"pp" wrote in message
oups.com...

Tom S wrote:
I know of winemakers who do both on the same wine. I am not sure
whether that makes sense.

It _does_ make sense. The pre-fermentation cold soak gives the must
a head
start on color extraction; the post fermentation maceration (which
BTW
tends to cause a _decrease_ in color) facilitates polymerization of
small,
harsh tannins into large, soft tannins. IOW, the objectives of the
pre and
post soak are different and not mutually exclusive.

Tom S

That still doesn't quite make sense to me. Namely, it seems to me that
the extended maceration should automatically take care of the colour
extraction, so doing a cold soak before extended maceration seems
superflous. What am I missing?

Thx,

Pp

Perhaps you are assuming that more color is extracted by the extended
maceration. That is not the case. Practically all the color is extracted
the first 8 or 10 days of fermentation. After ten days or so of skin
contact, the color of the liquid begins to _decrease_.
More info here http://home.att.net/~lumeisenman/chapt12.html
--
Lum
Del Mar, California, USA