German wine glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Xylem
The woody, center portion of a vine trunk, arm or cane.
Yeast
Unicellular microorganisms which occur naturally in the air, especially in areas where fruits are grown. Whether "wild" or "cultured," yeast can quickly metabolize natural sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide (called fermentation). When all, or most, of the natural sugar of grape juice has been transformed into alcohol, the juice is said to have been changed into wine.
Yeast lees
Solid sludge-like sediment, primarily spent yeast, which settles to the bottom of a fermentation tank after the fermentation is completed. Yeast lees should not be allowed to remain in contact with the wine any longer than necessary. This is because spent and decomposing yeast is the primary source of H2S (the odor of rotten eggs) in wine. This can be confusing: the world's best sparkling wines are produced by deliberately leaving wine in intimate contact with spent yeast in bottles during the secondary fermentation. Also, some table wines, notably Chardonnay, are sometimes fermented and aged "sur lies" in which the fermented mass is held in contact with the yeast lees for an extended time period. The answers lie in the strains of yeast used, their freshness and the conditions inside a champagne bottle compared to a wine tank.
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Zierfandler for a full list of grapes click HERE
(red grape) Also known as the Spatrot grape.
Zweigelt for a full list of grapes click HERE
(red grape) a crossing of St Laurent and Blaufrankisch created in Austria by Dr Zweigelt in 1922.
Zymase
Common name given to the complex of enzymes, taken as a group, which the yeast cell uses to transform sugar into ethyl alcohol and, thereby, to transform grape juice into wine.