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The skins stalks and pips (seeds) that remain after making wine. Also called marc.
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
The main component of the wine usually grape but other fruits are also used to make wine such as pear plum etc. Often mentioned when the fruit isn't grown in the same site as the winery such as "the wine is produced here on-site but the fruit is pur ...
A dry wine made from a vineyard that has been designated as an Erste Lage ("Great Growth") by the wine grower association VDP
A very dry sparkling wine. In Champagne this is a wine that has received a dosage with between 0-6 grams/liter sugar
The art and science of making wine. Also called enology (or oenology). Not to be confused with viticulture.
Abbreviation for the French term vin doux naturel denoting a wine that has been fortified during fermentation.
A wine that has the barest hint of sweetness; a slightly sweet wine in which the residual sugar is barely perceptible.
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.
French term for a named vineyard site. Usually used in the context of describing individual vineyards below Grand cru status.
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
French term meaning "taste of earth" that denotes the characteristic flavors that certain vineyard soils impart on a wine.
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.
Cane pruning is when one or two canes from a vine's previous year's growth are cut back to six to fifteen buds which will be the coming growing seasons grape producers.
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 ...
Portuguese Italian French and Spanish terms for a sweet wine
A measurement of "total acidity" (TA) including tartaric malic and lactic of a wine minus the volatile acids.
A wine-like alcoholic beverage made of fermented honey and water rather than grape juice.
An aromatized wine that is made with wormwood and potentially other ingredients.
Wine to which alcohol has been added generally to increase the concentration to a high enough level to prevent fermentation.
A German rosé made from only black grape varieties such as Pinot noir.
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
Also known as Oidium. Fungal infection that attacks the leaves and grapes of vines appearing as a powdery white dust that will ultimately cause the grapes to split and be vulnerable to other infections
Blending unfermented fresh grape juice into a fully fermented wine in order to add sweetness. Synonymous with the German winemaking technique Sussreserve.
A term used in relation to lower classified Bordeaux wine estates that come close in quality to the First Growth Bordeaux estates.
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 measure of the amount of grapes or wine produced per unit surface of vineyard.
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 ...
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.
Abbreviation for the Spanish term vino comarcal denoting a local wine similar to a vin de pays in France.
A French wine barrel with the capacity to hold 30 gallons (114 liters) in Burgundy and 35 gallons (132 liters) in Chablis.
Italian term for an estate that makes wine from both its own vineyards and from purchased grapes
A former designation of the best quality German wines since 2007 shortened to Prädikatswein.
French term for a grape-derived spirit such as brandy up to a maximum of 96% ABV. Its literal translation is "water of life"
French term for the hillside or slopes of a hill region that is not contiguous.
An unpleasant characteristic of wine resulting from a flaw with the winemaking process or storage conditions.
Phenolic compounds found in wine that may contribute to off odors and flavors that are considered wine faults. The most common types of volatile phenols found in wine are ethyl and vinyl phenols. To a limited degree some volatile phenols may contribute pl ...
A large bottle holding nine litres the equivalent of 12 regular wine bottles.
A large bottle holding six litres the equivalent of eight regular wine bottles.
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.
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 ...
An umbrella term for various methods of sterilization and stabilization of the grape must.
Another term for producer vine. This the part of the vine usually Vitis vinifera that is grafted on the rootstock and from which wine grapes will be harvested from
Italian term for a wine that has been aged either in oak or in the bottle
French classification system denoting wines that are above vin de table but below VDQS.
The primary acid found in wine that is detectable only on the palate. Prior to veraison the ratio of tartaric and malic acid in grapes are equal but as malic acid is metabolized and used up by the grapevine the ratio of tartaric sharply increases.
In Australia wine bottled without a commercial label usually sold cheaply in bulk quantities.
French phrase that may appear on wine labels to denote that the wine has been aged in oak barrels.
Wine that is produced under the supervision of a rabbi so as to be ritually pure or clean.
British name for Bordeaux wine. Is also a semi-generic term for a red wine in similar style to that of Bordeaux.
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 ...
An Australian term for a broad category of sweet wines included fortified and botrytized wines.
The removal of the mound of dirt added to the base of the vine to protect the graft union from frost danger
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 concoction of chemical or organic chemicals used to control weed growth in the vineyard. Organic and Biodynamic viticulture discourages the use of chemical herbicides that may include toxins.
Italian term for a very large barrel that can hold up to 160 hectolitres (4 200 US gal)
A winemaking process involving the fining and filtration of wine to remove suspended solids and reduce turbidity.
A highspeed form of microfiltration that has the wine flow across a membrane filter rather than through it.
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 ...
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 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
An optional attachment to the Cognac still that heats the wine prior to the first distillation
The undeveloped primordial grape shoot that is usually located along nodes of a cane.
Also known as powdery mildew. A fungal grape disease that dehydrates grapes and leaves as powdery gray residue.
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 Bordeaux wine estate that doesn't have any official designation of classification.
The process of separating unwanted particles (such as dead yeast cells or fining agents) from the wine by use of centrifugal force.
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.
British English slang for an inexpensive bottle of wine. The term is thought to originate from the French word for white wine "blanc".
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.
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 ...
The degree of temperature variation that occurs in a wine region from daytime to night.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
An abbreviation for trichloroanisole which is the prime cause of wines developing the wine fault of cork taint.
