Wine Terms Part 1

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Abfüller

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German. A labeling term that indicates a wine produced at a commercial winery that buys grapes from other sources

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Acetaldehyde

Back 2

The most common aldehyde in wine, formed by the oxidation of ethanol

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Acetic Acid

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An acid that may be created in wine by a specific bacteria when the wine is oxidized or exposed to air, generally considered a fault when above the recognition threshold; see also acetobacter

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Acetobacter

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The type of bacteria that may cause wine spoilage in the presence of oxygen by producing acetic acid; see also acetic acid

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Acid

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The class of chemical compounds that produce a tart, sharp, or biting character in wine; lactic, malic, tartaric, citric, TA

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Acidification

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Adding acid to grape must or wine for the purpose of creating a balanced wine

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Alcohol

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The by-product of yeast and sugar, the intoxicating element of wine; see also ethanol

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Aldehyde

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Any of several chemical compounds caused by the oxidation of alcohol

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AVA

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American Viticultural Area

An officially recognized wine region (appellation) in the U.S.

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Amthliche Prüfungsnummer

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German AP number; a certificate # on the label that is unique to that bottling, issued after government approval

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Anbaugebiet

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German. A specified winegrowing region (plural Anbaugebiete)

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Ancestral Method

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A traditional method of making sparkling wine that calls for bottling an incompletely fermented wine and allowing fermentation to continue in the bottle; also known as Methode Rurale

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Anthocyanin

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A type of pigment found in plants that gives grapes and wine a blue, purple, or red coloration

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Appellation

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A specific name, based on geography, under which a wine grower is authorized to identify and market wine; the area designated by such a name; also Denomination of Origin; Geographical Indication

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Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC)

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French. The highest category of quality wine or wine region in France; a protected designation of origin (PDO)

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Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP)

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French. Term used to designate the highest category of quality wine or wine region in France within the EU's overarching labeling protocol (equal to appellation d'origine contrôlée [AOC]);a protected designation of origin (PDO)

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Aroma

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A sensory characteristic of a wine detectable by the olfactory senses of the nose; the scent of a wine deriving from a specific grape variety

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Ascensence

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The resulting state of a wine when acetic acid and ethyl acetate combine; generally considered a wine fault

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Aspect

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The relationship of the slope of a vineyard to the sun or compass; e.g. a vineyard with a southern aspect, slopes downward to the south

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Assemblage

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French. The process or stage of blending wines

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Ausbruch

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German. A term used to describe a high-quality, botrytis-affected sweet wine produced in the area surrounding the Austrian town of Rust

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Auslese

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German. A category of the Prädikat that represents wine made from selected fully ripe bunches of grapes

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Autochthonous

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Native or indigenous, specifically referring to grapes that are the result of natural crossbreeding or natural mutation in a specific area

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Autolysis

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The disintegration of dead yeast cells in wine due to the action of their own enzymes

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Balthazar

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A traditional large bottle for sparkling wine that holds 12 Ls, equivalent to 16 standard bottles

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Barrique

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French. A standard wine barrel of approximately 225 liter (60 gallon) capacity

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Base Wine

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Wine after the initial fermentation, prior to further handling such as blending, fortification, or addition of liqueur de tirage

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Bâtonnage

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French. Stirring, especially the winemaking practice of stirring up the lees from the bottom of a barrel or tank during aging

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Baumé

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French. A measure of the sugar level in grapes or juice used in France; represents the potential level of alcohol in the finished wine

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Beerenauslese (BA)

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German. A category of the Prädikat that represents sweet dessert wines made from individually harvested overripe berries possibly also affected by botrytis

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Beneficio

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Portuguese. The volume of Port a vineyard is allowed to produce in a given year, hard on the vineyard ranking and harvest conditions

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Bereich

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German. A regional or district appellation (plural Bereiche)

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Berry Set

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The transition of fertilized grapevine flowers into grapes (berries); also known as fruit set

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Bianco

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Italian White

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Biodynamic Viticulture

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A system of grape growing based on metaphysical principles

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Blanc

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French. White

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Blanc de Blancs

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French. 1. Literally, white from whites; 2. A white wine made entirely from white grapes, usually used to describe sparkling wines

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Blanc de Noirs

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French. 1. Literally, white from blacks; 2. A white wine made entirely from red (black) grapes, usually used to describe sparkling wines

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Blanco

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Spanish. White

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Blush

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Pink, typically referring to a rosé wine that is off-dry to sweet

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Bodega

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Spanish. 1. Winery 2. Wine cellar 3. Wine shop or market

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Botrytis

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(Botrytis cinerea): Noble rot; a fungus that, under appropriate conditions, draws water out of grapes and thereby concentrates the sugar content (while simultaneously adding distinctive flavor elements)

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Bouquet

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The complex range of aromas that evolve in a wine following fermentation and aging, particularly bottle aging; see also tertiary aromas

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Brettanomyces

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Several members of a yeast family that can infect a winery and some or all of the wine; often associated with various events including a "sweaty" or "horsy" odor

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Brix

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A measure of the sugar level in grapes or juice

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Brut

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A sweetness category of sparkling wine with little or no perceptible sugar

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Bud Break

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The initial appearance of green shoots growing out of dormant buds each spring

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Butt

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Spanish. A type of oak barrel used in the production of Sherry

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Cadastro

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Portuguese. A vineyard ranking system used in the Douro that assesses twelve factors (including altitude, yield, and locality), awarding or subtracting points to arrive at a total score and classification (from A [high] to F [low)])

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Cane

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A 1 year old grapevine branch that will support new growth in the current year

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Canopy

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The upper part of a grapevine during the growing season, comprising most of the leaves, shoots, and fruit

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Canopy Management

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A variety of techniques used to alter the position or number of shoots, leaves, and grape clusters in a vine's canopy

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Canopy Microclimate

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The environment within and directly surrounding a single vine's canopy (or, at most, a small section of a single row)

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Canteiros

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Portuguese. Rafters in the warehouses where Madeira is stored and aged

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Cap

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The floating mass of grape skins and other solids formed during fermentation, typically seen in red wine production

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Capsule

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The wrapping that covers the neck and cork of a wine bottle

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Carbonic Maceration

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An intracellular fermentation process that may occur in whole, unbroken grapes in the absence of oxygen and without the use of yeast

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Chaptalization

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Adding sugar to grape juice before fermentation to increase the alcohol content of the finished wine

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Charmat

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A method used in the making of sparkling wines that involves the use of large pressurized tanks at all stages of production; see also cuve close

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Château

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French. A wine estate particularly in Bordeaux (plural châteaux)

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Citric acid

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A minor acid found in grapes in very small amounts and sometimes used for acidification (but not considered appropriate for use in most quality wines)

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Clarification

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The process of removing haze and particulate matter from wine

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Classico

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Italian. From the historic, central, our traditional part of a wine region

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Climat

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French. In Burgundy, a single vineyard site

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Clone

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1. A grapevine grown by rooting or grafting a cutting from another vine, which is therefore genetically identical to the original plant; 2. A grape variety that has mutated to be slightly different from it's parent

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Cloning

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The process of producing vines from a single parent by cultivating cuttings of the original

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Clos

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French. 1. "Walled" or "enclosed" 2. A walled or enclosed vineyard; may be used to describe a vineyard that was historically enclosed even if the walls no longer exist

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Cold Soak

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A period of aqueous (as opposed to alcoholic) extraction prior to fermentation that is accomplished by maintaining a temperature low enough to prevent the start of fermentation

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Cold Stabilization

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The process of removing excess tartaric acid from a wine by chilling the wine to a very low temperature (25-30 degrees F)

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Continental Climate

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A climate typical of the interior sections of large land masses, characterized by hot summers, cold winters, and precipitation throughout the year

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Control State

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A US state in which the state government performs the role of wine (or liquor) distributor and/or retailer

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Cordon

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1. An arm or branch of a grapevine, from which fruit producing shoots grow; 2. The wire of a trellis on which a vine cordon is trained

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Cork Taint

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A characteristic undesirable aroma sometimes found in wine contaminated by TCA

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Corked

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1. Affected by cork taint 2. Sealed with a cork

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Cosecha

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Spanish. 1. Harvest; 2. Vintage; see also vendimia

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Côte

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French. 1. Slope; 2. Coast

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Coulure

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French. A vine malady where many flowers fail to become fully developed berries; also known as shatter

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Crémant

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French. Literally "creaming"; a term used specifically for French sparkling wines made by the classic method outside if the Champagne region

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Criadera

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Spanish. Literally "nursery"; a row or set of barrels in a solera system that contain sherry

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Crianza

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Spanish. A term used for Spanish DO and DOCa wines that have gone to through minimum periods of barrel and/or bottle aging as defined by an area's regulating council; see also reserva and gran reserva

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Cross, Crossing

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The offspring produced via the sexual reproduction of different subspecies within the same species, e.g., a variety produced by the cross-fertilization of one vinifera grape variety with another

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Cru

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French. 1. A vineyard or vineyard site, also translated as "growth" (e.g. premier cru= first growth); 2. A wine producing village

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Cru Bourgeois

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French. A consortium of top châteauxs in the Médoc from among those that were not included in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855

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Cru Classé

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French. "Classified growth"; a château or wine estate listed on one of the official classifications (e.g., the Bordeaux Classification of 1855)

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Crusher-Destemmer

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A machine that breaks open harvested grapes to begin the extraction of juice for fermentation and removes the stems from grape bunches

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Cryoextraction

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Freezing grapes post harvest in a commercial freezer; a method of producing very sweet juice for the production of dessert wines

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Cultivar

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A grape variety produced through selective breeding

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Cuve Close

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French. 1. "Closed vessel"; a pressurized tank; 2. The tank method of sparkling wine production; see also charmat

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Cuvée

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French. 1. A blend of many different wines; 2. The 1st juice to emerge from the press in the production of Traditional Method sparkling wine

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Débourbage

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French. Juice settling

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Decanting

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Moving wine from a bottle into another container (decanter) for the purposes of aeration and/or separating the wine from sediment

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Dégorgement

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French. Disgorging

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Délestage

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French. A type of pumping over in which the fermenting juice is drained into a separate holding tank before it is returned to the original tank by spraying it over the now sunken cap; see also rack and return

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Denominação de origem controlada

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Portuguese. The highest category of wine or wine region in Portugal; a protected designation of origin (PDO)

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Denominación de Origen (DO)

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Spanish. The 2nd highest category of wine or wine region in Spain; a protected designation of origin (PDO); see also vino de pago

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Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa)

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Spanish. The highest category of wine or wine region in Spain; a protected designation of origin (PDO); see also vino de pago

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Denomination of Origin

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1. The name of an officially recognized quality wine region; 2. The region itself; see also appellation; geographical indication

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Denominazione did Origine Controllata (DOC)

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Italian. The 2nd highest category of wine or wine region in Italy; a protected designation of origin (PDO)

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Denominazione did Origine Controllata e Garantita

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Italian. The highest category of wine or wine region in Italy; a protected designation of origin (PDO)

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Dessert Wine

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1. A wine intended for consumption after a meal; 2. Any sweet wine; 3. A legal classification used in the US for any wine with more than 14% alcohol

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Detection Threshold

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The smallest amount of a stimulus (e.g. sugar on the tongue) necessary to be noticed but not identified

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Deutscher

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German. Literally, "German"

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Deutscher Wein

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German. Basic table wine made from 100% German grapes

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Disgorging

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The process of removing dead yeast cells from bottle fermented sparkling wine after the 2nd fermentation; see also dégorgement

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Distillation

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The separation and concentration of the alcohol from a fermented liquid by a series of evaporation and condensation processes

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Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC)

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The highest category of quality wine in Austria

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Diurnal

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Daily, e.g., the diurnal temperature range is the difference between the high and low temperatures in a single day

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Dolce

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Italian. Sweet

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Dosage

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The addition of sugar, juice, and/or wine to sparkling wine after disgorging in order to top the bottle off and achieve the desired sweetness level

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Doux

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French. Sweet

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Downy Mildew

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A serious, fungal disease of grapevines; also known as peronospora

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Dry

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Not sweet, lacking perceptible sugar

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Dulce

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Spanish. Sweet

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Edelfäule

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German. Botrytis

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Einzellage

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German. A single officially designated vineyard (plural Einzellagen)

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Eiswein

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German. Ice wine, a dessert wine produced by crushing frozen grapes and discarding the ice prior to fermentation; see also ice wine

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En Primeur

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French. The system of selling wine as futures

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Enology

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The science of wine and winemaking

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Erste Lage

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German. "First site," often compared to the use of premier cru in Burgundy; a VDP term

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Erzeugerabfüllung

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German. "Producer-bottled"; the labeling term for wines bottled by cooperatives of growers

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Estate

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Typically, a winery that owns and makes wine from the vineyards that surround it

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Ester

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Any of various chemical compounds that result from the joining of an acid and an alcohol

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Estufa

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Portuguese. 1. "Oven"; a hot warehouse for storing and aging Madeira (plural estufagem); 2. A method of producing Madeira

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Ethanol

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The principal alcohol found in wine

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Ethyl Acetate

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A common ester formed through a reaction of ethanol and acetic acid; associated with the odor of fingernail polish remover

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Extended Maceration

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A winemaking technique that keeps a newly fermented batch of red wine in contact with the skins and seeds after fermentation is complete; prolonged skin contact

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Extra Dry

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A sweetness category of sparkling wine that is off-dry

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Feinherb

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German. Off-dry

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Fermentation

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A complex biochemical process by which yeast cells convert sugar to alcohol and other chemical compounds with carbon dioxide and heat as by-products; see also carbonic maceration; malolactic fermentation

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Field Blend

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More than one different grape variety grown together in the same vineyard

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Fining

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A clarification procedure in which a nonreactive material such as gelatin or bentonite clay is added to wine to attract suspended and electrically charged particles in order to draw them out of the liquid

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Flavone (Flavonol)

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A phenolic compound found in plants that gives grapes a yellow coloration

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Flavor

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A sensory characteristic of a wine detectable as a combination of taste, aroma, and tactile sensations

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Flight

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A selection of wines presented together for purposes such as a sensory evaluation and comparison

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Flor

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A film-forming, floating yeast most commonly associated with southwestern Spain; responsible for the character of fino sherry

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Flying Winemaker

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A winemaker who makes wine in multiple, widely spaced locations especially in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres

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Fortification

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The addition of distilled spirits to a base wine

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Fortified Wine

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Wine to which distilled spirits have been added to raise the final alcohol level, generally to 15% or higher

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Foxy

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A descriptor commonly used to describe an aroma characteristic of some native North American grape varieties, particularly Vitis Labrusca

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Franchise State

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A US state in which state laws grant distributors exclusive relationships with suppliers' brands, often giving them considerable leverage over wineries and importers

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Frizzante

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Italian. Slightly sparkling

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Fructose

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One of the 2 most prevalent sugars (along with glucose) in grapes

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Fruit Set

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The transition of fertilized grapevine flowers into grapes; also known as berry set

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Futures

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Wine offered for sale prior to bottling

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Galet

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French. A type of large rounded stone found in the Southern Rhône and elsewhere

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Geographical Indication

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1. The name of an officially recognized wine region; 2. The region itself; see also appellation; denomination of origin; protected geographical indication

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Glucose

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One of the 2 most prevalent sugars (along with fructose) on grapes

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Grafting

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Inserting a cutting from one grapevine into an incision on another so that they will fuse together and grow as one plant

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Gran Reserva

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Spanish. 1. A term used for Spanish DO and DOCa wines that have gone through extended periods of barrel and or bottle aging as defined by an area's regulating council; 2. A term used for vinos finos in Argentina that have undergone a specified period of aging; see also crianza and reserva

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Grand Cru

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French. "Great growth"; the highest Classification level in Burgundy and Champagne, and a superior appellation in St.-Émilion and Alsace

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Grappa

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Italian. A spirit distilled from pomace

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Grosse Lage

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German. "Great site," often compared to the use of Grand Cru in Burgundy; a VOP term

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Grosses Gewächs

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German. A label term used to denote dry wines produced in Erste Lage sites; a VDP term

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Grosslage

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German. An officially designated group of vineyards/einzellagen (plural grosslagen)

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Gutsabfüllung

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German. Estate-bottled

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Gutswein

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German. Estate wine; often compared to the use of Bourgogne régional in Burgundy; a VDP term

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Gyropalette

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A fully automated device to replace hand riddling of sparkling wine bottles

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Halbsüss

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German. Half-sweet

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Halbtrocken

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German. Literally, half-dry; the labeling term for a wine that is off-dry

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Half-bottle

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A wine bottle containing 375 milliliters

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Hang time

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The period between the earliest possible harvest date for a specific vineyard and the actual harvest date, allowing for additional ripening of the fruit

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Hectare

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A metric unit of surface area, equal to 2.47 acres

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Hybrid

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The offspring of sexual reproduction of different but closely related species, e.g., a grape produced by cross-fertilizing vinifera with another grape species such as labrusca or riparia

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Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)

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A colorless gas formed by sulfur compounds in the complete absence of oxygen, often has the odor of rotten eggs

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Ice wine, icewine

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A dessert wine produced by crushing frozen grapes and discarding the ice prior to fermentation; see also Eiswein

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Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT)

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Italian. The higher category of basic wine in Italy, from a protected geographical indication (PGI)

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Indigenous (varieties)

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Native to the area; not imported

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Inert

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Not readily reactive with other elements or compounds

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Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

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An approach to vineyard pest control that utilizes a variety of different methods in an attempt to solve pest problems while minimizing risk to the environment

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International Varieties

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Grape varieties that have been widely transplanted to winegrowing areas in many parts of the world

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Jeroboam

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A traditional large bottle for sparkling wine that holds 3 liters, equivalent to four standard bottles

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Kabinett

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German. A category of the Prädikat that represents wine made from minimally ripe bunches of grapes

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Kimmeridgian Marl

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A type of clay - or limestone - based soil derived from a seabed of the late Jurassic era

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Klosterneuburger Mostwaage (KMW)

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A measure of the sugar level in grapes or juice used in Austria

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Kosher

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Wine (or other foods) made under strict rabbinical supervision and therefore suitable for consumption by Orthodox Jews

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Labrusca (Vitis Labrusca)

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A species of wine grape native to North America

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Lactic Acid

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A mild acid that is not found in grapes but is created in wine via malolactic fermentation

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Lagar

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Portuguese. An open trough, often made of granite or concrete, traditionally used in the Douro for treading grapes and fermentation

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Lees

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Sediment found in wine during and after fermentation, consisting primarily of dead yeast cells and grape solids

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Legs

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Streaks produced by viscous droplets of liquid that run slowly down the interior of a glass of wine after swirling; see also tears

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Lieblich

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German. Half-sweet

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Liqueur de tirage

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French. A mixture of yeast and sugar added to a base wine to initiate a second fermentation and create a sparkling wine