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French phrase that may appear on wine labels to denote that the wine has been aged in oak barrels.
A vineyard that is not planted homogeneously to a single grape variety but rather to several grape varieties growing interspersed among each other. In some cases such as the Merlot and Carménère field blends widely found through Chile in the late 20th ...
The addition of Amarone flavor to Valpolicella wine by allowing the Valpolicella to pass over the drained must of an Amarone on its way to secondary fermentation.
A wine that has been flavored with herbs fruit flowers and spices. Examples: Vermouth Retsina or mulled wine.
Abbreviation seen on Spanish wine labels meaning Cooperativa Agrícola or local co-operative.
Abbreviation for the French term Coopérative de Vignerons that may appear on wine labels to denote that the wine has been made by a local cooperative.
German term for a viticultural technique of growing vines upon slopes in vertical up and down rows rather horizontally across terraces.
The portion of a wine in an aging barrel that is lost to evaporation.
A wood barrel or storage vessel often made from oak that is used in winemaking for fermentation and/or aging
An 1991 episode of the American news program 60 Minutes that documented the low mortality rate from cardiovascular disease among the French who had a high-alcohol high-cholesterol and low exercise lifestyle in contrast to the high mortality rate among Ame ...
Sparkling wine production method where the secondary fermentation takes place in a tank as opposed to the traditional method where it takes place in the individual wine bottle that the consumer eventually purchases
An acid that can be added to wine in order to halt yeast activity and alcohol production – such as in the production of some sweet wines. If a wine goes through malolactic fermentation when there is a significant amount of sorbic acid present the wine ca ...
An acronym for "Buyer's Own Brand" which refers to a private label wine owned by the restaurant or retailer that sells the wine.
French term for a large oval barrel with a capacity of 159 gallons (600 liters)
The year in which a particular wine's grapes were harvested. When a vintage year is indicated on a label it signifies that all the grapes used to make the wine in the bottle were harvested in that year.
The process of drawing wine off the sediment such as lees after fermentation and moving it into another vessel.
Refers to the alcohol content of a beverage. In the United States proof represents twice the alcohol content as a percentage of volume. Thus a 100 proof beverage is 50% alcohol by volume and a 150 proof beverage is 75% alcohol. In the Imperial system p ...
A vine that has developed differently from other vines of the same grape variety. The clone may have developed through natural selection by adapting to its environment or was artificially bred and developed in a control environment in order to advance fav ...
The woody tissue of a vine inside of the vascular cambium layer that includes heartwood and sapwood which transports water and nutrients from the roots towards the leaves.
A grapevine that produces either male or female flowers. Many wild grapevines are dioecious while many domesticated vines used for wine production are hermaphroditic with flowers containing both the male staminate and female pistillate features.
A winemaking process where sugar is added to the must to increase the alcohol content in the fermented wine. This is often done when grapes have not ripened adequately.
A German wine region. Anbaugebiet are further divided into bereiche or districts.
The dead tissue that makes up the hard woody external covering of the grapevine canopy outside the cork cambium.
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.
Propagation method where individual grapevines from a particular variety that have demonstrated desirable features (disease resistance reliable yields smaller berry size etc) are selected for propagation. This is opposed to massal selection where sever ...
A fining agent used to remove excessive amounts of tannins and other negatively charged phenolic compounds from the wine.
A champagne or sparkling wine with a small amount of residual sugar (slightly sweet). Not as dry as Brut.
French term for a grape grower who makes their own wine. Often associated with the Champagne wine region where producers of Grower Champagnes are identified by the initials RM (for Récoltant-Manipulant) on wine labels
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.
The attachment point on a grapevine leaf of petiole where usually a developing bud will be located
Very fine particles of sedimentary rock used for filtering wine. Also known as D.E. or Kieselghur.
Wines with zero or very low levels of residual sugar. The opposite of sweet except in sparkling wines where dry means sweet.
A beer bottle cap used as a temporary closure for a sparkling wine as it undergoes as secondary fermentation.
Generally refers to ethanol a chemical compound found in alcoholic beverages. It is also commonly used to refer to alcoholic beverages in general.
Originally created in California these blended wines can be summed up as the "American Bordeaux". The term is a blend of the words "merit" and "heritage" and pronounced the same. The Red blend is made from at least 2 of the 5 Bordeaux grape varieties: Cab ...
A production method of artificially mellowing wine by exposing it to heat.
A microscopic unicellular fungi responsible for the conversion of sugars in must to alcohol. This process is known as alcoholic fermentation.
French term for the foil and wire cork cage that are used to dress a bottle of sparkling wine
A large bottle holding six litres the equivalent of eight regular wine bottles.
Chemicals or other materials that are mixed with sprays aid in the penetration wetting or spreading of the active ingredient in the viticultural spray.
In Hungary the measurement of sweetness levels for Tokaji ranging from 3 Puttonyos which contains at least 60 grams/liter of sugar to 6 Puttonyos containing at least 150 g/l of sugar.
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.
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 ...
Wine that is produced under the supervision of a rabbi so as to be ritually pure or clean.
Portuguese Italian French and Spanish terms for a sweet wine
French term denoting a table wine the lowest classification of the French AOC system.
French term for racking with the purpose of removing harsh tannins from the wine in the form of grape seeds. In this process the wine is drained into a secondary vessel allowing the cap to settle to a bottom and loosen the seeds that are trapped in the p ...
A Bordeaux wine estate that doesn't have any official designation of classification.
An abbreviation for trichloroanisole which is the prime cause of wines developing the wine fault of cork taint.
A system of fractional blending used in the production of Sherry where younger wines are added to top up the barrels of older wines as they age in the cellar.
A chemical compound found in wine grapes that is responsible for some earthy aromas and flavors. Geosmin is also found in beets and potatoes.
The lowest level of the Portuguese classification system. Similar to a vin de pays.
A cask of wine used to store Sherry with a capacity between 159 to 172 gallons (600-650 liters)
A vineyard management plan that incorporates planting a high number of vines per acre/hectare in order to improve fruit quality. This is achieved by making more vines compete for a limited amount of resources which subsequently reduces the yields of the ...
The plastic or foil that covers the cork and part of the neck of a wine bottle.
An Italian term for a wine that has been blended from several grape varieties-the opposite of a varietal. An example would be a Chianti that is based on Sangiovese but include other grape varieties in the bend.
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.
A liqueur made by combing unfermented grape juice with a brandy made from the residue of seeds skins and grape stalks left over from pressing.
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.
A German term meaning approximately "harvest of selected berries". A Prädikat in Germany and Austria.
The juice that comes from the very first pressing of the grapes. After the free run juice this is the highest quality juice with the best balance of phenols sugars and acids.
Loosely translated as "thumb and stick". Vine training system used in the Jerez region of Spain for Sherry wine grapes. This involves pruning the vine to two branches with one short "thumb" branch that only has a couple buds and one long "stick" branch wi ...
A winemaking abbreviation for "Material Other than Grapes". Usually refers to debris like leaves dirt and stems that can be unintentionally harvested with the grapes.[3]
Unit of the persistence of the wine's finish in seconds. Derived from the word caudal (tail). A wine can have a caudalie of 8 or more seconds. [4]
A micro-organism present on the skins of grapes that reacts with the sugars inside and results in the production of ethyl alcohol during a process called fermentation.
The one-year old wood of a grapevine that is pruned back to leave just one or two buds to be used for next year's crop of grapes
A low cost entry level offering from a winery as opposed to its more expensive premium wine offerings.
Italian term for concentrated grape must used to add sweetness to a wine. Similar to the German term süssreserve
British name for Bordeaux wine. Is also a semi-generic term for a red wine in similar style to that of Bordeaux.
A wine that has been oxidatively aged by maderisation. Often associated with the wines of Madeira
