.jpg)
A means of removing water from grape must at a lower temperature than standard distillation/boiling which could also burn off the delicate flavors and aromas of wine. Within a vacuum the pressure on the liquid is reduced allowing the must to boil at betw ...
A large bottle holding six liters the equivalent of eight regular wine bottles.
A geographical based term to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown.
Pink wines are produced by shortening the contact period of red wine juice with its skins resulting in a light red colour. These wines are also made by blending a small amount of red wine with white wine.
A large cave that is excavated to provide a cool location for storing and aging wine. Similar to wine cellar.
A wine shed or other storage place above ground used for storing casks common in Bordeaux. Usually different types of wine are kept in separate sheds.[5] The person in charge of vinification and ageing of all wine made at an estate or the chais of a négoc ...
The time prior to fermentation that the grape must spends in contact with it skins. This technique may enhance some of the varietal characteristics of the wine and leech important phenolic compounds out from the skin. This process can be done either cold ...
The point when a wine becomes limpid or clear after all the cloudy sediments falls to the bottom of container. The wine is then usually racked over the sediment or in the case of sparkling wine disgorged.
A device used to measure the swelling and shrinkage of the trunk of the vine in response to irrigation/water use.
A French rosé that spends only one night in contact with the red grape skins.
French term (now English also) for the onset of ripening of the grape cluster.
The reductive-oxidative way that wine ages. As one part gains oxygen and becomes oxidized another part loses oxygen and becomes reduced. Early in its life a wine will exhibit oxidative aromas and traits due to the relatively recent influence and exposure ...
A controlled system of irrigation where water is provided to the grape vine drip by drip in precise amounts by a system of pipes and metered valves. Modern vineyards equipped with sensor technology may have their irrigation pattern computerized with the a ...
Portuguese term for a potentially superior quality wine that has seen extended aging in the barrel and bottle
An enclosed fermentation tank with rotating blades that operates similar to a cement mixer with the propose of maximizing extraction during maceration and minimizing the potential for oxidation.
Hairy scale-like leaves containing suberin that act as a protective cover over buds often protecting them against the elements during the dormancy period of winter.
The undesirable presence of Botrytis cinera particularly in unripe or red wine grapes that can cause poor coloration and various wine fault and off flavors in the resulting wine
A minute (ca. 0.75 mm) underground insect that kills grape vines by attacking their roots.
Refers to a selection of wines usually between three and eight glasses but sometimes as many as fifty presented for the purpose of sampling and comparison.
French term for the process of pulling out wine from underneath the cap of grape skins and then pumping it back over the cap in order to stimulate maceration.
French cask capable of holding 900 litres (240 US gal) or the equivalent of 100 cases of twelve standard 750ml (75 cL) bottles of wine. Historically associated with the wine of Bordeaux.
French term for fresh grape juice that has had alcohol added to it (Fortification) before fermentation has started. This results in a generally sweet wine.
A French term that literally means "growth". May refer to a vineyard or a winery.
A fining agent more commonly abbreviated as PVPP used in white wine production to remove compounds that can contribute to premature browning of the wine.
French term for a grape-derived spirit such as brandy up to a maximum of 96% ABV. Its literal translation is "water of life"
Winemaking technique where the volatile acidity of a wine is deliberately elevated in order to enhance the fruitiness of wines that are meant to be consumed young.
Wine with a sharp sweet-and-sour tang can be described as having acescence. The acescence characteristics frequently recalls a vinegary smell.
An area from which water drains into a large body of water such as a river or a lake.
Distillation vessel usually made of copper used in the production of Cognac and other alcohol spirits. Usually a wash will be distilled twice with three fractions (heads hearts and tails) coming from each distillation.
French term for a very lightly sparkling wine with less effervescence than a crémant or pétillant
The French name for a 225 litre Bordeaux style barrel (Bordeaux hogshead). Will yield 24 cases of 12 bottles each.[3]
In Cognac production this is the first fraction of alcohol spirit that is collected during the distillation process which includes volatile alcohol compounds ethanol and potentially toxic alcohols such as methanol. This fraction is discarded.
The process of separating unwanted particles (such as dead yeast cells or fining agents) from the wine by use of centrifugal force.
French term for grape variety. When it appears on a wine label it will usually refer to the varieties used to make the wine.
The removal of the mound of dirt added to the base of the vine to protect the graft union from frost danger
A designation of better quality German wines from recognized viticultural areas. It formally represents the second-highest level of German wine.
French term similar to Vin primeur denoting a very young wine meant to be consumed within the same vintage year it was produced. Example: Beaujolais nouveau.
Soils with high levels of sodium that will interfere with the growth and development of the grapevine.
Generally any wine that is not sparkling or fortified. In the US these wines must also be between 7% and 14% alcohol by volume. The term table wine also refers to a wine that is considered a good everyday drinker. In the European Union the "Table Wine" ca ...
Another term for ethanol or ethyl alcohol which is accounts for the majority of alcohol compounds found in wine
Also known as headspace the unfilled space in a wine bottle barrel or tank. Derived from the French ouillage the terms "ullage space" and "on ullage" are sometimes used and a bottle or barrel not entirely full may be described as "ullaged".[5] It als ...
The distillate made from pomace. The term can also refer to the pomace itself or in the Champagne region to individual press fractions from the traditional vertical wine press.
Wine sediment that occurs during and after fermentation and consists of dead yeast grape seeds and other solids. Wine is separated from the lees by racking.
The "heads" of alcohol spirit that are first released during distillation in the production of Cognac. These often include acetone methanol and the lighter aldehydes and ester compounds with low boiling points and are usually discarded rather than added ...
A wine barrel that holds approximately 63 gallons (239 liters). A hogshead holds approximately 300 litres not 239 liters.
Cutting or diluting a wine with water often used to lower the alcohol level of the wine. In many wine regions this practice is illegal.
Italian terms for a sparkling wine that has gone through secondary fermentation according to the traditional method
The disgorging or removal of sediment from bottles that results from secondary fermentation.
Spanish winemaking term describing a wine that is macerated with double the normal ratio of grape skins to juice. This is achieved by the winemaker bleeding off and disposing of extra juice in order to increase the ratio of grape skin and concentration of ...
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.
A device comprising two vats or receptacles one for trodding and bruising grapes and the other for collecting the juice.
Wine labeling term introduced to the European Union in 2009 to replace the "Table Wine" designation. Used to denote a wine with lower specification and regulation than that with a PDO or GI designation.
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
A fermented alcoholic beverage made from non-grape fruit juice which may or may not include the addition of sugar or honey. Fruit wines are always called "something" wines (e.g. plum wine) since the word wine alone is often legally defined as a beverage ...
A very dry sparkling wine. In Champagne this is a wine that has received a dosage with between 0-6 grams/liter sugar
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 ...
A wine bottle that holds approximately 6 oz (175-187 mL) or one-fourth the equivalent of a typical 750 mL bottle; a single-serving.
An unregulated German wine term used to describe an off-dry (or halbtrocken) wine
An alternative to cork for sealing wine bottles comprising a metal cap that screws onto threads on the neck of a bottle. Also called a "Stelvin".
A grape variety derived from parent vines of two different species--such as Vitis Vinifera and Vitis Labrusca.
Spanish aging designation that for red wine stipulates that it has been aged for a total of 5 years after harvest with at least 18 months in oak (in Rioja and Ribera del Duero the minimum is 24 months). For Spanish white wines the requirement is 4 years o ...
A chemical reaction in winemaking. In alcoholic fermentation it is the conversion of sugars to alcohol by yeast while in malolactic conversion it is the conversion of malic acid to lactic by bacteria.
The space between the wine and the top of a wine bottle. As a wine ages the space of ullage will increase as the wine gradually evaporates and seeps through the cork. The winemaking term of "ullage" refers to the practice of topping off a barrel with extr ...
A process of filtration that uses a thin screen of biologically inert material perforated with microsize pores that capture matter larger than the size of the holes.
An Italian abbreviation for Cantina Sociale that appears on wine labels denoting that the wine has been made by a local cooperative.
French term for a Champagne that has been aged sur lie for an exceptionally long time (far beyond the usually 5-10 years of vintage Champagne) before going through degorgement.
An Australian term for a broad category of sweet wines included fortified and botrytized wines.
An element found in vineyard soils with substantial ferrous deposits. Trace amounts are found grapes and the wines produced from those grapes though that amount can be lessen through fining. An excessive amount of iron can cause a wine to taste medicinal ...
German for "late harvest" that is made without chaptalization. A Prädikat in Germany and Austria.
Classification system used in the Armagnac and Cognac region based on the age of the spirit ranging from 00 for a newly distilled spirit to 2 for a VS ("Very Special") 4 for a VSOP Reserve 6 for a Napoleon XO (extra old) and 10 for a the longest aged XO. ...
A term used in relation to lower classified Bordeaux wine estates that come close in quality to the First Growth Bordeaux estates.
