Wines

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Amarone - (Ah-ma-ROE-nay)

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Powerful, hearty red wine from northeastern Italy.

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Amontillado - (Ah-MOHN-tee-YAH-doe)

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A dry, rather full-bodied style of Sherry ... made famous by Poe.

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Barbaresco - (Bar-ba-RES-coe)

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Excellent red table wine made from the Nebbiolo grape in the Piemonte of Northwestern Italy.

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Banyuls - (Bahn-YOOLZ)

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Natural French dessert wine from the Pyrenees.

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Bardolino - (Bar-d0-LEE-noe)

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Light, simple red wine from the Veneto in Northeastern Italy.

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Barolo - (Ba-ROE-loe)

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Outstanding, full-bodied and complex Nebbiolo-based red wine from the Piemonte of Northwestern Italy.

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Beaujolais - (Boe-zho-lay)

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Light, fruity red wine from the region of the same name in Southern Burgundy, France.

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Brunello di Montalcino - (Broo-NELL-oh dee Mon-tahl-CHEE-noe)

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Excellent red Italian wine from Tuscany, a neighbor of Chianti.

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Cava - (CAH-bah)

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Spanish sparkling wine.

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Chablis - (Shah-blee)

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Excellent white wine made from Chardonnay grapes in the region of the same name in northern Burgundy. Long used as a generic term for "white wine" by makers of cheap American jug wines, a practice that is thankfully dying out.

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Champagne - (Sham-pain)

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Sparkling wine, specifically the type made in the French region of the same name using a traditional process in which the wine gains its sparkle by a secondary fermentation in the bottle, and made only from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier grapes. Some U.S. wineries still appropriate the name for their sparkling wines, a practice illegal in Europe; but as with Chablis, above, and Burgundy, this practice is dying out.

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Chateauneuf-du-Pape - (Shot-toe-noof duh Pop)

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An excellent, complex red dry wine from the Rhone region of Southern France, made from a blend of up to 13 specified grapes and boasting a heritage that reaches back to the Fourteenth Century sojourn of the Catholic Popes in nearby Avignon (hence, "new castle of the Popes").

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Chianti - (Ki-AHN-tee)

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The classic dry red wine of Tuscany, made from Sangiovese and other grapes near Florence in North Central Italy. Once dismissed as "pizza wine" and served in wicker-wrapped fiaschi bottles, it's now more respected as a serious table wine, and has given rise in turn to pricey "Super Tuscan" wines incorporating Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and other non-traditional blends. Chianti Classico is made from grapes grown in the central part of the region and considered more desirable; Chianti Classico Riserva spends additional time aging in oak barrels.

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Claret - (CLARE-it)

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Old synonym, particularly British, for red Bordeaux.

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Collioure - (Cole-YOOR)

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Dry red wine from Banyuls in Southwestern France. Dr. Parcé is the most widely sought label.

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Cornas - (Cor-nahs)

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Northern Rhone wine region, making a fine, ageworthy wine from Syrah.

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Côte Rôtie - (Coat Row-tee)

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Exceptionally fine, ageworthy red wine from the Northern Rhone, primarily Syrah-based and named for the "roasted slopes" on which the vineyards grow.

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Coteaux du Languedoc - (Coat-toe duh Lahn-geh-dawk)

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Increasingly desirable dry red table wine from Southern France, variously using Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut, etc., individually or in blends.

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Eiswein - (ICE-wine)

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Just as it sounds in English, wine made from late-harvested grapes allowed to freeze on the vine, concentrating the sugars. Originated in Germany, also becoming a star attraction of the Ontario, Canada, wine region.

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Fendant - (FaN-daN)

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Swiss dry white wine made from the Chasselas grape.

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Fino - (Fee-noe)

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Sherry in a dry, light-bodied style.

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Gattinara - (Gaht-tee-NAH-rah)

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Excellent red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape in Northwestern Italy's Piemonte region.

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Hermitage - (Air-mee-tahj)

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One of the top wines of the Rhone, usually red (made from Syrah grapes) but also white, allegedly created by a Crusader who returned from the Holy Land bearing Syrah vines and declaring that his days of war were behind him and that this vineyard would be his hermitage. Also, pronounced in English ("HER-muh-taj") the long-time name of Grange Hermitage, one of Australia's most noteworthy reds; but the "Hermitage" was dropped around 1990 to satisfy European import criteria.

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Jurançon - (ZHOO-rahn-sone)

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Delicious dry, aromatic wine from the Pyrenees region of Southwestern France.

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Manzanilla - (Mahn-za-NEE-yah)

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A dry style of Sherry, similar to Fino, made in a particular seaside village where the environment allegedly adds a saltwater tang to the wine.

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Oloroso - (Oh-loe-roe-soe)

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Spanish, literally "fragrant." One of the two broad categories of Sherry, the other being Fino (above). Olorosos are typically dark and full-bodied, in contrast with the light Fino; most are made sweet, but dry Oloroso (like the Emilio Lustau Don Nuño) can be a revelation.

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Orvieto - (Orv-YEH-toe)

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Dry white wine from the ancient town of the same name in Umbria, Italy, between Rome and Florence.

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Pouilly-Fuissé - (Poo-yee Fwee-SAY)

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White Burgundy, Chardonnay-based, made in the region of the same name. Especially popular in the U.S., although the legend that we like it because we finally learned to pronounce it is probably a myth ...

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Pouilly-Fumé - (Poo-yee Foo-MAY)

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Loire white made from Sauvignon Blanc, dry and very lean and tart; like Sancerre (see below), an excellent seafood wine.

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Recioto - (Ray-CHO-toe)

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Wine from the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy, made from especially ripe grapes (hence the name, from the dialect word for "ears," referring to the upper edges of the grape bunches that get the most sunlight and thus ripen the most. The juice is further concentrated by the "passito" process in which freshly harvested grapes are allowed to dry into raisins before they're pressed and fermented. Usually sweet, although the well-known style Amarone is dry. See also "Ripasso."

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Ribera del Duero - (Ree-BEHR-ah dell Doo-AY-roe)

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Challenging Rioja (below) for the title of Spain's greatest red wine, these Tempranillo-based reds -- particularly the fabled Vega Sicilia -- can last and improve for decades.

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Rioja - (Ree-OH-hah)

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Perhaps the best red wines of Spain, grown in arid, mountainous Northern Spain and named for the Rio Oja river there. The wines are made from Tempranillo and other grapes, are often aged in oak, and trace some heritage to Bordeaux, from where many wine makers emigrated after the phylloxera scourge of the mid-19th Century.

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Rosé - (Roe-zay)

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Pink wine, traditionally made not by blending red and white juice (although some inexpensive wines do this), but by using red grapes and removing the skins from the fermenter before they have had time to impart much color. Also sometimes labeled "Vin Gris" ("VaN Gree," literally "gray wine") and, among popular, low-cost American pink wines, "blush." Although the blush fad included many forgettable wines, a good, dry, crisp rosé or vin gris can be a refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

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Rosso di Montalcino - (ROE-soe dee Mon-tahl-CHEE-noe)

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"Little brother" to Brunello (which see), a good dry Italian red from Tuscany, requiring no aging in wood and permitted to be sold with less aging; often particularly good value.

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Sauternes - (So-TAIRN)

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Great French dessert wine from the Bordeaux district of the same name, made from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes harvested late and usually affected by botrytis, which see above. The most famous (and expensive) rendition is Chateau d'Yquemm although there are many other excellent examples. Not to be confused with "Sauterne," a cheap sweet jug wine from the U.S. under a naming convention that has now, happily, almost entirely died out.

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Spanna - (Spahn-na)

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Another name for bargain hunters: Local name for a dry Piemontese red made from Nebbiolo, similar to but generally much less expensive than the neighboring Gattinara. Unfortunately, in today's inflating world of wine prices, even Spanna can rarely be had for less than .

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Tokay - (Toe-KAY)

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Respected Hungarian dessert wine, reaches its pinnacle in Tokay Aszù ("Ah-zhu"), the sweetest style, affected by botrytis, which see. In my limited experience, Tokay shows a distinctive golden-raisin character that differs from Sauternes and other classic dessert wines.

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Vernaccia di San Gimignano - (Vehr-NAHCH-ya dee Sahn Jee-mee-NYAH-noe)

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Dry white wine of ancient heritage from the picturesque Tuscan village of San Gimignano. The town is known for its many towers; the wine, at its best, is crisp and dry and pleasantly bitter in the finish.

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Vin Gris - (VaN Gree)

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Pink wine (see "rosé).

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Vinho Verde - (VEEN-yoh VEHR-day)

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Literally "green wine," a reference to youth rather than color; a refreshing, light and often slightly sparkling Portuguese white wine. Always look for the youngest available, preferably no more than a year old.

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Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - (Vee-noe NOH-bee-lay dee Mohn-tay-pool-CHAH-noe)

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Excellent Tuscan red wine made from a blend of Sangiovese and other red grapes; neighboring to Chianti but distinctly different.

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Vouvray - (Voov-ray)

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Outstanding Loire white, based on Chenin Blanc; table wines may range from dry through slightly sweet, and it also makes spectacular dessert wines.

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Malbec - (Mahl-bek)

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Red-wine grape used as a nominal element of the Bordeaux blend, where its intense color and extract add to the wine's body; also used as primary grape in the inky red wines of Cahors and in some Argentine reds.

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Petit Verdot - (Peh-tee Vehr-doe)

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Red wine grape, fine quality but a minor player in the Bordeaux blend.

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Riesling - (REESE-ling)

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Classic German grape of Rhine and Mosel, ranks w/ Chard., Cabernet Sauv. and Pinot Noir among most noble grapes. Germany's great Rieslings slightly sweet, w/ strong, steely acidity for balance; stand comparison to to best. Alsatian Riesl. equally aromatic-typically stronger and dry or nearly. Calif. Riesl. gen. sweet w/o sufficient acidity. Another wine so complex it defies easy description, often fresh apples, pleasantly resinous notes (pine,) + occas. odd mineral quality: "diesel,petrol or bus exhaust," not at all unpleasant.

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