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Acidity: A crisp, acidic quality noted in wine.
Aeration: Inviting oxygen into the wine by decanting or swirling wine in a glass, balancing out the flavor of a wine.
Aging: The act of storing wine in barrels, tanks, casks and bottles allowing the wine to mature.
Agronomist: Soil Expert
Alcohol: The product of fermentation, ethanol or ethyl alcohol.
Alcoholic Fermentation: This heat-generating scientific process takes place when combining sugar and yeast which produces ethyl-alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation... in other words, this is how the alcoholic content is created. The process is complete when the sugar dissipates, alcohol kills the yeast, external temperature drops below the internal temperature, or other compounds are added (such as sulfur.) The method used to cease alcoholic fermentation greatly affects the flavor and style of wine (and beer) it produces.
Appellation: The geographical location identifying where the grapes for specific wines were grown. Appellations may vary in scope – from hundreds of thousands of acres, to just a few.
Official status requires approval from official trade bureaus and the government of the country where the grapes are grown. To legally display the name of the appellation on a bottle, and to guarantee the quality and authenticity of the wine, appellations must adhere to observing geographical boundaries, maximum crop yield, type of grapes used, and more. (Interestingly, the definition on Dictionary.com is: The act of naming.)
Asomnia: the loss of smell "nose" in a wine.
Astringent: A tasting note prevalent in highly tannic wines, represented by harsh bitterness and a dry mouth feel.
(AVA) American Viticulture Association
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(BDW): Biodynamic Wine
Balance: A favorable term used in tasting, denoting a balance of alcohol, sugar, tannin, acids, and weight offering a balance of flavor.
Barrel: Oak and steel containers used for fermenting and aging wine.
Barrique: Oak barrel that contains 225-litres - used primarily for Bordeaux wines.
Biodynamic Viticulture: Think of it as super-organics - t he highest tier of organic farming, biodynamic wine (BDW) uses different compost preparation techniques than all other forms of agriculture. Preparing a crop for biodynamic farming takes nearly a year. A mixture of quartz crystals and water is sprayed onto the plants attracting greater and more intense sunlight, causing the crop to bare more pronounced flavors and increased aging ability. Farms observing this method produce entirely from within the farm and 100% without the use of pesticides. A certified biodynamic vineyard is the super power of organic farming and usually surpasses organically certified farms.
Bitter: Sensation on the back of your tongue that is notably bitter, caused by tannins.
Blend: Several varietals blended together; there are both red and white blends. Originating in Bordeaux (France) and known in America as Meritage, blends typically have between three and five types of grapes at different percentages.
Blind tasting: Tasting several flights without knowledge of what kind of wine is in the glass. In serious blind tasting's, the subjects of the test are attempting not only to place the varietal, but to achieve the more difficult task of naming the appellation, vintage, winemaker and other hidden characteristics.
Body: The weight and body of a wine; classified as light, medium, and full-bodied.
Bordeaux: A wine region in southwestern France - one of the finest wine-producing regions in the world.
Bouquet: Denoting complex aromas - specifically in aged wines.
Breathing: Oxygen entering wine, allowing it to "open-up" and soften.
Brut: french term used to describe dry champagnes (also used for sparkling wines.)
Bung: The plug that seals the opening of a wine barrel.
Bung Hole: The opening of a wine barrel that allows wine to be added or removed.
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Capsule: The protective cap that secures the cork and fends off unwanted visitors (also known as sleeve or foil.) Historically, capsules were made of lead, but with research indicating that harmful trace elements could be left behind, the 1990's ushered in new materials such as tin, heat-shrinked plastic, aluminum and sometimes wax.
Cépage: French term for grape varietal... One of our favorites: Cinq Cépage by Sonoma's Chateau St. Jean, meaning "five grapes."
Citric Acid: A predominate acid in a wine.
Claret: An English term referring to Bordeaux reds.
Cork Taint: Or corked,
is the term used to describe wine that has been spoiled after bottling - usually occurring because of improper storage, barrel condition and contamination during transport of corks.
Crush: The American term for harvest.
Cru Classé: Top-ranking vineyard in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855.
Cuvée: This word literally means “vat,” but the French word refer to a particular blend or blend.
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Decanting: The process of slowly inviting air into a decanter while separating sediment from the wine. Especially important for older wine.
Diurnal Shift:
This meteorological term is extremely important in viticulture, referring to a dramatic shift in air temperature between day and night. When a grape is exposed to sun exposure during the day it increases the sugar and acid content, which is then balanced out as the grapes cool under night temperatures. Appellations situated at high altitudes are particularly prone to affectation by the temperature variation. A diurnal shift often lends a favorable, mellow and complex quality to wines.
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Earth: an aroma or flavor used to describe the taste of earth or soil.
Enology: Alternate, or American, spelling of Oenologist.
Estate Winery: A license obtained in the United States allowing farms to sell wines at their vineyard.
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Fermentation: Occurs when yeast is added to grapes, turning natural sugars to alcohol.
Finish: The mouth feel and flavors that remain after swallowing a sip of wine.
Fiasco: Primarily used in Italian Chianti, this is a round bottomed bottle with a straw basket.
Fining: The last step before the wine goes into the bottle. A process where a concentrated ingredients (egg white, bentonite, gelatin, or isinglass) is added to adhere to proteins and other imperfections to help improve clarity.
Fortified Wine: Wine that has had alcohol added (usually brandy) to it to prevent fermentation by killing the yeast and leaving the residual sugar.
Fruit Wine: fermented juice of all fruits other than grapes, becoming increasingly popular in cool climate regions.
Full-bodied: A big wine - high in alcohol content and robust with flavor.
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Grand Cru or "Great Growth" in French: Referring to the most notable vineyards within the appellations of Alsace or the of Côte d' Or in the Burgundy regions of France. These regions are classified as producers of well structured, beautiful wines - denoted by the potential of the harvest based on terroir of the region.
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Horizontal Tasting: Tasting many different wines from the same vintage side by side for comparison.
Herbaceous: The presence of flavors of herbs in a wine (rosemary, thyme, etc.)
"Hot": A burning sensation in the mouth resulting from high alcohol content.
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"Jammy": Wine that literally tastes like jam or cooked fruit.
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"Late Harvest": Wine produced from grapes that are left on the vine longer, inviting higher sugar content. Often a practice used to produce dessert and late harvest Rieslings, etc.
"Legs": the streams of wine that surround the basin of the glass after swirling. A mythical indicator of wine quality.
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Malic Acid: A naturally occurring acid, also one of the predominant acids, found in grapes.
Malolactic Fermentation: Secondary fermentation - the process of adding lactic acid bacteria's enabling tart malic acids to convert into softer lactic ones. A common process in "creamy" or "buttery" wines.
Mature: Wine that is ready to drink.
Meritage: This wine was the American answer to the European Red Bordeaux (France) and Claret (United kingdom) blends... typically using the following grapes in order of quantity used: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. It is pronounced just like Heritage with an “M” - a derivative of the combining of two words: American and Heritage. Meritage.
Mouth-feel: how a wine feels in one's mouth - (e.g., syrupy, velvety, etc.)
Must: The components of unfermented grape juice (e.g., seeds, skins, and stems)
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"New World" Wines: Coming from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and South America; focusing on the new science of wine making and production techniques of modern winemakers.
Noble Rot (Botrytis): Mold that breaks through grape skins and causes dehydration, causing an exceptionally high sugar content - a necessary occurrence in dessert wines.
"Nose": the bouquet, aroma, or scent of a wine.
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Oenology, (or enology, see definition above), is the science of wine and winemaking. An expert in the field of oenology is known as an oenologist. The word oenology is derived from the Greek oinos, “wine,” and logos, “word” or “speech.”
"Oaky": Flavors and aromas depicting vanilla and toast.
“Old World” Wines: Coming from Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean; regions with long history of wine production... emphasizing the role of terroir and acknowledging the historical methods of wine production.
Oxidation: Over-exposure to oxygen - causing a chemical change resulting in stale, rotten flavors and colors.
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Plonk: Describing low quality wine, British slang for cheap wine.
Punt or kick-up: The negative space on the base of a wine bottle, the divot. There are many possible reasons given for the purpose of this feature, such as:
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Saignée: Also called "bleeding the vats" is an extraction process used in making rosé. This technique requires careful and controlled maceration and sorting of pinot noir grapes to produce color extraction from skin instead of the more commonly used method of blending white and red grapes to produce a pink, or rose, color.
"Spumante": Italian terminology for sparkling wine
"Stelvin Closure": The most widely used brand of screw cap.
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"Table Wine": General terminology for wine that is not fortified, sparkling,
Tannin: A compound that found in the skins, stalks, seeds and pips that lends a bitter flavor to red wines, while causing sensations of pucker and dry mouth. Wines with a high tannin content produce more sediment with time and age well.
Tartaric Acid: The principal acid in grapes, promoting flavor and aging in wine.
Tears: French terminology for "legs."
Terroir: Originally used by the French, the term terroir has been adopted by the western world to describe specific characteristics found in coffee, tea, and wine. An extremely complex and very important subject pertaining to wine - terroir denotes how numerous environmental factors -such as region, soil quality, air temperature, humidity levels, etc. - effect the flavor qualities of the final product.
Texture: Description of how the wine being tasted feels on the palate. "Texture" is used more often when describing heavy, dense wines with a big mouth feel.
Typicity: Description of how well a wine expresses the characteristics intended from the variety of grape represented.
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Varietal: Single variety of grape, e.g., cabernet franc, pinot noir.
Vertical Tasting: Tasting many vintages of the same wine side by side for comparison.
Vinification: Making wine.
Vitis Vinifera: Over 99% of the world's wine comes from this species of grape.
Vinology: Serious wine education, typically occurring in a classroom.
Vintage: The year the wine is bottled as well as the yield gathered from a single vineyard during one season.
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Wine: Fermented juice of grapes.
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Yeast: A microorganism that as added to the process to convert grape sugars into alcohol. Yeast is produced commercially.
Yield: The quantity of grapes produced in a vineyard in a calendar year.
Young: an immature wine that is usually bottled and sold within a year of its vintage. Wines meant to be drunk "young" are noted for their fresh and crisp flavors.
