Wine Dictionary

acetic: A kind of acid present in all wines that, in the right amount, enhances the flavor. Excess acetic acid, a major flaw, results in a vinegary-smelling wine.

 

acidity: Refers to the level of citric, tartaric, malic and lactic acid naturally occurring in grapes and becoming an important factor in a wine's flavor and overall quality.

 

aftertaste: Also called the finish or length, the aftertaste refers to the flavors left in the mouth after swallowing wine.

 

albumin: The protein portion of the egg white.

 

aroma: An olfactory characteristic preceding bouquet that refers to the smell of a relatively young, unevolved wine.

 

astringent: A harshness (described as coarse, rough or puckery) in a wine that results from tannins or high acidity characteristic of young or poorly crafted wines.

 

austere: An overly dry, hard, highly acidic wine lacking richness or body that typically describes a young wine.

 

bacchus: The Greek god of wine.

 

balance: A characteristic of wine determined by the intersection of the concentration of fruit, tannin level and acidity.

 

balthazar: A large wine bottle size equivalent to 16 standard bottles or about 12 liters.

 

barrique: A small oak barrel used to ferment and age wine.

 

blind tasting: The sampling and evaluating of wines without knowledge of their identities.

 

bodega: A storehouse for maturing wine or a wineshop.

 

body: The sense of weight or fullness of a wine in the mouth.

 

botrytis cinerea: A fungus that attacks grapes under certain climatic conditions. Botrytis Cinerea is responsible for concentrating the grapes' sweet juice, producing overly sweet white wines.

 

bouquet: The smell of a mature aged wine. Bouquets are more complex and richer than the aromas of younger wines.

 

brix: A measurement of the sugar level of grapes that indicates grapes' harvest-time ripeness.

 

brut: Refers to a dry Champagne or sparkling wine.

 

carbonic maceration: Fermentation of whole, uncrushed grapes in a vat filled with carbonic gas to produce fruity wines.

 

cava: A Spanish sparkling wine typically produced in the Penedès region of Catalonia.

 

cellar: A room for storing wines.

 

clos: From the French, clos refers to a walled in vineyard. California wineries occasionally use the term "clos."

 

cooked: Refers to wine heat damaged during transportation or storage.

 

cordon: A kind of trellis used to train grape vines.

 

corkage: A charge levied by a restaurant for opening a bottle of wine brought in by the diner.

 

corked: Refers to a wine ruined by a tainted cork and characterized by a musty smell.

 

crackling: An American term used in reference to a wine that is only slightly sparkling.

 

cru: From the French for "growth," cru refers to a vineyard's ranking.

 

debourbage: The settling of grapes' must to yield a clarified, fruity wine that takes place during the production of white and rose wines.

 

decant : To separate the wine from the sediment prior to drinking by slowly pouring the wine from the bottle into another container.

 

demijohn: A large, squat bottle with a short narrow neck that holds one to 10 gallons. A demijohn is often covered in wicker.

 

demi-sec: From the French meaning "half dry," demi-sec refers to a Champagne's or sparkling wine's sweetness.

 

dessert wine: Any of various sweet wines suitable to accompany dessert. Dessert wine is also an American legal term used to denoted any fortified wine, sweet or not.

 

double magnum: A large wine bottle equivalent to four standard wine bottles or 3 liters.

 

dry: Refers to non-sweet wine lacking any perceptible taste of sugar.

 

dulce: From the Spanish meaning "sweet," dulce describes sweet wines.

 

egrappage: From the French, egrappage refers to the process of de-stemming grapes prior to fermentation to prevent the tannins in the stems from transferring to the wine.

 

enology: The science or study of viniculture or winemaking.

 

esters: Esters are compounds generated when alcohols and acids interact during the fermentation and aging process.

 

extra dry: In reference to Champagne and sparkling wine, "estra dry" indicates a fairly dry wine with residual sugar.