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Wine Glossary
The Winedoctor has
had a wine glossary since the inception of the
website
back in 2000, but it has always
been a small affair, concentrating on the tasting
terminology I use on the website. But
the site now deserves a larger glossary,
covering a much broader range of
topics. From coulure to crossing, midpalate to
millerandage, vendange to vignoble, the
Winedoctor Wine Glossary covers it all.
To sift through the wine
glossary pages, click on the appropriate letter in
the
list above (or below).
My wine glossary aims to be
comprehensive. Where further explanation is
appropriate, I have provided links onto
other sections of the glossary, or onto pages
elsewhere on the site. If there appears
to be a glaring omission, do e-mail me to let
me know.
Wine Glossary: A
Abfüllung
(Germany)
Means
'bottled by', and will be followed on the label by
information regarding the
bottler.
Related terms include erzeugerabfüllung and
gutsabfüllung.
Acetic acid
This volatile acid is one that
contributes to the acidity of a wine. In small
amounts it
can also 'lift' the palate
and accentuate aroma and flavour. In excess it
produces a
vinegary taste. It may also
be the product of bacterial spoilage, which is how
wine
turns to vinegar if left
unprotected from such bacteria.
Acidity
A wine's
acidity should be detectable as a sharpness in the
mouth, particularly
around the front
sides of the tongue. It should be neither too
obvious nor absent. It
provides a
refreshing sensation in white wines, and balance
in reds. Its absence
makes a wine dull
and 'flabby' - a defect in any wine, but a
disaster in sweet wines
which to me
become undrinkable without balancing acidity. Too
much acidity can
make a wine difficult
to drink. There are many acids in a wine, but the
principle ones
are acetic, malic,
tartaric, lactic, citric and carbonic acid.
Aftertaste
The taste left on
the palate after the wine has been swallowed. The
persistence of
the aftertaste - the
length - may be used as an indicator of the
quality of the wine.
Alcohol
There are many different compounds that
may be described as 'alcohol'. Here we
are referring to ethyl alcohol, the
product of alcoholic fermentation of sugar by
yeast.
It's presence is measured in
percent volume (or
Alcoholic
fermentation
The action of yeast upon
sugar results in its conversion to ethyl alcohol,
with carbon
dioxide as a by-product.
Fermentation will often start naturally with
yeasts on the
grapes, but cultured
yeasts may be added. The process generates much
heat, and
temperature control during
alcoholic fermentation can have a significant
effect on
the style of wine produced.
The process will cease either when all the sugar
has been
consumed, or more likely when
the increasing alcohol content of the fermenting
solution kills the yeast, or when the
external temperature drops too low. It may also
be arrested by adding sulphur or by
fortification with spirit.
Alsace
See my Alsace wine guide.
Amaro
(Italy)
Means 'bitter', hence the wine Amarone.
American Viticultural Area
(USA)
Abbreviated to AVA,
this term describes a geographically defined
region for growing
grapes.
Amontillado
(Spain)
A true Amontillado Sherry is a matured
Fino. When the flor dies and sinks to the
bottom of the butt the wine loses its
protection from oxidation conferred by the
coating of yeast, and it begins to
deepen and develop a rich, nutty flavour. Cheaper
Amontillado is made by fortifying the
wine, killing the yeast.
Amtliche
Prüfnummer
(Germany)
The
Amtliche Prüfnummer (or AP number) is a unique
code assigned to each
individual
bottling of quality wine produced by every
winemaker in Germany. For
more
information see my German wine guide.
Anbaugebiet
(Germany)
The thirteen German growing regions,
namely Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheingau,
Rheinhessen, Nahe, Pfalz, Mittelrhein,
Ahr, Baden, Franken, Hessische Bergstrasse,
Württemberg, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen.
AP number
(Germany)
See Amtliche Prüfnummer.
Appellation d'Origine Contr?lée
(France)
Often abbreviated
to AC or AOC, this is the highest legal
classification for French
wine, above
Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure, Vin de Pays
and Vin de Table. In
order to qualify
for the AC, wines must be produced from grapes
grown within a
geographically defined
area, and conform to regulations concerning grape
varieties,
yields, alcohol content and
so on. Although AC means these features are
guaranteed,
it is not unfortunately a
guarantee of quality.
Argentina
See my South American wine guide.
Aszú
(Hungary)
The aszú are the grapes collected in
25kg lots in baskets known as puttonyos in the
Tokaj-Hegyalja region of Hungary. The
grapes have undergone noble rot and are thus
very sweet. Once crushed the pulp is
added to a g?nc of the normal wine - the more
that are added, the sweeter the wine.
Aszú Essencia
(Hungary)
This is a rare wine, made only from the
free-run juice of the nobly rotten grapes in
the puttonyos baskets.
Ausbruch
(Austria)
A Pr?dikat category for sweet wines
from Rust in Austria. The grapes have
undergone noble rot and have a must
weight of more than 27 KMW.
Auslese
(Germany, Austria)
A
Pr?dikat category for sweet wines. The Auslese
designation is conferred if the must
weight, measured prior to the wine
being made and bottled, reaches a certain level.
The legally required value differs from
region to region and also between countries.
For example, Mosel Auslese begins at 83
Oechsle whereas Austrian Auslese is over
21 KMW (about 105 Oechsle).
Austere
A term used to
describe a wine that is unforthcoming - often they
are young, tannic
wines. They give
little pleasure at the time, but it is likely that
they will improve with
age.
Australia
See my Australian
wine guide.
Azienda Agricola
(Italy)
An estate or farm where wine
can be produced.
Wine
Glossary: B
Bacchus
The
Roman god of wine. Also a white grape variety, the
product of a cross between a
Silvaner-
Riesling hybrid and Müller-Thurgau.
Backward
A tasting term.
Wines described as backward are undeveloped and
not ready to
drink. They are often
young and tannic, and may also be described as
austere. The
opposite, unsurprisingly,
of forward!
Balance
A
tasting term. Wines said to have balance have a
harmonious combination of tannin,
acidity, texture and flavour. This is a
vital attribute.
Balthazar
A
large format Champagne bottle, equivalent to
sixteen standard bottles. See my
advisory page on Champagne bottle sizes
for more information.
Barrique
(France)
The
barrique
is a
wooden barrel, the design of which originated in
Bordeaux, France.
It has a capacity of
225 litres. It can now be found in the cellars of
winemakers
worldwide, especially those
involved in producing Bordeaux-style blends of
quality.
The longer a wine spends in
barrel the more of the oak flavour it will take
on. Strong
flavours also result when
the alcoholic fermentation takes place
en barrique
. There
are dozens of other barrel shapes and
sizes - one commonly found in the New World
is the hogshead.
B?tonnage
(France)
The term for stirring of the lees which
is employed to impart body and flavour to the
wine.
Baumé
(France)
A
scale for must weight. This is a hydrometric
method - meaning that the sugar
concentration (and therefore potential
alcohol) is calculated from measuring the
density of the must. Other scales
include Brix, Oechsle and KMW. My article on must
weight in my Sweet Wine series gives
more information.
Bead
A
tasting term used to describe the size of the
bubbles in a glass of sparkling wine or
Champagne. Some people say that the
smaller and more persistent the bead, the
finer the wine. Serving temperature may
affect it's appearance - a colder wine will
effervesce less vigorously.
Beerenauslese
(Germany,
Austria)
A Pr?dikat category for sweet
wines. A Beerenauslese is made from individually
harvested nobly rotten grapes. See also
Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.
Bentonite
A clay that can be
used as a fining agent.
Bianco
(Italian)
White.
Bin number
(Australia)
A bin is a storage area in
a wine cellar. With each successive harvest, wines
were
allocated the same bin year after
year. With time the bin number became associated
with the wine - the Shiraz was stored
in bin 50, the Chardonnay in bin 65, for
example. Subsequently, It is often the
case that bin numbers became brand names
depicting a style of wine, and
frequently have nothing to do with the origin of
the
grapes or where the wine has been
stored!
Biodynamic vitulture
An extension of organic viticulture,
taking into account the effect of the moon and
planets on the health of the vines.
Based on the principles of Austrian philosopher
Rudolf Steiner. Read more about
biodynamics in my profile of one of it's most
ardent
exponents Nicolas Joly at Clos
de la Coulée de Serrant.
Black rot
A fungal vine disease common in North
America. It results in small, hard berries.
Blanc
(France)
White.
Blanc de Blancs
(France)
This describes a
white wine made entirely from white grapes. If
this sounds like
stating the obvious,
it is necessary because black grapes can be used
to make white
wine, as only the skins
impart colour - the juice and pulp are clear. This
is especially
true in Champagne, where
two of the three legally permitted varieties are
the black
grapes Pinot Meunier and
Pinot Noir. A Blanc de Blancs describes a wine
made using
100% Chardonnay, the only
other legally permitted variety. For more
information
see my Champagne Guide.
Blanc de Noirs
(France)
This describes a white wine made
entirely from black grapes. It is a term commonly
used in Champagne, with reference to
wines made from the black grapes Pinot
Meunier and Pinot Noir. For more
information see my Champagne Guide.
Blanco
(Spain)
White.
Blind tasting
If you're ever poured a wine without
knowing what it is, this is a blind tasting. The
advantage of a blind tasting - usually
achieved by simply covering the label - is that it
removes all prejudices about the wine,
and you have to judge it entirely on its
merits.
Bodega
(Spain)
A
term meaning winery, although it may also be
applied to a wine-making company.
Body
A tasting term. A wine with plenty of
flavour, alcohol, extract and tannin may be
described as full bodied. It is a less
specific term than texture.
Bordeaux
See my Bordeaux wine guide.
Bordeaux mixture
A vine
treatment, comprising copper sulphate, slaked lime
and water. The mixture is
sprayed onto
the vines to treat downy mildew. It is permitted
for use in organic and
biodynamic
vineyards.
Botrytis cinerea
The cause of Noble Rot,
Botrytis cinerea
is a fungus
which, under suitable conditions,
attacks grapes on the vines, leaving
them shrivelled and dehydrated. For many
grapes this can be a disaster, but the
process is also invaluable in the production of
sweet wines in Bordeaux, Austria,
Germany and Tokaji. In unfavourable conditions
the fungus is the cause of Grey Rot.
Branco
(Portugal)
White.
Brettanomyces
A fungal infection. The
Brettanomyces
fungus can
originate in the vineyard but some
wineries are chronically contaminated,
the organism living in oak barrels or even on
the wooden structure of the winery
itself. As a consequence the wines from this
vineyard can bear a Brett profile -
farmyardy, horsy, sometimes metallic aromas -
year after year. Examples of ch?teaux
which are renowned for Brett contamination
are Beaucastel (Ch?teauneuf du Pape,
Rh?ne Valley) and Talbot (St Julien,
Bordeaux).
Bricking
A tasting term. It refers to a tawny,
brick red colour, which implies age in a red wine.
Brix
A measure of sugar
content in grape juice, used particularly in the
New World. My
article on must weight in
my Sweet Wine series gives more information.
Brut
(France)
A
term used to describe a dry wine (usually
Champagne or other sparkling wine),
although even dry wines are not
generally devoid of sugar, and there may be up to
15 g/l of sugar added as dosage before
final bottling. Terms used to describe
Champagne with more sugar include sec
(which still means dry) and demi-sec.
Burgundy
See my Burgundy
wine guide
Wine Glossary: C
Cane pruning
A method of
pruning vines. More details may be found in my
advice page on vine
pruning techniques.
Canopy management
This term
describes the processes used in the care of the
leaf canopy, such as
pruning, trimming
and leaf thinning. There can be a number of
benefits in altering
the microclimate
in this way, such as increased exposure of foliage
to the sun which
improves
photosynthesis, and reduced moisture within the
canopy, therefore
protecting against
rot.
Cantina
(Italy)
A winery or cellar.
Cantina
Sociale
(Italy)
A wine co-
operative.
Cap
The mass of
skins, pips and other solid matter that rises to
the surface of the wine
during
alcoholic fermentation. Pigeage helps to keep the
solid matter mixed in with
the wine,
imparting colour, flavour and tannin. See
cuvaison.
Carbonic maceration
A method of vinification which produces
wines with fruit flavours and colour, but
little tannin, and therefore
immediately drinkable. Because of this effect it
is widely
used in Beaujolais. The
technique involves fermenting whole bunches of
uncrushed
grapes.
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a rapidly spinning
device for the purpose of separating out mixed
materials. It has found in use in the
winery as it may be used to clarify the must. It
may also be used to separate out
fractions of the liquid must, which has led to its
use
as a dealcoholisation tool. Also
known as a spinning cone.
Cépage
(France)
Grape variety.
Cépage améliorateur
(France)
An
to improve the quality of
a region's wines. In the Languedoc the term refers
to
varieties such as Mourvèdre, Syrah
and Grenache, which are encouraged in place of
Carignan, Cinsaut and other lesser
grapes. The minimum quantity of
varieties
Champagne
See my Champagne guide.
Chaptalisation
(France)
The process of adding sugar to the
fermenting vat, which is converted to ethyl
alcohol by the yeast. The intent is to
increase the final alcohol content. A surprisingly
widespread practice in many French wine
regions, but particularly in Burgundy. So
much so that French sugar sales
absolutely rocket at harvest time.
Chile
See my South American
wine guide.
Classed growth
A
literal translation of Cru Classé.
Clos
(France)
Traditionally, a
walled
vineyard, although the term is much abused on wine
labels.
Closed
A tasting
term to describe a wine where there is no, or very
little, aroma or flavour.
Many wines,
after the exuberant flavours they offer in youth,
'close down' in this
way before they
'open out' again as they enter a mature phase.
Cold stabilisation
This
process merely involves chilling wine prior to
bottling. This causes tartaric acid
to
crystallise out, thereby avoiding the formation of
tartrate crystals, specifically
potassium hydrogen tartrate, when the
wine is in the bottle.
Colheita
(Portugal)
An aged tawny
Port from a single vintage which will be declared
on the label.
Commune
(France)
Refers to a village
and the surrounding vineyards, for example, the
communes of the
left bank of Bordeaux
include Pauillac, St Julien, St Estèphe and so on.
Confected
A tasting term to
describe a sweet aroma/flavour, but more
manufactured (like
candy) than honey. I
generally find it a negative aspect of a wine.
Co-operative
A winery run
and owned by a group of local winemakers. Quality
varies - some can
turn out high quality
wines, others produce little of interest.
Cordon
That part of the vine
that is permanent - that is it to say it is left
from year to year,
whereas other parts
are pruned away.
Cordon training
A vine training method. More details
may be found in my advice page on vine
training techniques.
Corked
A tasting term used to describe wines
contaminated by trichloroanisole (a corked
wine is
not
one
with bits of cork floating in it). This chemical
compound is the
product of mould
infection in the cork. Said to affect 5% of
bottles (some say more,
some less) it
is one of the main reasons behind the drive
towards the increasing use
of screwcaps
and synthetic closures. It may result in a wine
that simply lacks fruit
and can be
difficult to spot, or it may be horribly obvious,
with cardboardy, musty,
mushroomy, dank
aromas and flavours, rendering the wine completely
undrinkable.
See my advice page on
faulty wine for more information. I also keep a
record of
corked wines experienced,
mainly because it is so annoying.
Cosecha
(Spain)
Vintage.
C?te
(France)
A
c?te
is a slope or hillside. The term is used in many
regions of France - C?te R?tie
(Rh?ne
Valley), C?te d'Or (Burgundy), C?te de Brouilly
(Beaujolais).
Coteau
(France)
Like
c?te
, this also refers to a
slope or hillside.
Coulure
(France)
Once the vine has flowered,
there should develop a small fruit (the grape) in
place of
each flower. Failure of the
fruit to set in this way is
coulure
. It is often worst
when
the weather is particularly cold
or wet. Some
coulure
is
beneficial as a vine would
have
difficulty in ripening a full crop, resulting in a
reduction in quality - although this
can be adjusted for with a green
harvest. Heavy
coulure
will
result in a very small
crop.
Crémant
(France)
A sparkling wine made by the Méthode
Champenoise.
Crianza
(Spain)
A
term describing the ageing that a wine has
undergone. This is the youngest
category, which is aged for two years,
with at least six months in barrel. Related
terms include Reserva and Gran Reserva.
Crossing
A crossing is the
result of breeding two Vitis vinifera plants. This
is distinct from a
hybrid which
involves using American vines.
Cru
(France)
A term meaning
'growth' which is used in a number of French
regions as a means of
classifying
wines. In Burgundy the best vineyards are Grands
Crus, although in
Bordeaux the term
relates to the ch?teaux that own the land; they
are the Cru Classé
estates. In
Champagne the term is applied to whole villages.
Cru Bourgeois
(France)
Bordeaux ch?teaux that are classified
below the
Cru Classé
. More
details may be
found here: Bordeaux
classifications.
Cru Classé
(France)
The upper
classification for the ch?teaux of the Médoc, laid
down in 1855. It is
divided into five
tiers, from Premier Cru Classé to Cinquieme Cru
Classé. More details
may be found here:
Bordeaux classifications.
Crust
The sediment formed by vintage Port.
Cryo-extraction
A process
whereby grapes are frozen in order to extract ice,
thereby concentrating
the sugars,
flavours and other components that remain.
Cuvaison
(France)
The period of time when the solid
matter such as pips, skin, stalks and so on is
left to
macerate in the wine during
alcoholic fermentation in order to extract colour,
flavour and tannin.
Wine Glossary: D
Débourbage
(France)
The process of
allowing white wine must to settle prior to
racking off the wine,
thereby reducing
the need for fining or filtration.
Dégorgement
(France)
Part of the process of making sparkling
wine. At this stage the bottle is opened after
the neck has been frozen. Out flies a
plug of frozen wine, containing the dead yeast
from the second fermentation which
occurs in bottle. The wine is then topped up -
dosage - and resealed. The entire
process is explained here: Méthode Champenoise.
Demi-Sec
(France)
Medium-dry.
Denominación de
Origen
(Spain)
A high
quality level for Spanish wine. Often abbreviated
to DO. The equivalent of the
French
appellation contr?lée.
Denomina??o de
Origem Controlada
(Portugal)
A high quality level for Portuguese
wine. Often abbreviated to DOC. The equivalent
of the French appellation contr?lée.
Denominación de Origen
Calificada
(Spain)
The
highest quality level for Spanish wine. Often
abbreviated to DOC. Rather similar
to
Italy's DOCG.
Denominazione di Origine
Controllata
(Italy)
A high
quality level for Italian wine. Often abbreviated
to DOC. The equivalent of the
French
appellation contr?lée.
Denominazione di
Origine Controllata e Garantita
(Italy)
The highest quality level for Italian
wine. Often abbreviated to DOCG. Only a handful
of wines have been promoted to this
level. They include Chianti, Barolo, Barbaresco,
Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano and Carmignano.
Destemming
The process of
removing the stems/stalks from the grape bunches
before
fermentation. Unripe stems will
result in a green, unripe taste in the wine.
Dolce
(Italy)
Sweet.
Domaine
(France)
A wine estate.
Dosage
(France)
When making a sparkling wine, after
dégorgement the wine can be topped up with
sugar and wine to reach the desired
level of sweetness and flavour. This is
dosage
.
The
entire process is documented here: Methode
Champenoise.
Double magnum
A
large format Bordeaux bottle, equivalent to four
standard bottles. In Burgundy and
Champagne this size is called a
Jeroboam. See my advisory page on wine bottle
sizes
for more information.
Doux
(France)
Sweet.
Downy mildew
A common vine disease favoured by warm,
humid conditions. It results in unhealthy
leaves and shrivelled fruit. May be
controlled with the use of Bordeaux mixture.
Dry
A tasting term.
Essentially this is the opposite of sweet,
although a wine that tastes
dry still
contains sugar, perhaps just a few grams per
litre. The term 'dry' can also be
used
to describe the tannins or mouthfeel, when it
refers to the dry, puckering
sensation
the wine imparts.
Dulce
(Spain)
Sweet
Wine Glossary: E
Edes
(Hungary)
Sweet.
Egrappage
(France)
The process of destemming -
removing stems/stalks from the grape bunches
before
fermentation
Eiswein
(Germany, Austria)
An expensive, labour intensive sweet
wine made from frozen grapes, principally in
Germany and Austria, but also in Canada
where it is called Icewine. The grapes are
harvested during the cold of winter,
facilitating the removal of much of the water as
ice, intensifying the remaining sugar
and flavour. The must weight is generally well
over 100 Oechsle (25 KMW in Austria).
See my eiswein feature for more information.
?levage
(France)
An umbrella term describing all the
winery processes after alcoholic fermentation up
to bottling - such as fining,
filtration and barrel ageing. It literally
describes the
'bringing up' of the
wine.
En primeur
A method of
purchasing wine before it has been bottled.
Payment (not including
duty or VAT) is
made generally a year or so before bottling (the
exact time depends
on the region. The
wines most common offered
en primeur
are from Bordeaux,
Burgundy,
the Rhone Valley and Port, although many other
regions, including some
New World
wineries, are following suit. Once the wine enters
the UK, it may be
stored in bond or,
after payment of taxes, be delivered. There is an
in-depth
exploration of all the aspects
of this method for purchasing wine, in five
instalments,
here: En Primeur.
Entry
A tasting term.
Describing the wine on 'entry' is to describe your
impression of the
wine as it lands in
your mouth. Followed by midpalate, finish and
length.
Erzeugerabfüllung
(Germany)
Means
bottled by the producer. Related terms include
abfüllung and gutsabfüllung.
Essencia
(Hungary)
The free run juice
of the Aszú. See Aszú Essencia.
Estufa
(Portugal)
The
estufa
are the hothouses
where Madiera is made. The heating of the wine is
an
essential part in the development of
the character and flavour of Madeira wine.
Extract
This refers to the
solid compounds in wine, such as tannins.
Increasing the level of
extract results
in more colour and body. It may be increased by
leaving the wine in
contact with the
skins for longer during cuvaison, although too
long will result in an
unbalanced wine
that seems 'over-extracted'.
Wine Glossary: F
Fermentation
See alcoholic
fermentation and malolactic fermentation.
Filtration
A finishing
process, performed before bottling. The wine is
filtered in order to
remove solid
impurities, such as dead yeast cells. Although it
may help to clarify the
wine, it is
also accused of stripping wine of flavour and
character, and there is a
vogue towards
very light filtration or even no filtration at
all. It differs from fining
which
removes soluble materials.
Fining
A finishing process, performed before
bottling. A coagulant such as bentonite,
isinglass or egg white is added to the
wine to collect proteins and other undesirable
compounds. As with filtration, a
process which removes solid matter from the wine,
there is a vogue away from this
practice which has been the focus of some
controversy, especially when biological
materials such as cow's blood was used.
Finish
A tasting term. The
finish is how the wine tastes at the point of, and
just after,
swallowing. After finish
comes the length. See also entry and midpalate.
Fino
A style of Sherry. Pale
in colour, because it has been protected from
oxidation from
the thick coating of
yeast known as flor. Best consumed as soon as
possible after
bottling as at this
point the protection from oxidation is lost.
Flash pasteurisation
The
application of a short burst of heat to the wine.
The intention is to stabilise the
wine,
although there are obvious concerns about what
effect this might have on the
quality
of the wine. Employed, controversially, by Louis
Latour in Burgundy. See
pasteurisation.
Flor
A yeast vital for
making Sherry. It's presence on the surface of the
wine protects it
from oxidation, and
such a wine may be bottled as a Fino or
Manzanilla. When it dies,
it sinks to
the bottom of the barrel, and the resulting wine
is an Amontillado. If no
flor develops
at all, the resulting wine is an Oloroso. Partial
development of flor,
which then dies,
produces a rare style known as Palo Cortado.
Flying winemaker
A term that
sprang up in the 1980s to describe a group of
winemakers, chiefly
Australian, that
parachuted (not literally!) into Old World regions
to work with local
co-operatives or
vignerons to improve the quality of the wines.
They could work a
vintage in the
northern hemisphere without interfering with work
back home in the
southern hemisphere,
where the harvest occurs six months earlier.
Fortification
The process of
adding spirit to a wine. If this is done before
completion of the
alcoholic
fermentation, as with Port, the unfermented sugars
will cause the wine to
be sweeter than
would otherwise be the case. Added later, as is
the case with Sherry,
the wine will
remain dry. In all cases the final alcohol content
receives an obvious
boost. The process
is also used in the production of vin doux
naturel.
Forward
A tasting
term. This denotes a wine which is felt by the
taster to be developing
quickly, and is
ready to drink before it might otherwise be
expected. The opposite of
backward.
Free-run wine
The free-run
wine is the juice that runs off the vat without
any pressing. The wine
released by
pressing the cap is known as press wine.
Wine Glossary: G
Geneva double curtain
A vine
training method. More details may be found in my
advice page on vine
training
techniques.
Germany
See my
German wine guide.
Glycerol
Also known as glycerine. A sweet,
syrupy compound which is an essential part of all
fats and oils. It is produced in small
quantities by alcoholic fermentation, especially
when there is botrytis, and increases
the sweetness of the finished wine.
Gobelet
A method of vine
training. The vines are cultivated as bushes. For
more see my
advisory article on vine
training.
G?nc
(Hungary)
A barrel used for making Tokay.
Grafting
The process of
growing a cutting of Vitis vinifera on American or
hybrid,
phylloxera-resistant rootstock.
Gran Reserva
(Spain)
This is the top category for Spanish
wine. Such wines have received a minimum five
years ageing, of which at least two are
in cask and three in bottle. Related categories
include Reserva and Crianza.
Grand Cru
A confusing term.
In Burgundy Grand Cru refers to the best vineyard
sites, which are
on the slopes of the
C?te d'Or. In St Emilion, however, the majority of
interesting
estates are classified as
Grand Cru and thus here the term means very
little.
Grande Marques
A
term frequently used to describe the top Champagne
houses.
Green harvest
The
practice of removing unripe bunches of grapes in
midsummer in order to reduce
the yield
per plant and increase the quality. Unlike other
plants which will abort
excess fruit,
such as the peach, the vine will try and ripen the
whole crop - which if
large will
increase the likelihood of producing a dilute
wine.
Grey Rot
A vine
affliction caused by the same fungus, Botrytis
cinerea, that is responsible for
Noble
Rot. Grey Rot is the result of the action of the
fungus in persistently damp,
humid
conditions.
Gutsabfüllung
(Germany)
Means estate-
bottled. Related terms include abfüllung and
erzeugerabfüllung.
Guyot
A
vine training method. More details may be found in
my advisory feature on vine
training.
Wine Glossary: H
Halbtrocken
(Germany)
Translating literally as 'half-dry',
this term is used for medium dry wines.
Hectare
The most commonly
used measurement of area in viticulture, the
hectare is 10 000
m
2
, approximately
equivalent to 2.5 acres. Yields may be expressed
in hectolitres per
hectare.
Hectolitre
A measure of
volume commonly used when expressing yields; a
hectolitre is 100
litres.
Hogshead
In Australia this
is a 300 litre barrel. Confusingly the term is
also used by some when
they are
referring to the barrique of Bordeaux, a smaller
barrel.
Hollow
A tasting
term. This describes a wine which lacks flavour
and texture, often through
the
midpalate, would often be described as hollow.
Hybrid
A hybrid grape
results from a cross between a Vitis vinifera
variety - such as Riesling
or Pinot
Noir - with an American vine. This is distinct
from a crossing.
Wine
Glossary: I
Icewine
A
principally Canadian style of wine, named after
the Eisweins made in Germany and
Austria. See my eiswein feature for
more information.
Imperiale
A large format Bordeaux bottle,
equivalent to an impressive eight standard
bottles.
In Burgundy and Champagne this
size is called a Methusaleh. See my advisory page
on wine bottle sizes for more
information.
In bond
This
term describes wine which is held in a bonded
warehouse, which has not passed
through
customs in order to officially enter the UK and
consequently has not been
subject to
duty or value added tax (VAT). Once purchased en
primeur (usually in case
quantities
only, although some traders have taken to selling
six-packs), wine may be
held 'in bond'
for a fee, and this is useful if you plan to
export the wine or sell on at a
later
date. If you're like me and tend to drink it
rather than sell it, however, in order
to get your hands on your wine you will
have to pay duty (about ?14 per case for still
wine, more for sparkling or fortified
wine) and then VAT (17.5% on top of the full
amount, including duty - which means
that you pay tax on the duty as well as the
wine) which will significantly increase
the amount you have to pay. Always take this
into account when buying in bond or en
primeur, and don't forget that shipping
charges may also be incurred.
Integrated
A tasting term.
When the components of wine, such as tannin, oak
and acidity, fade
as the wine develops,
they are said to have integrated.
Isinglass
A fining agent
comprising protein from fresh-water fish.
Italy
See my
Italian wine guide.
Wine
Glossary: J
Jerez y Manzanilla
(Spain)
The
Denominación de Origen in Spain famous for its dry
and sweet fortified wines
collectively
known as Sherry. Common types of Sherry include
Fino, Manzanilla,
Amontillado and
Oloroso. Less common types include Palo Cortado.
For more
information on Sherry see my
Spanish wine guide.
Jeroboam
A large format bottle, and the most
confusing of all, for it means different things to
different wines. In Bordeaux it is
equivalent to six standard bottles, but in
Burgundy
and Champagne a Jeroboam
contains the equivalent of a mere four bottles (a
double
magnum in Bordeaux). See my
advisory page on wine bottle sizes for more
information.
Wine Glossary: K
Kabinett
(Germany, Austria)
The
lowest category of wines in the Pr?dikat. The
minimum required must weight
varies
from region to region, and when comparing Germany
and Austria. In the
Mosel, Germany's
greatest wine region, the minimum must weight is
70 Oechsle. In
Austria it is 17 KMW.
The wines, unless from a rich vintage, tend to be
dry and low in
alcohol.
KMW
(Austria)
An
abbreviation for Klosterneuburger Mostwaage, a
measurement of must weight
used in
Austria. A more widespread equivalent, which is
used in Germany, is the
Oechsle scale.
Elsewhere you are more likely to hear of Baumé and
Brix. 1 KMW is
equivalent to
approximately 5 Oechsle. It is vital for the
winemaker to determine the
must weight
in Germany and Austria because it determines the
Pr?dikat category -
Kabinett, Sp?tlese
or Auslese - under which the wine will be
labelled. My article on
must weight in
my Sweet Wine series gives more information.
Wine Glossary: L
Lactic acid
One of the many
acids that contribute to the overall acidity of a
wine. This acid,
which is also found in
milk, makes a much softer impression on the palate
than many
others, such as malic acid.
As a consequence many winemakers encourage the
conversion of the harsh malic acid to
lactic acid by the malolactic fermentation.
Lagar
(Portugal,
Spain)
Not a misspelling of
a popular style of beer, rather a traditional
stone trough where
grapes are crushed
underfoot.
Landwein
(Germany, Austria)
The
equivalent of French vin de pays, although whereas
there are many enjoyable
bottles of
vin de pays
, this is less
likely to be true of
landwein
!
Languedoc
See my Languedoc
guides, for the Coteaux du Languedoc and Outside
the Coteaux
du Languedoc.
Late bottled vintage
A style
of Port, first introduced by Quinta do Noval in
1954. It is designed to mimic
the
vintage style, with less time until release and
less expense. The wines are
softened by
ageing in wood for up to six years and are
generally ready for
consumption when
released. The best, although not the cheapest,
examples are
labelled 'traditional' or
'unfiltered'. These offer a real glimpse of
vintage quality and
often continue to
improve after release.
Lees
A heavy sediment consisting of dead
yeast cells and other solid matter such as grape
pulp, pips and so on. Keeping the wine
on the lees, especially if they are stirred from
time to time, may be beneficial to the
wine, imparting extra flavour and body.
Eventually, however, they must be
removed. This may be achieved by racking the
wine off the lees. Residual solid
matter may be removed by filtration.
Left Bank
A collective term
for the communes of the left bank of the Gironde
in Bordeaux. For
more information, see
my guide to Bordeaux wine.
Legs
A tasting term. It refers to the tear-
like tracks that a wine makes down the side of a
glass after it has been swirled. It may
be related to alcohol or glycerol content - it's a
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