Wine Glossary

An Explanation of Common Wine Related Words and Phrases

Acetic
Several types of acids are found in wines, the worst is acetobacter a bacteria  that turns wine into vinegar

Acidity
Some acids are essential: they balance the fruit giving crispness, freshness, brilliance whilst preserving the wine. Lacking the right kind of acidity will produce an insipid wine, the most important are citric, malic and tartaric acid.

AC Appellation Controlee
France ’s principal and much imitated quality designation system. Designed to protect producers from imitation and to guarantee authenticity to consumers. Appellations are granted and regulated by INAO (Institut National des Appellations d’Origine).

Aroma
A simple, often fruity smell or flavour present in young wine

Astringent
A critical term usually used for relatively tannic white wines (see Tannic)

Balance
The relation of the components in a wine so that the balance is maintained. A well balanced wine will have the most notable attribute — flavour, fragrance, after-taste etc — shown off to advantage with the other traits remaining in proportion.

Body
Determined chiefly by its alcoholic strength but also by extract. The more body a wine has the less it tastes like water.

Bone Dry
A wine with no taste of sweetness, but with an assertive almost rasping dryness

Bouquet
The complex and multi layered smells or flavours, mainly the product of the maturing process.

Cave
Cellar, usually underground

Concentrated
Good extract and/or intense flavours

Corked
Wine that has been spoilt and smells mouldy usually from cracked or seeping cork allowing introduction of air or fungi. The longer the wine is exposed to the air, the stronger the smell gets and the wine usually tastes rather nasty.

Cuvee
Literally a vatful of wine. Usually however, it indicates a blend of wines, generally from the same grape variety and of the same vintage. In Champagne it also means the first pressing and the resultant wine.

DO
Spanish official category of wine Denominacion de Origen

DOC
Italian official category of wine Denominazione di Origine Controllata

DOCG
As above but ‘Garantita’ too

Domaine
Wine estate

Dry
Less obvious than bone dry; there is no sweetness but there can be a mouth filling subtle character

Esters
Compounds formed by acids and alcohols either during fermentation or ageing. Often intensely aromatic.

Extract
The sum of a wine’s solids i.e. what would be left after boiling, includes phenolics, sugars, minerals and glycerol.

Fermentation malolactique
Malolactic fermentation that breaks down acids in the wine. Essential for red wines, optional for white.

Finish
The sensory impact of a wine after it has been swallowed

Firm
Tannins perceptible

Fresh
Pleasantly acid

Fruit
The combination of flavour (aroma) and body coming from the grapes rather than the wine making or ageing.

Full-bodied
Wine with considerable body (see above)

Green
Generally too acid. It can mean the agreeable freshness that some wines possess while very young. It may also indicate the wine was made from young vines.

Length
The time the various taste impressions of the wine remain with the drinker both in the nose and on the palate after swallowing.

Maceration carbonique
Process in which fermentation takes place within uncrushed grapes placed in carbon dioxide, resulting in fragrant wines that are quickly drinkable - e.g.Beaujolais Primeur

Malic Acid
Appley acid most notable in grapes from cool years

Must
Unfermented grape juice

Noble Rot
The action of a fungus (botrytis cinera) can work wonders in vineyards where the grapes are still on the vines. The grape skins wither and shrink concentrating the juice and taking on something extra, a flavour that lingers and tantalizes.

Nutty
Aroma reminiscent of one of a number of nuts

Oaked
Aroma from ageing in oaken casks.

Oenology
The science of wine making, practiced by a oenologist

Oxidized
Over-exposure to air. Very old wines may oxidize as a result of a small amount of air in the bottle under the cork

Sommelier
Expert in the art of selecting and serving wine.

Sparkling
Wine containing carbon dioxide, such as champagne.

Sulphur
SO 2, the most used antiseptic in the world of wine, it kills harmful bacteria, fermentation creates minute amounts naturally.

Sweet
Containing residual sugar from fermentation or from grape sugar incompletely converted to alcohol.

Viticulture
The art and science of growing wine grapes.

Vitis vinifera
Europe’s native vine specie, often called simply vinifera

Woody
Aroma or taste of wood e.g. the pine of Retsina