juices that can make a standardized gel ². Jelly is pectin and sugar. Must is a fermentable. Do not confuse the two.

Sugar, acid, phenolics — then yeast #

Ripeness in the vineyard is a sugar–acid–flavor compromise; more sugar means more potential alcohol once Wine fermentation runs. Tartaric and other acids in the grape are the wine’s Acidity before bacteria or yeast change the mix. Skins and seeds hold the tannin Smith and colleagues treat as the astringent, protein-binding fraction ¹.

Pressing decides how much of those solids stay: Pressing wine. An AVA on a later label is where the grapes were grown, not a must recipe ³.

What to notice #

Look: juice color versus the cap of skins. Smell: fresh grape, then yeast when fermentation starts — not vinegar as the main note. Taste (carefully, with hygiene in mind): sweetness falling as alcohol rises; astringency rising if skins stay in.

Brix can help track ripeness, but the fruit’s acid and flavor matter too. Return to Wine.