What is must in winemaking?

Must refers to the freshly crushed fruit from which wine is fermented, primarily consisting of grape juice along with the skins, seeds, and stems that accompany it during the initial stages of winemaking. It is the combination of all these components that creates the environment for fermentation, where yeast converts the sugars present in the grape juice into alcohol.

In winemaking, the term "must" encompasses not just the liquid part but also the solids, highlighting the importance of the entire mixture—grape juice, skins, and seeds—as it all contributes to the flavor, color, and tannin structure of the final wine. The presence of the seeds and skins during fermentation is crucial, especially for red wines, as they impart essential phenolic compounds, enhancing the wine's complexity.

Understanding what constitutes must helps winemakers in various stages of the process, from pressing the grapes to managing fermentation conditions. The other choices, while related to parts of the winemaking process, do not fully capture the concept of must, which is pivotal at the beginning of wine production.