Label Apart from the decoration, labels can and do give a great deal of information to the drinker. Most amateurs content themselves with a label merely stating the wine type, although there are elaborate labels available. See Wine Labels

Labeling The label should be placed midway between the seams of the bottle. It should be straight, and no glue visible. For competitions, the rules governing the labeling of entries should be followed.

Lactase The enzyme which splits lactose into its component molecules of glucose and galactose. As wine yeasts do not secrete this enzyme, lactose is a good non-fermentable sweetening agent.

Lactic Acid is a by-product of fermentation and is, therefore, present in trace amounts of a wine. It is produced in large amounts when a wine is infected by lactobacilli. Unlike many of the by-products or off-flavors, it is not toxic. 

Lactobacillus Haze See Diagnosis of Faults, Appendix XI.

Lactose is the main sugar found in milk. It is a hexose disaccharide, which is broken down to glucose and galactose by the enzyme lactase. Since yeasts do not secrete this enzyme, lactose is non-fermentable. Lactose can, therefore, be used as a sweetening agent, despite it being only one-third as sweet as sucrose.

Lag Phase See Fermentation, Lag Phase.

Law as applied to amateur winemaking is basically simple. Make as much as you like; drink as much as you like BUT do not sell any. One the production side, it is illegal to increase the alcohol content of a beverage by any means other than adding commercial spirits known to be safe for fortification purposes and on which duty has been paid. See Duty.

Laying down The term used to describe the storing of wines for the period of their final maturation in the bottle. The word no doubt derives from the practice of placing the bottles on their sides, to prevent the drying of the corks.

Lead Acetate A chemical which can be used to show the presence of hydrogen sulphide. If used, it must not be added to the wine, as it is toxic. The best method of use is to prepare lead acetate paper and place that in the stream of gas coming off from the wine.

Lead Glaze See Glaze.

Lead Poisoning is an insidious disease which very often is not apparent until late in the illness. This is because lead is an accumulative poison; i.e., the body has difficulty in getting rid of it and, instead, stores it up. Often the first sign of the poisoning is the blue-black lines that appear around the gum margins. Like many other illnesses, prevention is easier than the cure. Do not put wine into any container made with lead.

Lemon Juice An expensive way of using citric acid. The juice from one lemon is equal to about 7 grams of citric acid. This works out at about 5 times the cost of citric acid. The other drawback to its use is not knowing exactly how much acid has been added.

Leuconostoc One of the species of lactobacilli.

License No license is required to make beer or wine. BUT one is needed before selling alcohol, or distilling or rectifying spirits.

Liqueur A strongly alcoholic drink made from distilled spirits with some form of additional flavoring û herbs, spices, honey, etc. They are usually drunk after dinner. With the range of essences available, the amateur can produce his own. However, the cost of the fortifying spirit used to be about 90 percent of the cost. Liquor Quick and Super Yeast products can drastically reduce this cost by 75%. See Super Yeast :

Litmus The use of litmus paper is now receding in favor of pH papers which can give results accurate to about half a unit. Litmus paper is of value only to determine if a solution is acid or alkaline. See Indicator Paper.

Lock, Fermentation See Air-Lock.

Longevity of Wine is dependent on several factors. The greater the alcohol content, the greater the life. Tannin plays an important part in wine life, for red wines have a longer life than white ones. A good cork and capsule on a bottle stored in the proper way at the correct temperature is the final step in keeping a wine of quality at its peak. Use of better quality concentrates and juices will result in a longer aging wine. See Appendix XV.  

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