Pomace

Pomace (/ˈpʌməs/ PUM-əs), or marc (/ˈmɑːrk/; from French marc ), is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit. Pomace (/ˈpʌməs/ PUM-əs), or marc (/ˈmɑːrk/; from French marc ), is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit. Grape pomace has traditionally been used to produce pomace brandy (such as grappa, orujo, törkölypálinka, zivania). Today, it is mostly used as fodder, as fertilizer, or to extract bioactive compounds like polyphenols from it. 'Pomace' is derived from the Latin 'pomum' (fruit and fruit tree). The English were the first to use the term 'pomace' to refer to the byproduct of cider production. In the Middle Ages, pomace wine with a low alcohol content of three or four percent was widely available. This wine was made by adding water to pomace and then fermenting it. Generally, medieval wines were not fermented to dryness; consequently the pomace would retain some residual sugar after fermenting. The ancient Greeks and Romans used pomace to create a wine that later became known as piquette in France and Graspia or Vin Piccolo in Veneto. This was an inferior wine normally given to slaves and common workers. After the wine grapes had been pressed twice, the pomace was soaked in water for a day and pressed for a third time. The resulting liquid was mixed with more water to produce a thin, weak and thirst-quenching wine. Apple pomace is often used to produce pectin and can be used to make ciderkin, a weak cider, as well as white cider, a strong and colourless alcoholic drink. Grape pomace is used to produce pomace brandy and piquette. Most wine-producing cultures began making some type of pomace brandy after the principles of distillation were understood. Pomace in winemaking differs, depending upon whether white wine or red wine is being produced. In red wine production, pomace is produced after the free run juice (the juice created before pressing by the weight of gravity) is poured off, leaving behind dark blackish-red debris consisting of grape skins and stems. The color of red wine is derived from skin contact during the maceration period, which sometimes includes partial fermentation. The resulting pomace is more alcoholic and tannic than pomace produced from white wine production. Pomace from the Italian wine Amarone is macerated in Valpolicella wine to produce Ripasso.