Wine Glossary: All Listings 

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Abbreviation for Amtliche Prüfungsnummer the official testing number displayed on a German wine label that shows that the wine was tasted and passed government quality control standards.

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An Italian term used to describe full-bodied wines with medium-level sweetness

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Acronym for "Anything but Chardonnay" or "Anything but Cabernet". A term conceived by Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm to denote wine drinkers' interest in grape varieties.

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Bottled by the proprietor. Will be on the label followed by relevant information concerning the bottler.

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The method that grapevines use in the uptake of nutrients by the roots in the soil.

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Abbreviation of alcohol by volume generally listed on a wine label.

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Abbreviation for "Agricultural Cooperative" on Greek wine labels and for Adega Cooperativa on Portuguese labels.

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French term for tying vine branches (or cordons) to the horizontal trellising wires in a vine-training system

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Wine with a sharp sweet-and-sour tang can be described as having acescence. The acescence characteristics frequently recalls a vinegary smell.

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The main aldehyde found in wines most notably Sherry.

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One of the primary volatile acids in wine.

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The process through which acetic acid is produced in wine.

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A bacterium found in wine that causes acetification resulting in the conversion of wine to vinegar.

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The quality of wine that gives it its crispiness and vitality. A proper balance of acidity must be struck with the other elements of a wine or else the wine may be said to be too sharp – having disproportionately high levels of acidity – or too flat – ha ...

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The concentration of acids in the wine with positively charged hydrogen ions. Used to gauge the "total acidity" in the wine. Measured using the pH scale.

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The amount of ethanol present in wine usually measured as a percent of total volume (ABV) taken at 20°C

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Portuguese term for a medium-sweet wine

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Portuguese wine term for a winery or wine cellar.

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Chemicals or other materials that are mixed with sprays aid in the penetration wetting or spreading of the active ingredient in the viticultural spray.

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The method that grapevines use in the transport of certain nutrients through the plant by adhesion of ions or molecules on the surface of colloidal particles or other solid materials.

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Roots that develop in areas of the grapevine where there previously was no root system such as the roots that develop from the nodes of a newly planted cutting. While grapevines have adventitious roots they do not have adventitious buds and requiring pr ...

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Winemaking conditions that promote exposure to oxygen such wine barrels kept partially full in order to oxidatively age the wine

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A barrel often made of oak used to age wine or distilled spirits.

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Generally refers to ethanol a chemical compound found in alcoholic beverages. It is also commonly used to refer to alcoholic beverages in general.

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The conversion by yeast of sugar into alcohol compounds

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A component of wine that is formed during the oxidation of alcohol. It is midway between an acid and an alcohol.

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Soils with high levels of sodium that will interfere with the growth and development of the grapevine.

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Spanish term for a Sherry producers who ferments and matures the wine before selling it to a merchant

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The wine used by the Catholic Church in celebrations of the Eucharist.

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German term for old vine

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Various substitutes used in the wine industry for sealing wine bottles in place of traditional cork closures.

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Italian term for a medium-sweet wine

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A grape variety that unlike French-American hybrids was developed in North America. It is usually a crossing of North American grape varieties but some varieties do have Vitis Vinifera in their parentage.

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Protein found in wine grapes that are formed by fruit esters and consumed during the fermentation process and/or autolysis. They contribute to the sense of complexity in a wine.

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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 ...

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The science of identify grape varieties and tracing their history using both DNA and physical characteristics such as the appearance of clusters and leaves.

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A type of ceramic vase used for transporting and storing wine in ancient times.

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The opposite of aerobic referring to a chemical process that takes place in the absence of oxygen. As a wine ages in a sealed wine bottle it is going through anaerobic changes.

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The first column in a Coffey still outlawed for the production of Cognac but can be used in other regions for wine-based spirits where the pre-heated wash is vaporized by steam

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A German wine region. Anbaugebiet are further divided into bereiche or districts.

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The portion of a wine in an aging barrel that is lost to evaporation.

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Italian term for a vintage

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German winemaking term for must enrichment

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The part of the male-reproductive organs of the grapevine flower located on the stamen that contains the pollen needed for fertilization.

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A stage during the flowering period of the grape vine when the calyptra has fallen off and the vine is in full bloom.

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Phenolic pigments that give red wine its color.

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Polyphenols located in the skin of grapes that includes the color pigments that gives both grapes and wine their color.

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Chemicals such as sulfur dioxide that are used to prevent the grape must from oxidizing.

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Abbreviation for Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (English: Appellation of controlled origin) as specified under French law. The AOC laws specify and delimit the geography from which a particular wine (or other food product) may originate and methods by wh ...

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French term for the period of ripening when the vine's shoot stop growing and the plant shifts it carbohydrate production into reserves as it prepares for dormancy and next years growth. During this time the leaves may begin to change color as the shoots ...

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A wine that is either drunk by itself (i.e. without food) or before a meal in order to stimulate the appetite.

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The tendency of the central mid-section region of a grapevine shoot up to the apex to exhibit the most growth and development of foliage tendrils and grape clusters. The apical dominance of the grapevine also inhibits the growth of lateral buds.

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The growth cells located at the tip of a grapevine shoot that have the ability to differentiate and continue to grow. Unlike other plants grapevines do not have terminal buds that limit growth.

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A geographically delineated wine region.

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A geographical based term to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown.

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A geological landform that retains rain water drained from the surrounding area.

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A wine with very noticeable and distinctive aromas

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A wine that has been flavored with herbs fruit flowers and spices. Examples: Vermouth Retsina or mulled wine.

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An antioxidant used to prevent grape must from oxidizing.

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The characteristic of a chemical (like sulfur dioxide or sorbic acid) to kill unwanted or beneficial bacteria.

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A topographical feature of a vineyard including the angle and direction of a slope as well as its altitude.

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Frost protection technique where overhead sprinklers are used to spray the grapevines with water allowing the water to freeze and coat the young buds with ice at 0°C with the latent heat of freezing protecting them from damage from further temperature dr ...

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The blending of base wines in order to create a final blend or cuvee.

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The measure of atmospheric pressure within a wine bottle. The average internal pressure inside a bottle of sparkling wine is 6 atmospheres.

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Abbreviation for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau a United States government agency that is primarily responsible for the regulation of wines sold and produced in the United States.

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Austrian term originally referring to the aszú production method of mixing grapes affected by noble rot with a fermenting base wine. Today a Prädikat in Austria intermediate between Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

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German for "select harvest" a Prädikat in Germany and Austria.

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The breakdown of dead yeast cells (or lees) and the process through which desirable or undesirable traits maybe imparted to the wine. Wines that are deliberately aged sur lie such as Muscadet or some white Burgundies derive certain flavors and textures fr ...

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The attachment point on a grapevine leaf of petiole where usually a developing bud will be located

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Italian term for a winery that only produces wine from its own estate vineyards

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Italian term for an estate that makes wine from both its own vineyards and from purchased grapes

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An acronym for "Buyer's Own Brand" which refers to a private label wine owned by the restaurant or retailer that sells the wine.

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Blending unfermented fresh grape juice into a fully fermented wine in order to add sweetness. Synonymous with the German winemaking technique Sussreserve.

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A method of pruning based on the amount of growth that the vine experienced the previous growing season. This is often determined by weighing the one-year-old that is pruned during the winter dormancy period and using a formula to determine how many buds ...

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A large bottle containing 12 litres the equivalent of 16 regular wine bottles.

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The official start of the harvest season in France.

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The dead tissue that makes up the hard woody external covering of the grapevine canopy outside the cork cambium.

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A wine fermented in oak barrels as opposed to stainless steel or concrete. Traditional with white Burgundies some Chardonnays and some Champagne.

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French term for a 225 liter cask that is traditionally used in Bordeaux and now adopted worldwide

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The French name for a 225 litre Bordeaux style barrel (Bordeaux hogshead). Will yield 24 cases of 12 bottles each.[3]

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The small bud located at the base of a grapevine's cane or spur.

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A low cost entry level offering from a winery as opposed to its more expensive premium wine offerings.

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French measurement of the sugar concentration in the juice or wine.

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A German term meaning approximately "harvest of selected berries". A Prädikat in Germany and Austria.

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A light sediment chiefly mucilage found in Port.

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A natural terrace of flat land between two slopes.

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A type of clay of volcanic origins used in wine as a clarifying agent.

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A district within a German wine region (Anbaugebiet). Contains smaller Grosslagen vineyard designations.

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Italian/French/Spanish/Portuguese terms for a white wine or grape

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A vine training system that utilizes two arms or cordons extending horizontally from the trunk in two different directions along support wires.

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A term originally meant to denote a location in a cellar where wine is stored but now often seen in brand marketing of some wines (i.e. Bin 75 Merlot etc)

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Like biodynamic agriculture in general biodynamic grape-growing stems from the ideas and suggestions of Rudolf Steiner (1861.1925) which predate most of the organic movement. The principles and practices of biodynamics are based on his spiritual/practical ...

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Wines produced by the principles of biodynamic agriculture.

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French term for organic winemaking

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A fungal disease that causes black stains to appear on grapevine leaves. Most prevalent in warm and wet conditions

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A white wine usually sparkling made exclusively from white grapes often Chardonnay.

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A white wine usually sparkling made from red grapes.

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The phenomenon of sap being expelled from an open pruning wound on the grapevine that often happens during early spring. This is often a sign of good health for the vine. Also known as weeping.

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The mixing of two or more different parcels of wine together by winemakers to produce a consistent finished wine that is ready for bottling. Laws generally dictate what wines can be blended together and what is subsequently printed on the wine label.

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Tasting and evaluating wine without knowing what it is.