Glossary · Fermentation
Sur lie
French. Kept in its own language here rather than translated into the nearest English word, because the nearest English word is usually cut on a different axis.
Definition
Maturing cider in contact with its fine lees rather than racking clear, so that yeast autolysis contributes body, texture and savoury character. Literally "on the lees".
- Subject
- Fermentation
- Language
- French
In more detail
Lees contact requires a sound population and a clean cellar: the same conditions that release mannoproteins also favour reduction if oxygen is entirely absent, and favour spoilage if the lees carry unwanted organisms. Stirring, bâtonnage, keeps the deposit in suspension and speeds the extraction.
Where this is covered properly
The glossary defines; these pages explain. Each is described in its own words.
Related terms
Terms that belong to the same part of the subject, or that this one is routinely confused with.
Fermentation
Lees
The deposit that settles under a fermenting or maturing cider: dead and living yeast, fruit solids, pectin, tartrate and protein. Gross lees are the coarse first deposit; fine lees are the finer yeast layer that forms afterwards.
Fermentation
Bâtonnage
Stirring the fine lees back into suspension during maturation to accelerate autolysis and its contribution to texture.
Microbiology
Autolysis
The self-digestion of dead yeast cells, which releases mannoproteins, amino acids and nucleotides into the cider. Controlled, it adds body and savoury complexity; uncontrolled, it gives meaty and sulphurous off-aromas.
Fermentation
Racking
Transferring cider off its sediment into a clean vessel, leaving the lees behind. It is the basic maintenance operation of the cellar and the traditional method of slowing a fermentation.
Sensory
Mouthfeel
The tactile impression of a drink in the mouth — viscosity, weight, texture, prickle and drying — as distinct from its taste and aroma.
Where to go next
- Cider glossary — The whole vocabulary, by subject and A–Z.
- Comparisons — Terms that are only really clear when set against the thing they are not.
- Search — Finds terms by their aliases and by their spellings in other languages.
Sources
What this page rests on. Where a source is marked as registered rather than read, CiderHQ is recording that the body is authoritative on the subject without claiming to have worked through the document itself. See our evidence policy for what each state means.
The Science of Cidermaking and associated technical writing
Andrew Lea · reference work · passage verified 2026-08-24
Written by a food chemist who worked at Long Ashton on apple phenolics. Unusual among specialist cider writing in that it is primary-research-adjacent: the author is describing work he did, and cites the literature. This is why it is registered at tier 1 for chemistry while a general cider book is not.
The New Cider Maker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers
Claude Jolicoeur, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781603584739 · reference work · bibliographic record verified, not opened 2026-08-25
Bibliographic record verified on 2026-08-25 against the Open Library union catalogue: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013, ISBN 9781603584739, one edition recorded. That establishes the citation points at a real book in a stated edition, which is what a citation needs and is all it establishes. No copy was opened and nothing is quoted from it. The book itself is in print and not digitised in any open collection; where CiderHQ needs a figure from this territory it uses an accessible research source instead and says so.