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Acid
A key element of wine present in all grapes. When acid is balanced, wine is fresh and has a long life.
Age
The process of maturing in wines. As white wines age, they tend to turn from a greenish hue to a yellowish tone to a golden amber color. Reds usually begin with a purple tone, turning to a deep red brick red color depending on the grape. Rosés should be pink without any other color.
Alcohol
Alcohol is the natural by-product of fermentation. It is one of the main components of taste, the others being acid, residual sugar and tannin. The presence of these components defines a wine that has "good balance."
American Viticultural Area (AVA)
When a AVA is designated on a wine label, 85% of the grapes used to make that wine must have come from that AVA. If a non-AVA Appellation or region is designated on a wine label, at least 75% of the grapes must come from that area. It should be noted that the designation of an AVA does not infer the quality of the wine, but may sometimes infer a general characteristic of the wine.
Anthocyanin
One of the phenolics present in wine; the red and blue pigments found in the skins of dark grape varieties.
Aroma
What gives a wine its distinctive “nose” or “bouquet.” Applied to the grape itself.
Astringent
High tannic acid content giving a furry feeling on the tongue.
Assemblage (ah-sem-blage)
The process of blending high-value wines.
Appellation (app-el-ay-shun)
The region where a specific grape is grown. Geography and climate combine to produce flavors and style characteristics, which are unique to a region.
Bottle Sizes
- split 187.5 ml
- 1/2 bottle 375 ml (aka Fillette)
- bottle 750 ml
- magnum 1.5 liter (2 bottles)
- Marie-Jeanne 2.25 liters (3 bottles) (Red Bordeaux)
- double magnum 3 liters (4 bottles)
- jeroboam 4.5 liters (6 bottles)
- imperial 6 liters (8 bottles)
Bouquet(boo-kay)
The combination of aromas given off by a wine.
Breathe
When wine is poured from the bottle into another container, such as a wineglass it mixes with air, releasing aromas which become more pronounced as time passes.
Breed
Also described as complex or elegant, a term denoting a wine made from the best grape varieties.
Buttery
The taste of a very good white wine, usually a Chardonnay wine.
Balance
All elements of a wine are in harmony, with no one element dominating. Acid is balanced against the sweetness, fruit is in balance with oak and tannin, and alcohol is balanced against both acidity and flavor.
Blending
The art of mixing different wines
Blind tasting
Wine tasting term for tasting wine from bottles with hidden labels.
Blush wine
Light, slightly sweet wine, either white or rosé, made from dark grapes.
Bottle-aging
Maturing a wine directly in the bottle as opposed to a tank or barrel.
Corked
Flavor of a wine tastes of cork.
Creamy
Refers to the silky taste of wines, usually white, subjected to malolactic fermentation as opposed to the tart or crisp taste of the same wine lacking the treatment.
Crisp
A term used when wine has a pronounced but pleasing tartness, acidity. Generally used to describe white wines only
Cru
A term for a particular wine, type of wine, vineyard or the wine produced at that vineyard.
Cuvée (coo-vay)
A term for the initial pressing of the grape, and also a term for a blend of high-quality wines.
Decanting
Pouring wine slowly from the bottle into a carafe, which can add oxygen or separate the wine from the sediment.
Dégustation
A term meaning the lack of sweetness in a wine
Case
12 (750 ml) bottles of wine.
Cedar
The term denoting the aroma found in fine red wines.
Chambrer
A term describing opening a bottle of wine so it can come into contact with the air and reach room temperature. From the French meaning “Allow to breathe.”
Citrusy
An aroma and flavor of citrus fruits, often of grapefruit, generally found in white wines made from grapes grown in cooler regions of California.
Clarification
The process of clearing a wine that involves binding cloudy substances and particles, which then settle on the bottom, becoming sediment.
Cloudy
Opposite of clear; generally an undesirable quality in a wine.
Enology
The science of wine production. Also spelled Oenology
Dry
A term meaning the lack of sweetness in a wine
Fermentation
The process of winemaking that turns the sugar in the grape into alcohol and carbonic acid. Grapes on the vine are covered with yeast, mold and bacteria. By putting the grape juice, or must, into a container at the right temperature, the yeast will turn the sugar in the juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Fining
Same as clarification, the process of clearing a wine that involves binding cloudy substances and particles, which then settle on the bottom, becoming sediment.
Finish
Same as clarification, the process of clearing a wine that involves binding cloudy substances and particles, which then settle on the bottom, becoming sediment.
Flat
A wine-tasting term denoting very low acid and lacking flavor.
Flavones
One of the phenolics found in wine; the yellow pigments in small amounts in all pale and dark skinned grape varieties.
Floral
A wine-tasting term indicating the aroma or taste of flowers in the wine, mostly applied to white wines.
Forward
Wine-tasting term indicating that the fruitiness of a wine is immediately apparent, and is at perfect maturity for drinking.
Fresh
Describes the lively fruity acidity of good young red, white and rosé wines.
Full-bodied
A wine-tasting term denoting a wine that fills the mouth and weights on the tongue.
Glycerin
A natural by-product of the fermentation process, giving the wine a sweet taste on the tongue, and a smooth sensation in the mouth.
Growth
A term for a particular wine or type of wine.
Lees
The sediment remaining in the tank after fermentation.
Legs
Swirling a wineglass filled with wine will produce rivulets, or legs, indicating the amount of alcohol present in the wine. Generally, the higher the alcohol content, the more impressive the legs.
Maceration
Part of the fermentation process where grape skins, seeds and stems are steeped for hours or weeks before pressing.
Marc
The residue left in the winepress after pressing or fermentation.
Mash
The pulp of the grape, including skins and seeds, that settles in a fermentation tank or barrel.
Maturing
The process of ripening in the bottle.
Meritage
Combining the words “merit” and “heritage,” a cuvée made from several varieties of quality grapes.
Méthode champenoise
Combining the words “merit” and “heritage,” a cuvée made from several varieties of quality grapes.
Must
Raw, unfermented, grape juice.
Non-vintage
A blend of different grape varieties from different areas and different years.
Nose
The overall scent of a wine.
Oenology
The science of wine production. Also spelled Enology
Oxidation
The result of too much oxygen in the wine, causing color change and loss of freshness.
pH value
The result of too much oxygen in the wine, causing color change and loss of freshness.
Phenolics
Substances extracted from grape skins that provide the color and texture for red wine, specifically, anthocyanins, flavones and tannins.
Polyphenol
Substances extracted from grape skins that provide the color and texture for red wine, specifically, anthocyanins, flavones and tannins.
Pressing
The process which separates the grape solids from the juice.
Racking
A natural clarification that removes sediment by transferring the wine from one cask to another until it is clear.
Residual sugar
The natural sweetness of a wine, produced from the sugar not converted to alcohol during fermentation.
Rosé
Pink champagne or wine, usually made from black grapes with little skin contact, or from a blend of red and white wines and often fruitier than white champagne or wine.
Sediment:The accumulation of tannin and pigment deposits in a bottle of wine. Can be removed by decanting.
Solera
System for making brandies, sherry, port and other fortified wines that ensures the same quality year after year.
Sommelier (soh-mal-lee-ay)
French term for a professional wine server.
Specific gravity
The degree of ripeness of the grapes.
Stabilization
A condition reached when a wine has all the undesirable sediment removed and is clear in the bottle with no further fermentation.
Tannin
Provides the astringent effect in wines, important in the aging of red wines. Tannin decreases as a wine ages.
Taste
Four basic tastes detected by the tongue - sweet, salty, sour and bitter.
Varietal (Vah-rye-ah-tall)
The grape variety used to make a champagne or wine. In Europe, wines are usually named after the region in which the grapes are grown (i.e. Bordeaux, Chianti, Burgundy). Elsewhere, wines are usually labeled with the name of the grape variety that the wine is made from (i.e. Cabernet, Chardonnay, etc.).
Veraison (ve-ray-zon)
when the red grapes turn color and white grapes become translucent. When véraison is completed it is about 4 ountil harvestThe phase of growth where the grape begins to turn color and the sugar begins to form.
Vinification
The production of wine from the harvest to the bottling.
Vitis Vinifera
The premier grape species used for the world's most admired wines.
Vintage
A term referring to a wine from an exceptional year; can also refer to the year in which the grapes were grown.
Wine-tasting
How soil, climate, and weather affect different varieties of grapes, and how those factors are manifested in the taste of the wine. Wine-tasting breaks down into four basic steps:
- Color of the wine
- Clarity of the wine when viewed against a light source
- Smell which is referred to as the “nose”
- Taste
Tasters use specific words and phrases such as “buttery”, “cedar”, “crisp,” “creamy,” and “bright” to describe their perceptions of the wine. These words and phrases describe the subtle flavors of the wines that differentiate one from the next.
Yeast
Micro-organisms, some of which make grape juice ferment.
Yield
The amount of grapes produced from a particular crop.
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