WINE FOR NEWBIES

A

Acid : One of the four tastes of wine. It is sometimes described as sour, acidic, or tart and can be found on the sides of the tongue and mouth.

Acidity : Refers to the level of acid found in wine. Too little acid tends to make a wine bland, while too much can make it vinegary. Acidity is not to be confused with sourness, dryness, or astringency.

Aftertaste : The flavor that stays in the mouth after swallowing wine. Also known as a wine’s finish, this flavor can be buttery, oaky, spicy, tart, or bitter.

Age: The period of time that a wine spends maturing to achieve its best flavor and aroma. Wines are aged in a variety of ways, from large casks (such as oak or stainless steel) to bottles. Complex wines tend to benefit from aging, whereas simple wines should be drunk when they are young.

Alcohol: A product of the fermentation of grapes that contributes to the taste of wine and acts as a preservative.

Almondy: Signifies the almondy taste that appears in young wines made by carbonic maceration. This taste also reflect certain alterations such as excess oxidation in white wines, or the “taste of light” in badly-stored sparkling wines.

Alsace: This area of France, known mostly for white wines, has over 90 picturesque villages. The wines are light to full-bodied with great varietal character. Alsace also produces wonderful late-harvest sweet wines. The area borders the Rhine north or Switzerland and extends about 70 miles along the lower slopes of Vosges Mountains from Strassbourg in the north past Colmar to Mulhouse.

Amarone: A strong, dry, long-lived red from Italy’s Veneto region, made from a blend of partially dried red grapes.

Amber-colored: A shade some white wines have after oxidation.

Amontillado: A style of Sherry from Spain. The wine is completely dry, it ages in barrels and is then fortified with brandy to a final alcohol level of 16%.

Aperitif: Any alcoholic beverage such as Champagne, Vermouth, or white wine that is taken before a meal as an “appetizer.”

Appellation Controlee (AC): Appellation Controlee is a guarantee that a wine was produced in a specific location by a particular method with approved grape varieties and in controlled quantities. Quality is not guaranteed, but wines designated with the AC are usually of higher quality than those that are not.

Aroma: The smell of a young wine which may later develop into a mature bouquet.

Aromatic: A term for wines with pronounced aroma, particularly those redolent of herbs or spices.

Astringency: A lip-puckering sensation caused by excess tannins, which may disappear as the wine ages.

Attack: The first impression a wine makes on the palate.

Austere: Somewhat hard, with restrained fruit and character.

B

Bacchus: Another name for Dionysios, the Greek and Roman God of wine.

Balance : The relationship among alcohol, sweetness. fruitness. acidity, and tannin food in a wine. Well-balanced wines have a pleasant proportion of all these elements. A wine’s balance may only be realized after some aging.

Banyuls : An unusual French wine commonly served with chocolate or dishes with a hint of sweetness. Made from late-harvest Grenache grapes, the wine must by law contains 15% alcohol. The steep hillside vineyards in the small village of Banyuls are above the Mediterranean at the southern limit of Roussilon.

Barbaresco: A respected red from Piedmont (Italy), lighter than Barolo, made from Nebbiolo grapes.

Bardolino: A light, red, slightly sweeet wine produced in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Bardolino is best drunk when young.

Barolo: One of the most highly regarded Italian wines, made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in Piedmont. The wine is dark, full-bodied and high in tannin and alcohol; it can improve over decades in aging.

Barrel: A round container, generally made from wood. Barrels of all different sizes are used, depending on the wine region and producer. Oak barrels are commonly used to age wines.

Beerenauslese: A German word meaning “selected berry picking.” Beerenauslese is a sweet German white wine made from late harvested grapes. These wines are usually expensive and hard to find.

Big: Describes a wine with powerful flavor (tasting term).

Bitter: A taste you get at the back of the tongue which should not be confused with the taste of tannins (tasting term).

Blanc de Blancs: A white wine or champagne made from white grapes only.

Blanc de Noirs: A white wine or champagne produced from red grapes vinified without skin contact (the juice of most red grapes is colorless; all the coloring matter is found in the skins).

Blending : The primary task of the wine maker. Wines from different lots or barrels are blended together to produce the final product for bottling. Tradition and regional laws dictate what grape varieties may be blended together to make a certain wine. It is up to the wine maker to select the percentages of each type of grape for the final blend. The particular characteristics of the vintage play a crucial role in this decision. The classic blending example comes from Bordeaux, where by law wine can be made from a blend of the following grapes: Canernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbee, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.

Blush Wine: A pink wine produced from grape juice or must from which the grape skins have been removed before fermentation is complete.

Bocoy: A wooden container that’s larger than the casks and has a capacity of 700 liters.

Body: Generally used to describe the “weight” of a wine in the mouth. Wines can be categorized as light, medium or full-bodied. A Cabernet Sauvignon is an example of a full-bodied wine. A Sauvignon Blanc is a light or medium-bodied wine.

Bodega: (Spain) (1) A winery (2) A wine cellar.

Bottle: Glass bottles are the most common containers for storing wines. Glass is ideal because it does not affect the wine in any way, even during extended periods in the bottle.

Bottle Aging: Process of aging in the bottle by which the wine consumes only the oxygen contained in the bottle, very slowly. This process helps refine the wine.

Bottle Sickness: A condition affecting wines immediately after bottling or shipment. The wine can taste flat or off, or smell of sulfur dioxide. This condition will disappear in about two or three weeks if the wine is store properly.

Botrytis Cinerea (Noble Rot): A mold that concentrates the sugar and flavor of grapes.

Bouquet: The various fragrances noted by smell, created by the development of wine from the fermentation and aging process, whether in barrel or bottle.

Breathing: Exposing a wine to the air by uncorking the bottle before serving. Generally, red wines require more breathing time than whites, which sometimes require none. Sparkling wines, for instance, do not need to breathe.

Breed: Used for wines of high quality, with elegance and finesse.

Brilliant: Describes a wine that has a shining, clean appearance, with luminous reflections.

Brix: Term used to measure the sugar content of grapes, grape juice (must) or wine. Grapes are generally harvested at 20 to 25 Brix, resulting in alcohol after fermentation of 11.5 to 14 percent.

Broad: Means a full-bodied, complex wine with plenty of subtleties.

Brunello Montalcino: The Brunello grape, grown in the town of Montalcino in southern Tuscany (Italy), produces full-bodied, rich, powerful, long-lived wines. By DOCG law, the wines must be aged in wood for three and a half years and be released not before their fourth year. Rosso di Montalcino, also produced from the Brunello grape, can be released after one year with no wood aging required.

Brut: This refers to the driest type of champagne or other sparkling wine (very dry sparkling wine).

Buttery: Describes a desirable aroma detectable in quality wines, especially if they have been made using the malolactic fermentation method.

C

Capsule: The protective metal of plastic sheath over the cork and neck of a wine bottle. The capsule keeps the cork from drying out and admitting air into the bottle.

Carafe: A glass container frequently used to serve house wine in restaurants.

Caramely: Used to describe wines that have been aged for a long time (reserva and gran reserva) and have a rich, burnt sugar flavor.

Carbonated Maceration: Special technique for fermenting red wines in which the whole grape undergoes enzymatic fermentation. It is used to obtain smooth, aromatic young wines.

Carbonated Wine: Sparkling wines of inferior quality that have been industrially injected with carbon dioxide.

Cask: Wooden cask used to age the wines. The Bordeaux cask (225 litres) is renowned for aging great table wines. It is made of oak staves held together with metal hoops, with two lids.

Cava: Spanish sparkling wine made using the Champagne method, undergoing its second fermentation in the bottle that’s sold to the public. This term in Spanish may also mean the cellars used for aging wines.

Cave: Some French wines are labeled “Mis en bouteilles dans nos caves.” This means “bottled in our cellars,” but it is no guarantee of quality.

Cellar: A storage area for wine, not necessarily underground. A cellar is the best area to keep wines for aging. Ideal conditions are darkness, controlled cool temperature, and high humidity. Bottles should be stored on their sides to keep the corks from drying out.

Chacoli: A light, acidic wine made from grapes that never fully ripened. 9% vol. Basquen Country.

Chai: A French term for an above-ground structure used for wine storage and aging. Contrast with cellar. Popular in Bordeaux.

Champagne: Only 75 miles northeast of Paris, the region has over 300 villages and produces the best-known sparkling wines in the world. Only wines produced here can legally be called champagne.

Chaptalisation: The addition of sugar to the must to increase the final alcohol content of the wine.

Character: The combination of a wine’s features that make it distinguishable. A term of praise.

Charmat Process: The process of producing sparkling wines in tanks rather than bottles. Often used to mass-produce inexpensive sparkling wines.

Chateau: Quality French Bordeaux wines are labeled “Mis en bouteille au chateau.” This means that the wines are estate bottled by the proprietor and are considered to be of high quality.

Chateau Bottled: Indicates that a wine is bottled at the chateau whose name is on the label - a practice designed in France to combat fraud. In Bordeaux specifically, all quality wines are labeled that way; look for “Mis en bouteille au Domaine” on the label of a Bordeaux. Today, it is not clear that chateau-bottled wines are superior to other wines.

Chenin Blanc: A very versatile white wine grape known in many areas of the world and called Steen in South Africa. It is the most famous white wine made in the Loire Valley of France. The grape is known for its high acidity and can be fermented dry or medium-sweet. The finest French Chenin Blancs can age for many years.

Chewy: Wines with unusual thickness of texture or tannins that one almost “chews” before swallowing.

Chianti: A fruity, light ruby-to-garnet-colored red from Tuscany (Italy), formerly bottled in a characteristic straw-covered flask. When aged three years or more, it can be called Chianti.

Clean: Fresh, with no discernible defects; refers to aroma, appearance and flavor.

Closed: Young, undeveloped wines that do not readily reveal their character are said to be closed. Typical of young Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as other big red wines.

Coarse: Rude or harsh in flavor; clumsy or crude.

Complete: Mature, with good follow-through on the palate, satisfying mouth-feel and firm aftertaste.

Complex: Multifaceted aroma and/or flavor. Most wines considered great exhibit a combination of flavor and aroma elements.

Cooked: Heavy, pruney flavor; also said of wines from very hot growing regions or wines that are overripe.

Corked, corky: Smelling of cork rather than wine; due to a faulty cork.

Crisp: Fresh, brisk character, usually with high acidity.

D

Decant: To gently pour a wine from one bottle to another so as not to disturb the sediment remaining in the bottom of the original bottle.

Developed: Mature. A well-developed wine is more drinkable than an undeveloped one.

Distinctive: Elegant, refined character that sets the wine apart on its own.

Dry: Opposite of sweet; somewhat subjective in that tasters may perceive sweetness to varying degree.

Dull: Lacking liveliness and proper acidity; uninteresting.

Dumb: Not revealing flavor or aroma; closed; typical of wines that are too young or too cold. Having layers of persistent flavor that gradually unfold with aeration.

Delicate: A wine that is light of flavor, fragrance and body.

E

Earthy: The taste that soil imparts to wine grapes and consequently to the wine.

Eiswein (Ice Wine): A sweet German wine made from grapes harvested and crushed after they have frozen on the vine.

Elegant: Refined character, distinguished quality, stylish, not heavy.

Extra Dry: A term used on Champagne labels to indicate not-quite-dry; not as dry as Brut.

F

Fat: Full of body and flavor; fleshy.

Fine: Distinguished.

Finesse: Distinctive balance; fineness; elegance and flair.

Finish: Aftertaste, or final impression the wine leaves; it can have a long finish or a short one (not desirable).

Firm: Taut balance of elements; tightly knit structure; also distinct flavor.

Flat: Dull, lacking in liveliness; wine without sufficient acid.

Flavor: How the wine tastes.

Fleshy: Fatness of fruit; big, ripe.

Flinty: Dry, mineral character that comes from certain soils, mostly limestone, in which the wine was grown; typical of French Chablis and Loire Valley Sauvignon Blancs (Sancerre).

Flowery: Aroma suggestive of flowers.

Forward: Developed ahead of its peers; also, when the fruit is prominent, it is said to be forward.

Foxy: The “grapey” flavors of wines made from native American grapes, Vitis labrusca.

Fruity: Aroma and/or flavor of grapes; most common to young, light wines but refers also to such fruit flavors in wine as apple, black currant, cherry, citrus, pear, peach, raspberry, or strawberry; descriptive of wines in which the fruit is dominant.

Full-bodied: Full proportion of flavor and alcohol; big, fat.

G

Green: A wine made from unripe grapes that is tart and lacking fruit flavor.

Grip: Firmness of flavor and structure.

H

Hard: Stiff, with pronounced tannins; undeveloped.

Harmonious: All elements — fruit, acid, tannin — in perfect balance

Harsh: Rough, biting character from excessive tannin or acid.

Heady: High in alcohol, very full-bodied

Herbaceous: Aromas reminiscent of fresh grass or hay; grassy, as in certain Sauvignon Blancs; also the green pepper character of some Cabernets.

Herby: Reminiscent of herbs, such as mint, sage, thyme, or of eucalyptus.

Honest: Without flaws, typical and straightforward, simple but not great.

Honeyed: Smell or taste reminiscent of honey, characteristic of late-harvest wines affected by “noble rot” (Botrytis cinerea).

I

Intricate: Interweaving of subtle complexities of aroma and flavor.

J

There are currently no glossary items for this letter.

K

There are currently no glossary items for this letter.

L

Legs: The viscous rivulets that run down the side of the glass after swirling or sipping, a mingling of glycerin and alcohol.

Length: Lingering aftertaste.

Light: Refers to wines light in alcohol but also to texture and weight, how the wine feels in the mouth. Lightness is appropriate in some wines, a defect in others.

Lively: Crisp, fresh, having vitality.

Long: Fine wines should have a long finish, or aftertaste; see Length.

Luscious: Rich, opulent, and smooth; most often said of sweet wines but also intensely fruity ones.

M

Maderized: Wine that has oxidized; has brown or amber color and stale odor.

Mature: Fully developed, ready to drink.

Meaty: A wine with chewy, fleshy fruit; sturdy and firm in structure.

Mellow: Smooth and soft, with no harshness.

Moldy: Wines with the smell of mold or rot, usually from grapes affected by rot or from old moldy casks used for aging.

Muscular: Vigorous fruit, powerful body and flavor; robust.

Musty: Stale, dusty or rank aromas.

N

Noble: Great; of perfect balance and harmonious expression. The so-called “noble” grapes are those that produce the world’s finest wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Riesling (some would also include Syrah, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese).

Nose: The smell of the wine; it may have a “good nose” or an “off-nose,” meaning defective odors.

Nutty: Nutlike aromas that develop in certain wines, such as sherries or old white wines.

O

Oak, oaky: Aroma and flavor that derive from aging in oak casks or barrels. Characterized by smokiness, vanilla, clove or other spices. Should not be overly pronounced.

Off-dry: Not quite dry, a perception of sweetness too faint to call the wine sweet.

Off-flavors (also off-aromas or off-nose): Not quite right; flavors or odors that are not correct for a particular type of wine; opposite of clean; defective.

Open: Revealing full character.

Oxidized: Flat, stale or sherrylike aroma and flavor; spoiled as the result of overexposure to air.

P

Petillant: A light sparkle.

Q

There are currently no glossary items for this letter.

R

Rich: Full, opulent flavor, body and aroma.

Ripe: Mature, fully ripe fruit.

Robust: Full-bodied, powerful, heady

Rough: Harsh edges, biting, unpleasant.

Round: Smooth and well-developed flavor, without angularity or rough edges.

S

Sharp: Biting acid or tannin.

Short: Refers to finish, or aftertaste, when it ends abruptly.

Silky: Smooth, sinuous texture and finish.

Simple: Opposite of complex; straightforward.

Smoky: Aroma and flavor sometimes associated with oak aging.

Soft: May refer to soft, gentle fruit in delicate wines, or to lack of acidity in wines without proper structure; used on a label occasionally to indicate low alcohol.

Solid: Sound, well structured, firm.

Sour: Sharply acidic or vinegary

Sparkling: Wines with bubbles created by trapped carbon dioxide gas, either natural or injected.

Spicy: Having the character or aroma of spices such as clove, mint, cinnamon, or pepper.

Spritzy: Slight prickle of carbon dioxide, common to some very young wines; frizzante in Italy.

Spumante: A sparkling white wine made from the Moscato grape produced in and around Asti in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is something referred to as the “Champagne of Italy.”

Steely: Firmly structured; taut balance tending toward high acidity.

Stiff: Unyielding, closed; dumb.

Strong: Robust, powerful, big.

Structure: The way a wine is built; its composition and proportions.

Stuffing: Big, flavorful, full-bodied wines are said to have “stuffing.”

Sturdy: Bold, vigorous flavor; full-bodied; robust.

Sulphur, SO2: An anti-oxidant used in making most wines; the fermentation process creates minute natural amounts.

Supple: Yielding in flavor; a wine that is readily accessible for current drinking.

Sweet: Usually indicates the presence of residual sugar, retained when grape sugar is not completely converted to alcohol. Even dry wines, however, may have an aroma of sweetness, the combination of intense fruit or ripeness. Considered a flaw if not properly balanced with acidity.

T

Tannin: A natural component found to varying degrees in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes; most prominent in red wines, where it creates a dry, puckering sensation in young reds of concentrated extract; mellows with aging and drops out of the wine to form sediment; a major component in the structure of red wines.

Tart: sharp; acceptable if not too acidic.

Thick: Dense and heavy in texture.

Thin: Lacking body and flavor.

Tired: Past its peak of flavor development; old.

Tough: Astringent or hard; wiry; tannic.

U

There are currently no glossary items for this letter.

V

Vanilla: A scent imparted by aging in oak.

Velvety: Smooth and rich in texture.

Vigorous: Firm, lively fruit, strong body; assertive flavor.

Vinegary: Having the smell of vinegar; see also Acetic.

Volatile, Volatile Acidity (VA): Smells of acetic acid and/or ethyl acetate, quite disagreeable when excessive though a tiny amount may enhance aromas.

W

Watery: Thin, lacking in flavor.

Weak: Lacking grip typical for the wine; without character

Weedy: Aromas or flavors reminiscent of hay or grasses; not necessarily unpleasant unless exaggerated.

Weighty: Strong, powerful, full-bodied, forceful.

Woody: Excessive aromas of wood, common to wines aged overlong in cask or barrel.

X

There are currently no glossary items for this letter.

Y

Yeasty: A bready smell, sometimes detected in wines that have undergone secondary fermentation, such as Champagne; very appealing if not excessive.

Young: In simple wines signifies youthful freshness; in finer wines, refers to immaturity, wines as yet undeveloped.

Z

There are currently no glossary items for this letter.