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The amount of ethanol present in wine usually measured as a percent of total volume (ABV) taken at 20°C
Vineyard soil type composed of very fine wind-blown particles of sand and silt that is noted for water-retaining properties.
A stage during the flowering period of the grape vine when the calyptra has fallen off and the vine is in full bloom.
The lower part of a grafted vine that consistent of the root structure of the plant. Since the phylloxera epidemic of the 19th century emphasis has been on using phylloxera resistant rootstock but rootstock selection can also control vigor and yields.
French Italian Spanish and Portuguese terms for a dry wine. In Champagne production "Sec" wines are actually medium-dry being sweeter than Brut and Extra Dry with 12-17 grams/liter of sugar added in the dosage.
The second distillation that takes place during Cognac production where the cloudy brouillis (first distillate with alcohol levels between 28-32%) gets converted into the clear eau de vie
A system commonly associated with Bordeaux wine where the previous year's harvest is available for contract sales several months before the wine will be bottled and release.
French and Spanish terms for a fortified wine made by mixing unfermented grape juice with an alcohol spirit. For example Pineau des Charentes
French for "trader". A wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name.
A wine showing Madeira-like flavor generally evidence of oxidation. Sometimes used to describe white wine that has been kept long past its prime.
Refers to the extra cost associated with buying wines en primeur that may include the cost of shipping to the importer's cellars as well applicable duties and taxes.
A winemaking process where wine is chilled to near freezing temperatures for several weeks to encourage the precipitation of tartrate crystals.
An Italian term for the historical or "classic" center of a wine region — sometimes located in the heart of a DOC.
White grape varieties that are relatively bland and not very aromatic on their own. These varieties are considered "neutral" because unlike more aromatic varieties like Riesling and Muscat these varieties can be enhanced by oak treatment or sur lie agin ...
The portion of a grapevine's canopy that holds the current year's growth of fruit and foliage. Depending on the vine training system used the current may be closed or split and oriented to grow upwards or downwards.
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 ...
An Italian sparkling wine made according to the traditional method of Champagne--similar to the Spanish term Cava.
A wood barrel or storage vessel often made from oak that is used in winemaking for fermentation and/or aging
Defined by the level of residual sugar in the final liquid after the fermentation has ceased. However how sweet the wine will actually taste is also controlled by factors such as the acidity and alcohol levels the amount of tannin present and whether t ...
The swan's neck shaped portion of a pot still used in Cognac production that transports the vapors from the pot to the condenser
In any farming capacity the quantity of quality fruit that a parcel of land render after a harvest. In terms of wine making it is the quantity of grapes that a vineyard can produce per hectare (2.47 acres) of land to produce the level of quality desired. ...
In the Austrian wine region Wachau a classification of wine with a harvest must weight be between 15-17°KMW with no chaptalization permitted and a finished alcohol level no greater than 11%. These wines usually the lightest in body among the wines of Wach ...
Also known as Fusel oils. By-products of fermentation and distillation that are encountered in small quantities in winemaking that can contribute to a wine's complexity. Yeast naturally produce propyl alcohol isobutyl alcohol isoamyl and amyl alcohol as ...
French and Spanish term for a fortified wine that has been madeirized often by storage in oak barrels for at least two years often exposed to direct sunlight. Rancio wines are often found in the Roussillon region of France and in various Spanish regions.
The degradation of wine through exposure to oxygen. In some aspects oxygen plays a vital role in fermentation and through the aging process of wine. But excessive amounts of oxygen can produce wine faults.
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)
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 ...
Most commonly the term is used to refer to the continuation of fermentation in a second vessel – e.g. moving the wine from a stainless steel tank to an oak barrel. The Australian meaning of this term is malo lactic fermentation MLF as distinct from prima ...
French term for a named vineyard site. Usually used for vineyards that do not separate have a Grand cru or Premier cru designation
French term for a wine producer who grows their own grapes. Often associated with the Champagne wine region where producers of Grower Champagnes are identified by the initials RM (for Récoltant-Manipulant) on wine labels
German vineyards that have been classified by the Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter (VDP) to be a "first class" location capable of producing Erstes Gewächs and Grosses Gewächs wines
Abbreviation for the French term vin de liqueur denoting a wine that has been fortified prior to fermentation
A light German wine flavored with sweet woodruff in addition to strawberries or other fruit.
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 ...
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 m ...
Limestone based vineyard soil that is almost pure calcium-carbonate. Associated with several wine regions such as the Champagne wine region of France.
Abbreviation for the French term Union Coopérative denoting a regional or local cooperative.
A quality level intermediate between table wine and quality wine which in France is known as vin de pays and in Italy as Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) . Also a synonym for Fruit wine.
A sweet botrytized wine made in the French region of Alsace
French term for a liquid containing saccharose and yeast used to effect the second fermentation in sparkling wine production.
A German rosé made from only black grape varieties such as Pinot noir.
A mass-produced wine aimed for a wide market of consumers made according to a set formula year after year. These wines tend to emphasis broad appeal and easy drink-ability rather than terroir or craftsmanship.
French term used to denote an "ordinary wine" as opposed to a premium quality wine.
A method of straw wine production that involves drying bunches of grapes in a special room in order to dehydrate them and concentrate flavors. In some circumstances the grapes maybe left on the vine to dry out in a method similar to the French technique o ...
A class of unsaturated hydrocarbons that are responsible for certain aromas that are characteristic of a grape variety such as the petrol notes of mature Riesling or the floral aromas of Muscats.
The miniature green berries that form in the spring time during the annual cycle of the grapevine. The bunches will eventually bloom during the flowering period and if fertilized will develop into fully formed grape clusters. The number of embryonic bun ...
A method of sparkling wine production similar to the Champagne method except there is no secondary fermentation. Rather the wine bottled before the primary fermentation has completed trapping the resulting carbon dioxide gas and leaving the residual sed ...
A geological landform that retains rain water drained from the surrounding area.
The undifferentiated mass of tissue that grows over grafting or pruning wounds that protects the tissue from drying out or suffering further injury. In the case of grafting the callus eventually hardens into the bulging graft union of the vine.
The area of the winery where point of sale purchases occur. This can be a tasting room or a separate sales area.
The layer of undifferentiated meristematic cells located just underneath the bark of the grapevine from which all other plant tissues including the xylem and phloem originate from.
A wine spoilage yeast that produces taints in wine commonly described as barnyard or band-aids.
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.
A wine that has the barest hint of sweetness; a slightly sweet wine in which the residual sugar is barely perceptible.
An enzyme added to fruit to increase juice yield. Also used as a clarifying agent in fruit wines when added to wine or must to eliminate pectin hazes.
In the Austrian wine region Wachau a classification of wine with a harvest must weight of at least 18.2°KMW and a finished alcohol level of at least 12.5% with no more than 8 g/l residual sugar. These wines are usually the most rich and full-bodied wines ...
A tasting of a group of wines from the same vintage or representing the same style of wine (such as all Pinot noirs from different wineries in a region) as opposed to a vertical tasting which involves of the same wine through different vintages. In a hori ...
The enzymes within yeast cells that each act as a catalyst for a specific activity during the fermentation process. There are at least 22 known enzymes that are active during fermentation of wine.
The process of filling the headspace that is created inside a barrel through wine evaporation into the barrel wood.
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 ...
A protein created by yeast that act as a bio-chemical catalysts in grape or wine development. An example would be the enzyme invertase which aids the storage of sugars within individual grape berries.
The balance of weight acidity and fruit flavors that are perceived while the wine is still in the tasters mouth and before swallowing
An additive such as potassium sorbate which is added to wines before they are sweetened. Unlike sulfites these products do not stop fermentation by killing the yeast rather they prevent re-fermentation by disrupting the reproductive cycle of yeast.
Abbreviation for the French Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure system that ranks below Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) but above Vin de pays (country wine).
A component of wine that is formed during the oxidation of alcohol. It is midway between an acid and an alcohol.
Everything in a wine except for water sugar alcohol and acidity the term refers to the solid compounds such as tannins. High levels of extract results in more colour and body which may be increased by prolonging the wine's contact with the skins duri ...
French for "in pulling" refers to the period of time in which bottled sparkling wine is rested in contact with lees generated during secondary fermentation. Part of the Méthode Champenoise process.
French term denoting a late harvest wine. Legally this term can only appear on wine labels from the Alsace wine region to denote wines from exceptionally ripe grapes that have reached a certain pre-determined must weight. For Riesling and Muscat the grape ...
French term for a wine that has been made from dried out grapes such as a straw wine for example a rare white Vin de paille can be produced in the northern Rhone wine region of the Hermitage AOC from Marsanne.
The layer of grape skins that are forced by rising carbon dioxide gas to the top of the fermentation vessel during cuvaison.
Abbreviation for "Indicazione Geografica Tipica" the lowest-ranking of the three categories of Italian wine regulated by Italian law.
The smallest geographical unit in German wine law representing a single vineyard.
A French term for a wine that falls between the range of a light red wine and a dark rosé
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 ...
After harvest and prior to pressing grape are "crushed" or broken up so that the juice is released and allowed to macerate with the skins prior to and during fermentation. In viticultural terms "Crush" is used as a synonym for harvest time. ...
The sparkling effervescence of a wine. In the glass it perceived as the bubbling but the surface of the glass can affect this perception. Premium quality sparkling wine has a mousse composed of small persistent string of bubbles.
