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The most commonly used wood source for fermentation vessel and barrel aging. Oak influence can also be imparted to a wine by the used of oak chips or staves.
Italian term for old that may be used as an aging designation that is regulated by some DOC/G wine regions
Polyphenols located in the skin of grapes that includes the color pigments that gives both grapes and wine their color.
Literally "old vines" in French sometimes written as an acronym V.V. It is not a regulated term with no official or legal definition of "Vieilles vignes" in any of the wine regions of France.
The unfermented sugar left over in the wine after fermentation. All wines including those labeled as "dry wines" contain some residual sugars due to the presence of unfermentable sugars in the grape must such as pentoses.
The combination of hydrogen and sulfur dioxide which can produce a fault in the wine reminiscent of the smell of rotting eggs that may eventually develop in the bottle into mercaptans.
A principle relating to the aging ability of wine that states that a wine will remain at its peak (or optimal) drinking quality for as long as it took to reach the point of maturity. For example if a wine is drinking at its peak at 1 year of age it will c ...
South African wine term for a sparkling wine made according to the traditional method
Italian term for a sparkling wine that has gone through secondary fermentation in a tank (Charmat method) as opposed to the traditional method of fermentation in the bottle that consumers will eventually purchase.
Also known as bottle-sickness a temporary condition of wine characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines (usually fragile wines) are shaken in travel. After several days the condition usuall ...
Higher quality classification of wine above every day drinking table wines. While premium wines maybe very expensive there is no set price point that distinguishes when a wine becomes a "premium wine." Premium wines generally have more aging potential tha ...
In the Austrian wine region Wachau a classification of wine with a harvest must weight of at least 17°KMW and a finished alcohol level between 11–12.5% with no more than 4 g/l residual sugar. This classification is between the levels of Steinfeder and Sma ...
An unwanted haze in wine caused by various unstable compounds (such as proteins or excess copper from previous finings) that can develop into a wine fault if not corrected before bottling
Trademarked name for a cover that slips over the neck of a wine bottle and absorbs any drips that may run down the bottle after pouring preventing stains to table cloths counter tops or other surfaces. The generic term is drip cloth.
A large bottle containing 12 litres the equivalent of 16 regular wine bottles.
A blending term used to refer to either blending a wine with one distinct characteristic (such as high acidity) into a wine that currently dominated by the opposite characteristic (such as low acidity). It can also mean blending a red wine with a white wi ...
Winemaking conditions that promote exposure to oxygen such wine barrels kept partially full in order to oxidatively age the wine
A German term meaning approximately "A late harvest of selected dry berries". A type of German wine made from grapes affected by noble rot. Such grapes can be so rare that it can take a skilled picker a day to gather enough for just one bottle.[11] A Präd ...
Best described as a matured Fino. After the flor dies the yeast sinks to the bottom of the wine and is no longer able to protect the Sherry from oxidation. The now unprotected Sherry begins to take on a rich and deep nutty flavor and can now be described ...
Another name for the Botrytis cinerea mould that can pierce grape skins causing dehydration. The resulting grapes produce a highly prized sweet wine generally dessert wine.
German term for a wine slightly above table wines (tafelwine). Similar to a French vin de pays wine.
Undesirable characteristics in wine caused by poor winemaking techniques or storage conditions.
Various substitutes used in the wine industry for sealing wine bottles in place of traditional cork closures.
A measure of the acidity. The lower the pH the higher the acidity. The term comes from the French Pouvoir Hydrogéne meaning "hydrogen power". pH is a shorthand for its mathematical approximation: in chemistry a small p is used in place of writing log10 a ...
A topographical feature of a vineyard including the angle and direction of a slope as well as its altitude.
French term for a wine that has spent time aging on the lees during which it may have derived some flavors from autolysis. Often associated with the Loire wines of the Muscadet region.
(aka Methode Traditionelle Traditional Method) Process whereby sparkling wines receive a second fermentation in the same bottle that will be sold to a retail buyer. Compare with Charmat transfer or bulk fermented methods.
An allowance within the French AOC system that allows producers to exceed the official maximum limit on yields by as much as 20% in warm weather years. Critics such as wine writer Tom Stevenson describes this loophole (also known as "PLC") as "legalized c ...
French term for leaving grapes on the vine past normal harvest so that they dry up and concentrate their flavors. Passerillage is distinct from noble rot in that these grapes are not exposed to the botrytis fungus. The Italian equivalent is passito though ...
Compounds found in the seeds skins and stalks of grapes that contribute vital characteristics to the color texture and flavor of wine. Two of the most notable phenols in wine include anthocyanins which impart color and tannins which add texture and agin ...
French term for a sparkling wine that has been aged with its neck down following the completion of autolysis but before dégorgement. Wines that are being riddled (remuge) will end up sur pointe with the yeast sediment consolidated in the neck of the bottl ...
French term for adding mounds of earth to the base of a newly grafted vine to cover the graft union between the rootstock and scion to protect from frost damage.
An Italian method of winemaking that involves putting a wine through a secondary fermentation on the lees from a previously made recioto wine. This method is common in the Valpolicella area among Amarone producers who make a secondary Ripasso wine.
Also called sommelier knife a popular type of corkscrew used in the hospitality industry.
Italian term for a very large barrel that can hold up to 160 hectolitres (4 200 US gal)
The descriptive sticker or signage adhered to the side of a wine bottle.
French term for an appellation where all the vineyards in the appellation are under single ownership.
The acid in wine formed during the process of malolactic fermentation.
A summation of the difference between summer and winter temperatures during the growing season
The science of identify grape varieties and tracing their history using both DNA and physical characteristics such as the appearance of clusters and leaves.
A tasting descriptor to describe a wine that has layers of soft concentrated velvety fruits. Unctuous wines are lush rich and intense.
A wine that starts out as a lighter bodied and perhaps weaker flavor that is blended with a stronger more robust wine.
A now-defunct wine classification category in the European Union that was formally abolished along with the Table Wine designation in 2009 with the adoption of the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) system.
The addition of sugar with the liqueur d'expedition after degorgement where the sweetness level of a sparkling wine is determined
The French term for destemming. Destemming is removing stems prior to pressing and fermenting the grapes and their juice. Stems have a significant amount of coarse and often green tannin undesirable in the finished wine.
The practice of adding sugar (from sugar beets or sugarcanes) to the grape must prior to fermenting to compensate for low sugar content/potential alcohol in the grapes.
Another term used in winemaking to describe volatile acids such as butyric or propionic acids
French term for a very sweet wine. Often used as a description for very sweet sparkling wine
Generally a winery in Bordeaux although the term is sometimes used for wineries in other parts of the world such as the Barossa Valley.
Also known as malo or MLF a secondary fermentation in wines by lactic acid bacteria during which tart tasting malic acid is converted to softer tasting lactic acid during which carbon dioxide is generated.
Bottled by the proprietor. Will be on the label followed by relevant information concerning the bottler.
Spanish term for a Sherry producers who ferments and matures the wine before selling it to a merchant
An old English unit of wine casks equivalent to about 477 liters (126 US gallons/105 imperial gallons). In Sherry production a butt traditionally holds around 600 litres (160 US gal)
Wines made in the United States but named after places that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau requires be modified by a US name of geographic origin. Examples would be New York Chablis Napa Valley Burgundy or California Champagne.
Vineyard soil type made up of sedimentary rock containing calcium carbonate which has desirable drainage and water-retention for grape growing. Limestone soils tend to produce grapes with high potential acidity levels due to inhibiting the vines from up-t ...
The unique climate and geographical conditions of a designated area such as a vineyard within a large wine region.
A winemaking tool that uses specific gravity to measure the sugar content of grape juice.
A fungal disease that causes black stains to appear on grapevine leaves. Most prevalent in warm and wet conditions
French term for a named vineyard site. Usually used in the context of describing individual vineyards below Grand cru status.
The first press after the free run juice has been collected that contains the clearest and cleanest juice that will come out of pressing.
The measure of atmospheric pressure within a wine bottle. The average internal pressure inside a bottle of sparkling wine is 6 atmospheres.
The ability of a wine to clearly portray all unique aspects of its flavor — fruit floral and mineral notes.[10]
A style of sustainable viticulture that while not completely organic aims to avoid the unnecessary use of synthetic chemicals
Spanish aging designation. For red wines a wine needs to be aged at least 6 months in oak (in Rioja and Ribera del Duero it is 12 months in oak) and a total of 24 months before release. For Spanish whites there is no minimum oak aging but a Crianza design ...
Oxygen transmission rate. A factor of cork closures which shows some variation in their oxygen transmission rate which translates to a degree of bottle variation.[4]
Compounds formed in wine either during fermentation or the wine's aging development that contribute to a wine's aroma.
The method that grapevines use in the uptake of nutrients by the roots in the soil.
Abbreviation for the Spanish term vino de la tierra denoting a "country wine" similar to the VDQS system of France.
A tool comprising a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle for drawing Corks from bottles.
A former designation of the best quality German wines since 2007 shortened to Prädikatswein.
French term for the historical role that negociants play in the winemaking process-roughly translating as "bringing up" or "raising" the wine. Traditionally negociants would buy ready made wines after fermentation blend and then store the wine before brin ...
The total amount of acidity (Tartaric latic malic etc) in a wine as measured in grams per liter.
How well a wine reflects the characteristics of its grape variety and terroir
The removal of unwanted or unneeded parts of the grapevines. In winter this usually involved removing the canes and wood that is less is less than year old leaving on the necessary buds or spur desired for next year's production
In the United States and Australia Crush is the harvest period. In winemaking terms it is the procedure that precedes pressing where the grapes are broken and the juice is allowed to macerate with the skin prior or during fermentation.
