A winemaking technique of punching down the cap of grape skins that forms during the beginning of the wine's fermentation. This is done several times a day, occasionally more frequently, to extract color, flavor, and tannin from the fermenting juice.
(France) This is one method of submerging the cap of skins and grape solids, which is kept in contact with the fermenting wine to increase extract during the cuvaison. Pigeage à pied is the process of pushing it down with the foot. The same may be achieved by pumping the fermenting wine over the cap, or be submerging it using boards laid across the top of the vat.
The french term for punching down the cap of grape skins that rises to the top of the fermentation vessel during fermentation.
Pigeage is a French winemaking term for the traditional stomping of grapes in open fermentation tanks.