Wine Education

Wine Glossary

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Terms

acidity: The crisp or tart taste typically in white wines. This comes from the natural acids in wine: tartaric, malic and citric acid. Wines are described as being high or low in acidity.
aging: Wine can age in bottles, barrels, vats, or stainless steel tanks. Many wines improve during the aging process, which can take anywhere from five months to five years before the wine is ready to be sold to the public. The best conditions for aging wines are a dark room with high humidity and a stable, cool temperature.
alcohol: The part of wine that makes us loopy! Most wines range from 7 percent to 14 percent alcohol by volume. Alcohol is produced naturally by yeast during the fermentation process. The active yeast converts the natural sugars in the grape juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide, which is released from the fermenting tank by means of a trap.
appellation: The French term, Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, (AOC), refers to a set of comprehensive regulations that specify the precise geographic area in which a given French wine can be made. AOC regulations also stipulate the types of grapes that can be used, the manner in which the vines must be grown and how the wine can be made. The Italian equivalents of France's AOC laws are known as DOC, Denominazione di Origine Controllata, and a slightly more strict set of regulations known as DOCG, Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. In the U.S., the regulations governing AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) are far less strict than French or Italian appellation laws. AVAs are designated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. There are now more than 130 areas that have been designated as AVAs including such well known AVAs as the Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley and so on.
aroma: The smells from the wine that deal more with what you taste. The human nose can detect over 2,000 odors whereas your tongue can detect only fours main groups: sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Common descriptors include: "fruity" "floral" and "earthy"
astringency: This is that mouth-drying effect when you drink red wines. Your mouth puckers and your tongue suddenly feels like velvet. This comes from young or very strong tannins. An astringent wine may be young and in need of aging. It may also simply need to breathe.
balance: The harmony between a wine's acidity, fruit, alcohol and tannin. These should all play an even roll and no one should be more prominent than another otherwise its known to be flawed. A well-balanced wine is a primary goal of the wine maker.
Barolo: Its both a full-bodied red wine made from Nebiolo grapes and a region in Piedmont, Italy where some of the best examples of this beverage can be found.
barrel fermentation: White wines fermented in oak barrels as opposed to stainless steel tanks. Stainless steel makes wine more crisp and leaner whereas oak barrels make wines more full-bodied and bold flavors.
barrel tasting: You're not licking wood here... Barrel tasting is where they use a tool called a wine thief to "syphon" the wine from the barrel straight to your wine glass. These special events are where barrels are opened and tasted before actual bottling has taken place. Naturally the wines will be young but it allows serious wine enthusiasts the opportunity to investigate limited releases before buying.
bitter: Bitterness in wine may be due to a grape variety, an extremely dry climate during the growing season, or poor wine making. Bitterness comes from excess tannin.
blend: The primary task of the wine maker. Wines from different lots or barrels are blended together to produce the final product for bottling. Tradition and regional laws dictate what grape varieties may be blended together to make a certain wine. It is up to the wine maker to select the percentages of each type of grape for the final blend. The particular characteristics of the vintage play a crucial role in this decision. The classic blending example comes from Bordeaux, where by law wine can be made from a blend of the following grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.
blind tasting: It's how those who are seeing-impaired taste wine. No, seriously - Blind wine tasting is when you taste wine without knowing anything about what your tasting. People taste blindly to force themselves to look past labels and anything that could sway their overall opinion of the wine. It's a means to provide insight into your true feelings regarding what your tasting.
body: The density perception of a wine when its in your mouth—either light, medium, or full. A Cabernet Sauvignon is an example of a full-bodied wine; a Sauvignon Blanc is a light- or medium-bodied wine.
Botrytis Cinera: This beneficial mold causes the grapes to shrivel, leaving sugar-laden fruit full of rich, concentrated flavors. Botrytis cinerea doesn't always develop and, when it does, it's sometimes very late, rewarding only those daring vineyard owners who haven't picked their grapes (but who have risked losing the entire crop due to inclement weather).
bouquet: A French term for the aroma of a wine. Often the first indicator of a wine's quality during wine tasting. Aromas may include fruit, spice, and other smells associated with a particular grape variety, region, or condition of the wine.
breathing: Allowing a wine to mix with the air. Aeration occurs by pouring the wine into a larger container, such as a decanter or large wineglass. Breathing can be beneficial for many red wines and also for some young white wines. Chemically, breathing enables oxygen to mix with the wine, which hastens the aging process. If a wine stands open for more than 12 hours, it will begin to turn to vinegar as the oxygen continues to work. Whether to let a wine breathe before serving depends on the wine. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always beneficial to let older wines breathe prior to drinking, as this can cause them to "turn" - or go bad - before dinner is over.
briary: Denotes a wine having an aggressive, prickly taste best described as "peppery". Sometimes combined with the adjective "brawny" to characterize a young red wine with high alcohol and tannin content.
brix: The measurement of soluble solids in grapes at harvest, taken with a refractometer and expressed in degrees. In unfermented grapes, degrees of Brix are approximately the same as percent of sugar. After fermentation, the alcohol concentration is roughly half the sugar concentration of the juice. Thus, grapes harvested at 22.5 degrees Brix will produce a wine with an alcohol content between 12.5 to 13.5%.
brut: A French term meaning "raw"; describes champagne or other sparkling wines around the world that are very dry, containing no more than 1.5 percent residual sugar.
buttery: A description of a wine, usually a white wine, that has taken on a slight buttery flavor. This often happens as a result of the wine being barrel fermented and then left for a period of time in contact with the yeast.
Cabernet Franc: Red wine grape used for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is an earlier-maturing red wine, due to its lower level of tannins.
Cabernet Sauvignon: One of the primary grape varieties and successfully grown in many countries. Cabernet Sauvignon is often called the king of red wines.
capsule: The protective metal or plastic sheath over the cork and neck of a wine bottle. The capsule keeps the cork from drying out and admitting air into the bottle.
cellar: A storage area for wine, not necessarily underground. A cellar is the best area to keep wines for aging. Ideal conditions are darkness, controlled cool temperature, and high humidity. Bottles should be stored on their sides to keep the corks from drying out.
Champagne: Only 75 miles northeast of Paris, the region has over 300 villages and produces the best-known sparkling wines in the world. Only wines produced here can legally be called Champagne.
chaptalization: The process of adding sugar to the fermenting wine to raise the final alcohol level. Often used in France to raise low alcohol levels by 1 to 2 percent. Because the sugar is converted to alcohol, it does not add sweetness to the finished wine.
Chardonnay: This grape is grown in many wine regions around the world. It is responsible for the great white wines from the Burgundy region of France. Chardonnay ranges from medium to full-bodied and is frequently aged in oak barrels to enhance its flavor.
charmat process: The process of producing sparkling wines in tanks rather than bottles. Often used to mass-produce inexpensive sparkling wines.
chewy: Said of a wine that has a full, almost thick mouthfeel. Zinfandels are often described as chewy.
Claret: This terms is what the England calls red wines from the Bordeaux in France.
cloudy: The opposite of clear or brilliant. Possibly the result of sediment being stirred up during transportation.
cloying: Overly sweet, and lacking the correct amount of acidity to give the wine balance.
color: White, red, and rose wines have their own spectrum from light to dark. It is the contact between the grape skins and the juice that give a wine its color. During the wine-making process, the longer the juice is in contact with the skins, the more color will be imparted to the wine. A pink or rose wine is made from red grapes but is only allowed brief contact with the skins.
complex: A descriptive term for a multifaceted, multi-layered wine that continues to reveal different flavors as you drink it. A complex wine, because it is so fascinating, has an almost magical ability to draw the wine drinker in.
Condrieu: An exceptional but hard-to-find white wine from Northern Rhone region in France. The single grape variety used in Condrieu is viognier. Condrieu is a full-body white wine, rich in alcohol, but with a strong flavor and round in the mouth. Condrieu exhales apricot, pear and almond aromas.
Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin: Originally founded in 1703 as the Ordre de la Boisson (Order of the Drink), and resurrected under its current name in 1934, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (translatable as Brotherhood of Knights of Wine-Tasting Cups) is an exclusive club of Burgundy wine enthusiasts. It is headquartered in the twelfth-century Chateau du Clos de Vougeot in the Côte d'Or region of France. It maintains chapters (called Sous-Commanderies) worldwide, but because of its Gallic origins its name and many of its ceremonial titles are always rendered in French. The most important annual event of the Confrérie is the tasting of Burgundy wines at the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot, where those deemed superior by a jury of tasters are awarded the title of "Tastevinage."
corkage fee: A sometimes small but usually ridiculously high fee a restaurant will charge if you bring your own bottle of wine to their restaurant. Its been getting more reasonable but be aware of it. Typically its anywhere from $10 and up to bring your own bottle. I suppose they're justified in charging a fee but of these fancy places charge damn near the cost of the bottle! Call ahead and ask if you're concerned.
corked: A wine that is "corked" or smells "corky" is when the seal of the wine bottle's cork is broken. When this happens, certain molds can grow and the aromas from the mold creates a 'wet newspaper' smell in the wine. Musty, sweaty shoes, cardboard are frequently used adjectives as well. Also, if air is introduced through the cork, it can oxidize the wine within the bottle also turning the wine. Either way, don't worry if you accidentally drink it - it won't hurt you. Detecting "corked" wines depends on your sensitivity to it. Within some big California reds, the levels of cork taint are so small, most of us will drink through the bottle without ever knowing there was taint. A wine that is "corked" does NOT mean it has bits of actual cork floating in it. That is simply sediment in the wine - decant the wine to filter this off. That too won't hurt you if you happen to drink it as well.
crisp: A wine with a lively acidity level. A French Chablis, a Sancerre, or a light California Sauvignon Blanc will have the characteristics of a crisp, refreshing wine.
decanting: Decanting is the act of pouring the wine from the original bottle into a carafe or other glass container. The reasons for doing so are for two main reasons. One, if you're drinking an unfiltered wine, this is the best way to filter off sediment before serving it. Secondly, decanting also allows the wine to "breathe" through aeration. This helps oxidize the wine releasing it's aromas and flavors.
dry: Dryness is a function of the residual sugar in the finished wine - the drier the wine, the less sugar it contains. Most table wines are dry.
earthy: A wine tasting term. It means just what it sounds like, a slight taste of soil. The French use a term "gout de terroir" that is often used to mean the same thing; although it can also mean that the wine has typical tastes for the region.
enology: The study of wine and wine making. Also spelled Oenology.
estate bottled: Wine that was bottled by the vineyard owner. Many wines are still bottled and produced from grapes that are purchased on the open market, often for the lowest price. This designation assures that the winery had control over the grapes from beginning to end so that they could produce a high quality wine. In the US the vineyard need not belong to the winery, if there is a long term exclusive contract for the grapes of the vineyard (which also must be in the same geographic location as the winery).
fermentation: The transformation of sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas by the action of yeast. The primary chemical process in wine making.
filtering: A wine making technique used to ensure clarity and sterility in wine. Careful use of precise filtering pads and agents allow the winemaker to target specific foreign substances to remove, based on their size. Some winemakers feel that filtering reduces the quality of wine.
finish: This is the lingering sensation after you taste a wine. How long the flavors last after it is swallowed is an important factor in great wines. Did it last several seconds or fade quicker than the time it took to swallow? Was it light-bodied (like water) or full-bodied (like the consistency of milk)? In great wines, the finish should last long and and displayflavors well after your sip.
flight: A selection of wines to taste side-by-side which usually share a common theme for comparison.
fortified: A category of wines to which a neutral wine spirit has been added to create distinctive types of wine and to increase alcohol strength.
Fume Blanc: Simply another name for Sauvignon Blanc. Robert Mondavi used this term as a marketing ploy to play up its smoky flavors.
Gamay: The grape of the Beaujolais region of France. It produces a light styled red wine. While this grape variety is found on the labels of some California wines, it is probable that the grape is not actually Gamay, but a light Pinot Noir clone or even the easily forgotten Valdiguie of southern France.
Gewurztraminer: Also called Traminer. A perfumed, pungent, spicy white grape that produces semisweet to dry wines; a specialty of Alsace (France) but also grown in California, Germany, Eastern Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
hectare: A metric unit of measure equivalent to 2.471 acres. Wineries in Europe use this term to describe the land area of vineyards. Output of wine is measured in hectoliters per acre. A hectoliter is equal to 100 liters or 26.4 U.S. gallons.
herbaceous: A green, vegetable smell in wine. For example, Sauvignon Blanc is grassy when subtle, herbaceous when overpowering. It is not considered a positive attribute when it is more than subtle.
hot: Describing a wine high in alcohol and giving a prickly or burning sensation on the palate. Accepted in fortified wines, but not considered as a particularly desirable attribute in Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. Positively undesirable in light, fruity wines.
lees: The sediment that settles at the bottom of tanks after the fermentation process. It is made up of grape seeds, pulp, stems, and skins, and is not transferred when the wine is moved to a different container.
malolactic fermentation: The bacterial conversion of the crisper, apple-type malic acid to the softer, milk-type lactic acid in wine. Also called ML or secondary fermentation, this acid conversion yields wines with increased complexity and softer acidity.
Merlot: Merlot is traditionally a red wine grape blended into the wines of Bordeaux. In Pomerol and Saint-Emilion, Merlot dominates the wines. In California, Merlot is blended with Cabernet and bottled on its own.
methode champenoise: French term for the method used to make champagne, which is fermented in the bottle. French champagnes and many other sparkling wines are produced using this traditional French technique. The monk Dom Perignon is credited with inventing this method.
microclimate: The climate within a small, defined area. Can dramatically affect the character of the wine produced there.
mulled wine: Red wine that has been mixed with sugar, lemon, and spices, usually including cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Served hot.
must: The mixture of grape juice or crushed grapes that is fermented into wine.
nose: A term used by wine enthusiasts to describe the smell of a wine.
oak: The most popular wood for constructing barrels. Oak imparts flavors and tannin to wines during the barrel aging process.
oxidized: The smell of a wine that has been overexposed to air. White wines that are oxidized turn dark golden in color, lack freshness, and have an off nose and flavor.
Periquita: A red wine grape grown in southern Portugal. A medium-bodied, fruity wine that is usually a good value.
Petite Syrah: This red wine grape grown in California by many producers is not related to the French Syrah of the Rhone Valley. Its characteristics are deep color, pepperiness, full body, and good aging potential.
Petite Verdot: Red wine grapes grown in Bordeaux and used for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon. Many producers have been abandoning this grape, since it ripens late and sometimes not at all.
phylloxera: An insect that attacks the roots of grapevines, killing the vine. Phylloxera is native to the eastern United States. It was transported to Europe on vine roots and plants and caused vine devastation in France around 1863. Usually a vine will die within several years of the attack.
Pinot Blanc: This white wine grape has in the past been mistaken for Chardonnay. The two varieties look very much alike. Grown in a variety of regions - Italy, France, California, Germany, Austria - the Pinot Blanc is a light, smooth, easy-quaffing white. Drink young.
pinot grigio: Grown in Alsace, Germany, Italy, and very successfully in Oregon, this grape variety can produce round, flavorful, dry white wines. Known as Tokay in Alsace, Pinot Grigio in Italy.
Pinot Meunier: Red wine grapes grown in the Champagne region of France. Pinot Meunier is used for blending with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to add fruit to champagne. Recently the Pinot Meunier varietal is being grown and marketed in Oregon.
Pinot Noir: The red grape that produces all the great red Burgundies. In champagne it is vinified without skin contact to produce a white wine. A difficult grape to cultivate, it can produce some of the most elegant wines in the world. Also good examples in California and Oregon.
Pinotage: A red grape that is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Grown in South Africa, it is fermented at higher temperatures and matured in new oak for finesse and elegant berry flavors.
pomace: The mass of skins, seeds, pulp, and stems left in the fermenting vat or cask after wine making. One of the products that goes into the distillation of French marc and Italian grappa.
Port: Port is a sweet dessert wine. The name comes from Oporto on the Douro River in Portugal. Port is an after-dinner drink of very high alcohol content (17% - 20%). They have incredible cellaring/aging abilities because they are fortified wines meaning brandy and sugars are added during the fermentation process.
reserve: Our laws are pretty laid back about this. It doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot. I've tasted "reserve" wines that were wines made with more T.L.C from the winemaker and they were very good. I've also tasted wines that carried the term and they were down right awful. Put little emphasis on this terminology.
Riesling: The great white wine grape of Germany. Its good acidity level provides flavorful, crisp wines. Also found in Alsace (France), California, and the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Also known as Johannisberg Riesling.
Rose: A light pink wine, dry to sweet, made by removing the skins of red grapes early in the fermentation process or sometimes by mixing red and white wines. Also called "blush" wine.
Sancerre: A region in France's Rhone Region known for their Sauvignon Blancs. The typical "smoky" flavor of the Sauvignon grape that is grown in this area, together with part Pinot Noir grapes, characterizes the taste of the Sancerre wines. Sancerre wines are produced on 15 villages. The wines coming from Bue and Chavignol are recognized as the best.
Sauvignon Blanc: A white wine grape planted around the world. In France it is found in Bordeaux, where it is usually blended with Semillon to make a rich styled wine, but with very little varietal character. The Loire Valley of France is home to the villages of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume which may produce the truest expression of this grape. California versions are sometimes called Fume Blanc, a relic of a marketing ploy that popularized the grape, but confused the consumer since there is no clear cut difference between wines labeled Sauvignon Blanc and Fume Blanc. New Zealand is another bastion of Sauvignon Blanc. The distinct "freshly cut grass" aroma of Sauvignon Blanc can range from barely noticeable to overwhelming.
sediment: This is the stuff that looks like dirt inside the bottle that makes the liquid hazy when held to the light. Its is a combination of minerals, grape skins, dead yeast cells - anything and everything the juice came in contact with along it's fermentation process. Most wineries filter off these particles but some only filter to a certain degree. The sediment can add incredible complexity over years in a cellar left undisturbed. Most people are turned off when they see the sediment - just filter it off before you pour it in a glass. It won't harm you if you consume it.
Semillion: A white grape varietal most noted for making great wine out of Bordeaux and the Hunter Valley in Australia. Usually offers citrus flavors when made into a dry wine but more often, its turned into sweet, desert-style wines with flavors similar to honey, raisins and tropical fruits. This is because the vines are susceptible to rot (Botrytis Cinera) which in turn turns each grape into a sugar bomb of fruit.
sommelier: This person is a restaurant employee who orders and maintains the wines sold in the restaurant and usually has extensive knowledge about wine and food pairings.
spicey: A character in wine reminiscent of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, or other spices. Can be found in both red and white wines.
split: A quarter bottle of champagne, containing six ounces. Used frequently on airplanes and trains.
Steen: Another name for Chenin Blanc often used in South Africa. The term "Stein" is also used in South Africa, but refers to a semi sweet style of white wine. However, many "Stein" blends do contain a large percentage of Steen wine.
structure: How a wine is built. A wine with good structure has the proper proportions of acid, tannin, and fruit that combine to make a well-balanced wine in which all the properties meld together.
Syrah (Shiraz): One of the great red wine grapes. At home in the Rhone valley of France, it has made its way to Australia where it is known as Shiraz as well as California where it is still known as Syrah.
tannins: These are the astringent substances found in the seeds, skins, and stems of grapes, as well as in oak barrels, particularly new oak. They are important in the production of good red wines because they provide flavor, structure, and texture and, because of their antioxidant traits which acts like a preservative, they contribute to long and graceful aging. Tannins often give young wines a noticeable astringency that dries the tongue and give a 'puckering' feeling in the mouth. This quality softens as the wine ages, mellows, and develops character. Wines with noticeable tannins are referred to as tannic.
tastevin: Originating in Burgundian cellars for analyzing and tasting wine, a tastevin (which is pronounced "Taht-vahN" with a nasal French ending and means, well, "taste wine.") is a small, shallow silver cup with raised indentations that help reflect the wine's color and exhibit its clarity. It's become customary for a sommelier to wear a tastevin on a chain or ribbon around his or her neck. The Burgundian wine tasting fraternity, Chevaliers du Tastevin, was named after the tasting cup.
terroir: Anything that effects the quality of the grapes grown on the vines that is NOT able to be controlled by man is considered to be the terroir. Think of as the environment the grapes grow in. Aspects that make up a region terrior are climate, natural irrigation, hillside, soil type, geography, and a myriad of other factors.
thief: Glass or metal syringe used for taking wine samples through the bunghole of a barrel.
thin: A wine that is light-bodied, lacks flavor, and is generally light in color.
ullage: This French term - pronounced "ull-idge" in English - refers to the air space in the neck of an unopened bottle of wine. This air bubble will be entirely within the neck of a normal bottle, but older bottles that have lost some of their contents may be described as having a "mid-shoulder fill" or even "low shoulder fill."
umami: About a century ago, Japanese scientist dubbed the term "umami" - it is the fifth tasting sense beyond sweet, sour, bitter, & salty. It is the "savory" sensation found in foods like: oysters, tomatoes, and mushrooms. This sense puts its emphasis on tannins - wines to appeal to this sense would be mature reds (soft tannins) and certain white wines (those without oak influence).
verietal: A wine named for the principal grape from which it is made.
vertical tasting: This involves various bottles of wine but as opposed to 'horizontal tasting' where you're tasting different varietals; in vertical, the varietal is the same but the vintage is different. These, to me, are very fun because you get to see how the varietal differed from one year to the next and work on your palette's sensitivity.
vin de pays: A French term that simply means wine of the region or country. A category of ordinary table wines meant for quick drinking.
vintage: The term vintage is the period of picking or harvesting grapes each year. It is NOT when the juice was transported to bottles and distributed. You may hear people refer to certain years as "vintage years" - these are worthy years to remember because they are considered to have produced high quality grapes ideal for winemaking. It can even be broken down further by getting specific to a certain varietal. For example, for California Cabernets, '99 was considered a vintage year along with '01
Viognier: The white grape of the northern Rhone Valley of France where it makes the expensive wine known as Condrieu. In the early 1990s, more than thirty top California producers began making viognier to much acclaim. The wine has an opulent, lush body and dramatic honeysuckle, white melon and jasmine flavors.
wine: In very general terms, wine is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting the juice of fruits or berries.
yeast: The single cell organisms that are responsible for fermentation. This is as true in wine as it is in beer or even bread. In the case of wine, the primary yeast responsible for the first (alcohol) fermentation belong to the class "Sacharomyces." Not all yeast is good yeast, and some can lead to spoilage. Many types of yeast may be found in and around wineries, and due to the need to control the specific yeast in wine, sterility is extremely important in a winery.
Zinfandel: A red wine grape found almost exclusively in California. While its origins are undoubtedly European, the exact location and name of its progenitor is one of wine's great mysteries. The Primativo of Italy is often named as the origin of Zin, but some believe that Primativo came from Zin, and not the other way around. Evidence for this is found in DNA testing. Whatever the origin of Zinfandel, it is one of the most planted fine wine grapes in California. These vines are older than most other vines in the area, and for this reason produce some of the most intense fruit. For the uninitiated, Zinfandel means a pink wine. It is important to remember that pink wine can be made from any red wine grape, and that the true red Zinfandel shares little with its pink counterpart. Known for its wide variety of styles, most Zinfandel is not particularly tannic (and does not age well) while having an abundance of fruit, to the point of being "jammy."