|
Wine Terms Made Simple
Information sources include
The Wine Spectator, The Insider’s Guide to Wine,
and Wine girls everywhere.
ACETIC ACID: is basically
vinegar. All wines contain a little bit of acetic acid,
from 0.03 percent to 0.06 percent, but you should not
be able to taste or smell it. At low levels, acetic
acid can enhance the character of a wine. Once table
wines reach 0.07 percent or above, they smell like vinegar,
and the wine is ruined.
ACID: Found in all grapes,
acid is an essential component of wine that preserves
it and provides a crisp, sharp character to the flavor.
Think of it as a squeeze of lime in a margarita. There
are four major kinds of acids found in wine: tartaric,
malic, lactic and citric.
ACIDIC: Used to describe
wines whose total acid is so high that they taste tart
or sour and have a sharp edge on the palate.
ACIDITY: The acidity of a
balanced dry table wine is in the range of 0.6 percent
to 0.75 percent of the wine's volume. It is legal in
some areas, such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, Australia,
California--to correct low acidity by adding acid. When
overdone, it leads to unusually sharp, acidic wines.
FYI, it is illegal in Bordeaux and Burgundy to both
chaptalize (add sugar) and acidify a wine. See chaptalization.
ACRID: Describes a harsh
or bitter taste or pungent smell that is due to excess
sulfur.
AERATION: The process of
letting a wine "breathe" in the open air, or swirling
wine in a glass.
AFTERTASTE: The taste or
flavors that linger in the mouth after the wine is tasted.
Often referred to the "finish" aftertaste is the most
important factor in judging a wine's character and quality.
Great wines have rich, long, complex aftertastes.
AGING: The process that a
wine undergoes after it is made to before it is served.
Most white wines are not aged much longer than 2 years.
Most commercial reds are aged from 4-5 years. Only ultra
premium reds are aged up to 15 years. The aging process
develops the wine's character (as it takes on the flavors
of the barrels), softens the tannins, and provides a
smoother texture. Wines aged for too long can loose
their flavor.
AH-SO: A wine opener consisting
of two metal prongs that are attached ot a handle. You
insert the tips along the sides of the cork and gently
“rock” the prongs down the bottle neck until
the handle hits the cork, then you pull the cork out
in a twisting motion. This is Winegirls’ favorite
wine opener: it doesn’t mangle the cork with holes
and is great for retrieving broken cork stubs.
ALCOHOL: Ethyl alcohol, a
chemical compound formed by the action of natural or
added yeast on the sugar content of grapes during fermentation.
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: As required
by law, wineries must state the alcohol level of a wine
on its label. This is usually expressed as a numerical
percentage of the volume. For table wines the law allows
a 1.5 percent variation above or below the stated percentage
as long as the alcohol does not exceed 14 percent.
ALCOHOLIC: Used to describe
a wine that has too much alcohol for its body and weight,
making it unbalanced. A wine with too much alcohol will
taste uncharacteristically heavy.
AMERICAN OAK: a wood used
to make aging barrels, which is less expensive than
French Oak. Marked by strong vanilla, dill and cedar
flavors, it is used primarily for aging Cabernet, Merlot
and Zinfandel.
AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREA (AVA):
A delimited, geographical grape-growing area that has
officially been given appellation status by the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Examples are Napa
Valley and Sonoma Valley. See also viticultural area.
AMPELOGRAPHY: The study of
grape varieties.
APPEARANCE: A wine's clarity,
not color.
APPELLATION: Defines the
area where a wine's grapes were grown, such as Bordeaux,
Alexander Valley or Russian River Valley. Regulations
vary widely from country to country. In order to use
an appellation on a California wine label, 85 percent
of the grapes used to make the wine must be grown in
the specified district.
APPELLATION D'ORIGINE CONTROLEE
(AOC): The French system of appellations, begun
in the 1930s and considered the wine world's prototype.
To carry an appellation in this system, a wine must
follow rules describing the area the grapes are grown
in, the varieties used, the ripeness, the alcoholic
strength, the vineyard yields and the methods used in
growing the grapes and making the wine.
AROMA: the smell of the wine.
Purist define aroma only as the smell the wine acquires
from the grapes and from fermentation, whereas “bouquet”
refers to the total smell, including the changes that
result from oak aging.
ASTRINGENT: Describes a rough,
harsh, puckery feel in the mouth, usually from tannin
or high acidity, that red wines (and a few whites) have.
When the harshness stands out, the wine is astringent.
AUSTERE: Used to describe
relatively hard, high-acid wines that lack depth and
roundness. Usually said of young wines that need time
to soften, or wines that lack richness and body.
AWKWARD: Describes a wine
that has poor structure or is out of balance.
BACKBONE: Like good people,
wines with good backbone are full-bodied, well-structured
and balanced by a desirable level of acidity.
BACKWARD: Used to describe
a young wine that is less developed than others of its
type and class from the same vintage.
BALANCE: A wine has balance
when its elements are harmonious and no single element
dominates.
BALTHAZAR: An oversized bottle
which holds the equivalent of 12 to 16 standard bottles.
BARREL FERMENTED: Describes
wine that has been fermented in small casks (usually
55-gallon oak barrels) instead of large tanks. Advocates
believe that barrel fermentation contributes greater
harmony between the oak and the wine, increases body
and adds complexity, texture and flavor to certain wine
types. Its liabilities are that more labor is required
and greater risks are involved. It is mainly used for
whites.
BIN NUMBER: See cask number.
BITE: A high degree of acidity
or tannin. An acid grip in the finish should be more
like a zestful tang and is tolerable only in a rich,
full-bodied wine.
BITTER: Describes one of
the four basic tastes (along with sour, salty and sweet).
Some grapes--notably GewŸrztraminer and Muscat--often
have a noticeable bitter edge to their flavors. Another
source of bitterness is tannin or stems. It’s not
good if the bitter quality dominates the wine's flavor
or aftertaste. In sweet wines a trace of bitterness
may complement and balance the flavors. In young red
wines it can be a warning signal, as bitterness doesn't
always dissipate with age. Normally, a fine, mature
wine should not be bitter on the palate.
BLANC DE BLANCS: "White of
whites," meaning a white wine made of white grapes,
such as Champagne made of Chardonnay.
BLANC DE NOIRS: "White of
blacks," white wine made of red or black grapes, where
the juice is squeezed from the grapes and fermented
without skin contact. The wines can have a pale pink
hue. E.G., Champagne that is made from Pinot Noir or
Pinot Meunier.
BLUNT: Strong in flavor and
often alcoholic, but lacking in aromatic interest and
development on the palate.
BODY: The feeling of weight
or fullness on the palate. Commonly expressed as full-bodied,
medium-bodied or medium-weight, or light-bodied.
BOTTLE SICKNESS: Also called
bottle shock, this often occurs after wines are shaken
in travel. The result are muted or disjointed fruit
flavors. A few days of rest is the cure.
BOTTLED BY: Means the wine
could have been purchased ready-made and simply bottled
by the brand owner, or made under contract by another
winery. When the label reads "produced and bottled by"
or "made and bottled by" it means the winery produced
the wine from start to finish.
BOUQUET: The smell that a
wine develops after it has been bottled and aged. This
term is mostly used for mature
wines that have developed complex flavors beyond basic
young fruit and oak aromas.
BRAWNY: Used to describe
wines that are hard, intense, tannic and that have raw,
woody flavors. The opposite of elegant.
BRIARY: Describes young wines
with an earthy or stemmy wild berry character.
BRIGHT: Used for fresh, ripe,
zesty, lively young wines with vivid, focused flavors.
BRILLIANT: Describes the
appearance of very clear wines with absolutely no visible
suspended or particulate matter. Not always a plus,
as it can indicate a highly filtered wine.
BRIX: A measurement of the
sugar content of grapes, must and wine, indicating the
degree of the grapes' ripeness (meaning sugar level)
at harvest. Most table-wine grapes are harvested at
between 21 and 25 Brix. To get an alcohol conversion
level, multiply the stated Brix by .55.
BROWNING: A sign in a wine’s
color that a wine is mature and may be faded. A bad
sign in young red (or white) wines, but may be okay
in older red wines. Wines 20 to 30 years old may have
a brownish edge yet still be enjoyable.
BRUT: A general term used
to designate a relatively dry-finished Champagne or
sparkling wine, often the driest wine made by the producer.
BURNT: Describes wines that
have an overdone, smoky, toasty or singed flavor. Also
used to describe overripe grapes.
BUTTERY: Indicates the smell
of melted butter or toasty oak, sometimes a reference
to texture, as in "a rich, buttery Chardonnay."
CASK NUMBER: A meaningless
term sometimes used for special wines, as in Stag's
Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23, but often applied to ordinary
wines.
CEDARY: Denotes the smell
of cedar wood associated with mature Cabernet Sauvignon
and Cabernet blends aged in French or American oak.
CELLARED BY: Means the wine
was not produced at the winery where it was bottled.
It usually indicates that the wine was purchased from
another source.
CHAPTALIZATION: The addition
of sugar to juice before and/or during fermentation,
used to boost sugar levels in under ripe grapes and
alcohol levels in the subsequent wines. Common in northern
European countries, where the cold climates may keep
grapes from ripening, but forbidden in southern Europe
(including southern France and all of Italy) and California.
CHARACTER: is a term used
often. It is basically the combination of qualities
that sum up to make the wine what it is: “full
bodied, tannic, with cherry overtones” would be
one wine’s character. Character is shaped by growing
region, type of grape, climate, aging method, etc.
CHARMAT: Mass production
method for sparkling wine. Indicates the wines are fermented
in large stainless steel tanks and later drawn off into
the bottle under pressure. Also known as the "bulk process."
See also mŽthode champenoise.
CHEWY: Describes rich, heavy,
tannic wines that are full-bodied.
CIGAR BOX: Another way to
describe a cedary aroma.
CLEAN: Fresh and free of
any off-taste. Does not necessarily imply good quality.
CLONE: A group of vines originating
from a single, individual plant propagated asexually
from a single source. Clones are selected for the unique
qualities of the grapes and wines they yield, such as
flavor, productivity and adaptability to growing conditions.
CLOSED: Describes wines that
are concentrated and have character, yet have little
aroma or flavor.
CLOUDINESS: Visually cloudy
and unclear. This is okay for old wines with sediment,
but it can be a warning signal of protein instability,
yeast spoilage or re-fermentation in the bottle in younger
wines.
CLOYING: Describes ultra-sweet
or sugary wines that lack the balance provided by acid,
alcohol, bitterness or intense flavor.
COARSE: Usually refers to
texture, and in particular, excessive tannin or oak..
Also used to describe harsh bubbles in sparkling wines.
COLD STABILIZATION: A clarification
technique in which a wine's temperature is lowered to
32¡ F, causing the tartrates and other insoluble solids
to precipitate.
COMPLEXITY: An element in
all great wines and many very good ones; a combination
of richness, depth, flavor intensity, focus, balance,
harmony and finesse.
CORKED: Describes a wine
having the off-putting, musty, moldy-newspaper flavor
and aroma and dry aftertaste caused by a tainted cork.
CRUSH: Harvest season when
the grapes are picked and crushed.
CUVEE: A blend or special
lot of wine.
DECANTING: A process for
separating the sediment from a wine before drinking.
Best done by slowly and carefully pouring the wine from
its bottle into another container, leaving the sediment
behind in the bottle.
DELICATE: Used to describe
light- to medium-weight wines with good flavors. A desirable
quality in wines such as Pinot Noir or Riesling.
DEMI-SEC: In the language
of Champagne, a term relating to sweetness. It can be
misleading; although demi-sec means half-dry, demi-sec
sparkling wines are usually slightly sweet to medium
sweet.
DENSE: Describes a wine that
has concentrated aromas on the nose and palate. A good
sign in young wines.
DEPTH: Describes the complexity
and concentration of flavors in a wine, as in a wine
with excellent or uncommon depth.
DIRTY: Covers any and all
foul, rank, off-putting smells that can occur in a wine,
including those caused by bad barrels or corks.
DISGORGEMENT: A step in the
traditional process of sparkling wine production wherein
frozen sediment is removed from the neck of the bottle.
DOSAGE: In bottle-fermented
sparkling wines, a small amount of wine (usually sweet)
that is added back to the bottle once the yeast sediment
that collects in the neck of the bottle is removed.
DRY: Un-sweet.
DRYING OUT: Losing fruit
(or sweetness in sweet wines) to the extent that acid,
alcohol or tannin dominate the taste. At this stage
the wine will not improve.
DUMB: Describes a phase young
wines undergo when their flavors and aromas are undeveloped.
A synonym of closed.
EARLY HARVEST: A wine made
from early-harvested grapes, usually lower than average
in alcoholic content or sweetness.
EARTHY: Can be either a good
or bad term. Earthy can be used to describe a pleasant,
clean quality that adds complexity to aroma and flavors.
Earthy can also be used to describe a “banyardy”
character that borders on dirtiness.
ELEGANT: Used to describe
wines of grace, balance and beauty.
EMPTY: Similar to hollow;
devoid of flavor and interest.
ENOLOGY: The science and
study of winemaking. Also spelled oenology.
ESTATE-BOTTLED: A term once
used by producers for those wines made from vineyards
that they owned and that were contiguous to the winery
"estate." Today it indicates the winery either owns
the vineyard or has a long-term lease to purchase the
grapes.
ETHYL ACETATE: A sweet, vinegary
smell that often accompanies acetic acid. It exists
to some extent in all wines and in small doses can be
a plus. When it is strong and smells like nail polish,
it's bad.
EXTRA-DRY: A common Champagne
term not to be taken literally. Most Champagnes labeled
as extra dry are sweet.
EXTRACT: Richness and depth
of concentration of fruit in a wine. Usually a positive
quality, although high extract wine can also be highly
tannic.
FADING: Describes a wine
that is losing color, fruit or flavor, usually as a
result of age.
FAT: Full-bodied, high alcohol
wines low in acidity give a "fat" impression on the
palate. Can be a plus with bold, ripe, rich flavors;
can also suggest the wine's structure is suspect.
FERMENTATION: The process
by which yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon
dioxide; turns grape juice into wine.
FIELD BLEND: When a vineyard
is planted to several different varieties and the grapes
are harvested together to produce a single wine, the
wine is called a field blend.
FILTERING: The process of
removing particles from wine after fermentation. Most
wines unless otherwise labeled are filtered for both
clarity and stability.
FINING: A technique for clarifying
wine using agents such as bentonite (powdered clay),
gelatin or egg whites, which combine with sediment particles
and cause them to settle to the bottom, where they can
be easily removed.
FINISH: The key to judging
a wine's quality is finish, also called aftertasteÑa
measure of the taste or flavors that linger in the mouth
after the wine is tasted. Great wines have rich, long,
complex finishes.
FLABBY: Soft, feeble, lacking
acidity on the palate.
FLAT: Having low acidity;
the next stage after flabby. Can also refer to a sparkling
wine that has lost its bubbles.
FLESHY: Soft and smooth in
texture, with very little tannin.
FLINTY: A descriptor for
extremely dry white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, whose
bouquet is reminiscent of flint struck against steel.
FLORAL (also FLOWERY): Literally,
having the characteristic aromas of flowers. Mostly
associated with white wines.
FORTIFIED: Denotes a wine
whose alcohol content has been increased by the addition
of brandy or neutral spirits.
FOXY: A term used to describe
the unique musky and grapey character of many native
American labrusca varieties.
FREE-RUN JUICE: The juice
that escapes after the grape skins are crushed or squeezed
prior to fermentation.
FRENCH OAK: The traditional
wood for wine barrels, which supplies vanilla, cedar
and sometimes butterscotch flavors. Used for red and
white wines. Much more expensive than American oak,
it can cost more than $500 per barrel, as opposed to
$250 for American.
FRESH: Having a lively, clean
and fruity character. An essential for young wines.
FRUITY: Having the aroma
and taste of fruit or fruits.
GRACEFUL: Describes a wine
that is harmonious and pleasing in a subtle way.
GRAPEY: Characterized by
simple flavors and aromas associated with fresh table
grapes; distinct from the more complex fruit flavors
(currant, black cherry, fig or apricot) found in fine
wines.
GRASSY: A signature descriptor
for Sauvignon Blanc and a pleasant one unless overbearing
and pungent.
GREEN: Tasting of unripe
fruit. Wines made from unripe grapes will often possess
this quality. Pleasant in Riesling and GewŸrztraminer.
GREEN HARVEST: The trimming
of unripe grapes to decrease crop yields, thereby improving
the concentration of the remaining bunches.
GRIP: A welcome firmness
of texture, usually from tannin, which helps give definition
to wines such as Cabernet and Port.
GROWN, PRODUCED AND BOTTLED:
Means the winery handled each aspect of wine growing.
HALF-BOTTLE: Holds 375 milliliters
or 3/8 liter.
HARD: Firm; a quality that
usually results from high acidity or tannins. Often
a descriptor for young red wines.
HARMONIOUS: Well balanced,
with no component obtrusive or lacking.
HARSH: Used to describe astringent
wines that are tannic or high in alcohol.
HAZY: Used to describe a
wine that has small amounts of visible matter. A good
quality if a wine is unfined and unfiltered.
HEARTY: Used to describe
the full, warm, sometimes rustic qualities found in
red wines with high alcohol.
HEADY: Used to describe high-alcohol
wines.
HERBACEOUS and HERBAL: Denotes
the taste and smell of herbs in a wine. A plus in many
wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, and to a lesser extent
Merlot and Cabernet.
HOLLOW: Lacking in flavor.
Describes a wine that has a first taste and a short
finish, and lacks depth at mid-palate.
HOT: High alcohol, unbalanced
wines that tend to burn with "heat" on the finish are
called hot. Acceptable in Port-style wines.
IMPERIAL: An oversized bottle
holding 4 to 6 liters; the equivalent of eight standard
bottles.
JEROBOAM: An oversized bottle
holding the equivalent of six bottles. In Champagne,
a jeroboam holds four bottles.
LATE HARVEST: On labels,
indicates that a wine was made from grapes picked later
than normal and at a higher sugar (Brix) level than
normal. Usually associated with botrytized and dessert-style
wines.
LEAFY: Describes the slightly
herbaceous, vegetal quality reminiscent of leaves. Can
be a positive or a negative, depending on whether it
adds to or detracts from a wine's flavor.
LEAN: A not necessarily critical
term used to describe wines made in an austere style.
When used as a term of criticism, it indicates a wine
is lacking in fruit.
LEES: Sediment remaining
in a barrel or tank during and after fermentation. Often
used as in sur lie aging, which indicates a wine is
aged "on its lees." See also sur lie.
LEGS: The viscous droplets
that form and ease down the sides of the glass when
the wine is swirled. Good legs look like:
LENGTH: The amount of time
the sensations of taste and aroma persist after swallowing.
The longer the better.
LIMOUSIN: A type of oak cask
from Limoges, France. See also French oak.
LINGERING: When the taste
and aroma last for several seconds, it is said to be
lingering.
LIVELY: Describes wines that
are fresh and fruity, bright and vivacious.
LUSH: Wines that are high
in residual sugar and taste soft or viscous are called
lush.
MACERATION: During fermentation,
the steeping of the grape skins and solids in the wine,
where alcohol acts as a solvent to extract color, tannin
and aroma from the skins.
MADE AND BOTTLED BY: Indicates
only that the winery crushed, fermented and bottled
a minimum of 10 percent of the wine in the bottle. Very
misleading.
MADERIZED: Describes the
brownish color and slightly sweet, somewhat caramelized
and often nutty character found in mature dessert-style
wines.
MAGNUM: An oversized bottle
that holds 1.5 liters.
MALIC: Describes the green
apple-like flavor found in young grapes which diminishes
as they ripen and mature.
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION:
A secondary fermentation occurring in most wines, this
natural process converts malic acid into softer lactic
acid and carbon dioxide, thus reducing the wine's total
acidity. Adds complexity to whites such as Chardonnay
and softens reds such as Cabernet and Merlot.
MATURE: Ready to drink.
MEATY: Describes red wines
that show plenty of concentration and a chewy quality.
They may even have an aroma of cooked meat.
MERCAPTANS: An unpleasant,
rubbery smell of old sulfur; encountered mainly in very
old white wines.
MERITAGE: An invented term,
used by California wineries, for Bordeaux-style red
and white blended wines. Combines "merit" with "heritage."
The term rose out of the need to name wines that didn't
meet minimal labeling requirements for varietals (i.e.,
75 percent of the named grape variety). For reds, the
grapes allowed are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet
Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec; for whites, Sauvignon
Blanc and SŽmillon. Joseph Phelps Insignia and Flora
Springs Trilogy are examples of wines whose blends vary
each year, with no one grape dominating.
METHODE CHAMPENOISE: The
labor-intensive and costly process whereby wine undergoes
a secondary fermentation inside the bottle, creating
bubbles. All Champagne and most high-quality sparkling
wine is made by this process. See also charmat.
METHUSELAH: An extra-large
bottle holding 6 liters; the equivalent of eight standard
bottles.
MURKY: More than deeply colored;
lacking brightness, turbid and sometimes a bit swampy.
Mainly a fault of red wines.
MUST: The unfermented juice
of grapes extracted by crushing or pressing; grape juice
in the cask or vat before it is converted into wine.
MUSTY: Having an off-putting
moldy or mildewy smell. The result of a wine being made
from moldy grapes, stored in improperly cleaned tanks
and barrels, or contaminated by a poor cork.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR: A giant wine
bottle holding 15 liters; the equivalent of 20 standard
bottles.
NEGOCIANT (NEGOCIANT-ELEVEUR):
A French wine merchant who buys grapes and vinifies
them, or buys wines and combines them, bottles the result
under his own label and ships them. Particularly found
in Burgundy. Two well-known examples are Joseph Drouhin
and Louis Jadot.
NOBLE ROT: See Botrytis cinerea.
NONVINTAGE: Blended from
more than one vintage. This allows the vintner to keep
a house style from year to year. Many Champagnes and
sparkling wines are nonvintage. Also, Sherry and the
nonvintage Ports, the tawnies and the rubies.
NOSE: The character of a
wine as determined by the olfactory sense. Also called
aroma; includes bouquet.
NOUVEAU: A style of light,
fruity, youthful red wine bottled and sold as soon as
possible. Applies mostly to Beaujolais.
NUTTY: Used to describe oxidized
wines. Often a flaw, but when it's close to an oaky
flavor it can be a plus.
OAKY: Describes the aroma
or taste quality imparted to a wine by the oak barrels
or casks in which it was aged. Can be either positive
or negative. The terms toasty, vanilla, dill, cedary
and smoky indicate the desirable qualities of oak; charred,
burnt, green cedar, lumber and plywood describe its
unpleasant side. See also American oak, French oak.
OFF-DRY: Indicates a slightly
sweet wine in which the residual sugar is barely perceptible:
0.6 percent to 1.4 percent.
OXIDIZED: Describes wine
that has been exposed too long to air and taken on a
brownish color, losing its freshness and perhaps beginning
to smell and taste like Sherry or old apples. Oxidized
wines are also called maderized or sherrified.
PEAK: The time when a wine
tastes its best--very subjective.
PERFUMED: Describes the strong,
usually sweet and floral aromas of some white wines.
PH: A chemical measurement
of acidity or alkalinity; the higher the pH the weaker
the acid. Used by some wineries as a measurement of
ripeness in relation to acidity. Low pH wines taste
tart and crisp; higher pH wines are more susceptible
to bacterial growth. A range of 3.0 to 3.4 is desirable
for white wines, while 3.3 to 3.6 is best for reds.
PHYLLOXERA: Tiny aphids or
root lice that attack Vitis vinifera roots. The disease
was widespread in both Europe and California during
the late 19th century, and returned to California in
the 1980s.
POTENT: Intense and powerful.
PRESS WINE (or PRESSING):
The juice extracted under pressure after pressing for
white wines and after fermentation for reds. Press wine
has more flavor and aroma, deeper color and often more
tannins than free-run juice. Wineries often blend a
portion of press wine back into the main cuvŽe for added
backbone.
PRIVATE RESERVE: This description,
along with Reserve, once stood for the best wines a
winery produced, but lacking a legal definition many
wineries use it or a spin-off (such as Proprietor's
Reserve) for rather ordinary wines. Depending upon the
producer, it may still signify excellent quality.
PRODUCED AND BOTTLED BY:
Indicates that the winery crushed, fermented and bottled
at least 75 percent of the wine in the bottle.
PRUNY: Having the flavor
of overripe, dried-out grapes. Can add complexity in
the right dose.
PUCKERY: Describes highly
tannic and very dry wines.
PUNGENT: Having a powerful,
assertive smell linked to a high level of volatile acidity.
RACKING: The practice of
moving wine by hose from one container to another, leaving
sediment behind. This helpos aerate and clarify the
wine.
RAISINY: Having the taste
of raisins from ultra-ripe or overripe grapes. Can be
pleasant in small doses in some wines.
RAW: Young and undeveloped.
A good descriptor of barrel samples of red wine. Raw
wines are often tannic and high in alcohol or acidity.
REDUCED: Commonly used to
describe a wine that has not been exposed to air.
REHOBOAM: Oversized bottle
equivalent to 4.5 liters or six regular bottles.
RESIDUAL SUGAR: Unfermented
grape sugar in a finished wine.
RICH: Wines with generous,
full, pleasant flavors, usually sweet and round in nature,
are described as rich. In dry wines, richness may be
supplied by high alcohol and glycerin, by complex flavors
and by an oaky vanilla character. Decidedly sweet wines
are also described as rich when the sweetness is backed
up by fruity, ripe flavors.
ROBUST: Means full-bodied,
intense and vigorous, perhaps a bit overblown.
ROUND: Describes a texture
that is smooth, not coarse or tannic.
RUSTIC: Describes wines made
by old-fashioned methods or tasting like wines made
in an earlier era. Can be a positive quality in distinctive
wines that require aging. Can also be a negative quality
when used to describe a young, earthy wine that should
be fresh and fruity.
SALMANAZAR: An oversized
bottle holding 9 liters, the equivalent of 12 regular
bottles.
SMOKY: Usually an oak barrel
byproduct, a smoky quality can add flavor and aromatic
complexity to wines.
SOFT: Describes wines low
in acid or tannin (sometimes both), making for easy
drinking.
SPICY: A descriptor for many
wines, indicating the presence of spice flavors such
as anise, cinnamon, cloves, mint and pepper which are
often present in complex wines.
STALE: Wines that have lost
their fresh, youthful qualities are called stale.
STALKY: Smells and tastes
of grape stems or has leaf- or hay-like aromas.
STEMMY: Wines fermented too
long with the grape stems may develop this quality:
an unpleasant and often dominant stemmy aroma and green
astringency.
STRUCTURE: The interaction
of elements such as acid, tannin, glycerin, alcohol
and body as it relates to a wine's texture and mouthfeel.
Usually preceded by a modifier, as in "firm structure"
or "lacking in structure."
SUBTLE: Describes delicate
wines with finesse, or flavors that are understated
rather than full-blown and overt. A positive characteristic.
SUPPLE: Describes texture,
mostly with reds, as it relates to tannin, body and
oak. A positive characteristic.
SUR LIE: Wines aged sur lie
(French for "on the lees") are kept in contact with
the dead yeast cells and are not racked or otherwise
filtered. This is mainly done for whites, to enrich
them (it is a normal part of fermenting red wine, and
so is not noted). Originated in Burgundy, with Chardonnay.
Popular in Muscadet, Alsace, Germany (Riesling and Pinot
Gris) and California. Adds complexity to Chardonnay
and Sauvignon Blanc; can occasionally be overdone and
lead to a leesy flavor that is off-putting.
TANKY: Describes dull, dank
qualities that show up in wines aged too long in tanks.
TANNIN: The mouth-puckering
substance--found mostly in red wines--that is derived
primarily from grape skins, seeds and stems, but also
from oak barrels. Tannin acts as a natural preservative
that helps wine age and develop. TART: Sharp-tasting
because of acidity. Occasionally used as a synonym for
acidic.
TARTARIC ACID: The principal
acid in wine.
TARTRATES: Harmless crystals
of potassium bitartrate that may form in cask or bottle
(often on the cork) from the tartaric acid naturally
present in wine.
TERROIR: The over all environment
within which a given varietal grows. Derived from the
French word for Earth, "Terre."
THIN: Lacking body and depth.
TIGHT: Describes a wine's
structure, concentration and body, as in a "tightly
wound" wine. Closed or compact are similar terms.
TINNY: Metallic tasting.
TIRED: Limp, feeble, lackluster.
TOASTY: Describes a flavor
derived from the oak barrels in which wines are aged.
Also, a character that sometimes develops in sparkling
wines.
VEGETAL: Some wines contain
elements in their smell and taste which are reminiscent
of plants and vegetables. In Cabernet Sauvignon a small
amount of this vegetal quality is said to be part of
varietal character. But when the vegetal element takes
over, or when it shows up in wines in which it does
not belong, those wines are considered flawed. Wine
scientists have been able to identify the chemical constituent
that makes wines smell like asparagus and bell peppers.
VELVETY: Having rich flavor
and a silky, sumptuous texture.
VINICULTURE: The science
or study of grape production for wine and the making
of wine.
VINOUS: Literally means "winelike"
and is usually applied to dull wines lacking in distinct
varietal character.
VINTAGE DATE: Indicates
the year that a wine was made. In order to carry a vintage
date in the United States, for instance, a wine must
come from grapes that are at least 95 percent from the
stated calendar year. See also nonvintage.
VINTED BY: Largely meaningless
phrase that means the winery purchased the wine in bulk
from another winery and bottled it.
VINTNER: Translates as wine
merchant, but generally indicates a wine producer/or
winery proprietor.
VINTNER-GROWN: Means wine
from a winery-owned vineyard situated outside the winery's
delimited viticultural area.
VITICULTURAL AREA: Defines
a legal grape-growing area distinguished by geographical
features, climate, soil, elevation, history and other
definable boundaries. Rules vary widely from region
to region, and change often. Just for one example, in
the United States, a wine must be 85 percent from grapes
grown within the viticultural area to carry the appellation
name. For varietal bottling, a minimum of 75 percent
of that wine must be made from the designated grape
variety. See also appellation d'origine c™ntrolŽe.
VITICULTURE: The cultivation,
science and study of grapes.
VITIS VINIFERA: Classic European
wine-making species of grape. Examples include Cabernet
Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Compare Vitis labrusca, North
American grape species used mainly for New York state
wines. For example, Concord.
VOLATILE (or Volatile Acidity):
Describes an excessive and undesirable amount of acidity,
which gives a wine a slightly sour, vinegary edge.
YEAST: Micro-organisms that
produce the enzymes which convert sugar to alcohol.
Necessary for the fermentation of grape juice into wine.
|
WINEGIRLS/GLOSSARY
