I would like to know the difference in these two terms.
In white wine i undertsand the pomace is free of (dead) yeast beads as the pressed wine is fermented
However, in red wine how would you differentiate the two? (i mean the gros lees which we rcj the wine off and the term pomace)
Can we call the subsequent sediment in barrels and rarely in bottles as lees or just sediment - i have heard of the term fine lees too
thanks
(This is harder to explain than I first thought. Reds and whites are processed a little differently.)
One can refer to what goes into the fermenter for both reds and whites as must. Generally it is not referred to as pomace.
Gross lees can be thought of as containing heavier grape pieces/particles (grape matter). What falls to the bottom during primary fermentation, even for wine kits, I refer to as gross lees. Again, it is the heavier stuff.
Sediment is typically finer and is usually thought of more as dead yeast and the very fine grape particulates that, when in suspension, causes the wine to appear cloudy.
If a two stage fermentation is done, gross lees are removed at the end of primary fermentation. What falls out after that is sediment. More sediment falls out during the clearing process. It is this sediment that falls to the bottom leaving a wine clear.
Before fermenting most whites, the grapes are pressed, leaving juice and finer grape particles. This is still referred to as must. This is then allowed to settle. The juice is then racked off of what settles before fermentation is started on it.
Reds go into the fermenter with all the grape parts included. After fermentation slows, the wine is pressed and what is left still contains a lot of grape matter. What is pressed off is referred to as the skins, but it contains much more than just the skins. After that point, I consider what next falls out from the wine as gross lees; still a lot heavier than what I would call simply sediment. Just a matter of opinion I guess.
Anyway, once the wine is racked at the very end of fermentation, what will be left is wine, with lots of suspended sediment, which will fall out over time.