| >Acidity is the
natural tartness of grapes, giving a refreshing quality and preventing
blandness. It is one of the main components in the structure of wine.
The most common acids are tartaric, malic, lactic and citric.
|
| > Alcohol level is
the amount of alcohol by volume. Wine generally ranges from 7% to
14%, with an average of 11% to 12%; fortified wines may reach 21%.
By contrast, beer averages between 4 and 5%, and spirits generally
start at 40%. |
| > Appellation is
a geographical designation of origin. The system used in the States
defines AVAs (or American Viticultural Areas). Acronyms for systems
used elsewhere include AC or AOC (France); DOC or DOCG (Italy); DO
or DOC (Spain); DO or IPR (Portugal). |
| > Aroma is the combination
of primary scents that evolves into bouquet as wine ages. |
| > Astringency is
mainly associated with red wines, due to levels of tannin; it is experienced
on the palate as a rough, drying sensation. |
| > Balance is the
harmonious interplay of components in a wine. For example, acidity
balances sweetness; fruit balances oak; alcohol balances flavor. |
| > Barrel aging refers
to keeping wine in a wooden barrel after fermentation and before bottling.
Wood is porous and allows the wine to mature in controlled interaction
with its environment; the wood may also provide flavor. |
| > Barrel-fermented
identifies wines fermented in oak barrels rather than stainless steel
tanks or other vessels. |
| > Barrique is a
small (59-gallon) barrel for aging wine. |
| > Blanc de Blancs
is white wine made from white grapes; Blanc
de Noirs is white wine from dark-skinned
grapes. |
| > Body is the tactile
impression of weight or fullness of wine on the palate. |
| > Botrytis causes
grapes to rot, sometimes to delicious effect. The fungus botrytis
cinerea attacks ripe grapes, particularly in humid vineyards, causing
them to shrivel and become concentrated and sweet. The juice of grapes
affected with this ³noble rot² is used to make some of the world¹s
great sweet wines, including Sauternes. |
| > Bouquet is the
complex of fragrances that develops in a wine as it matures. |
| > Carbonic maceration
is the fermentation of whole rather than crushed grapes, resulting
in light, fruity wines. |
| > Cava is the Catalàn
word for cellar, and refers to sparkling wines made in Spain. |
| > Cepage is French
for vine variety. |
| > Climate is a critical
influence on the production of good-quality wine grapes. Climate includes
the level of heat, sunshine, rainfall and wind. Each grape variety
has specific conditions of climate which suit it best. |
| > Corked refers
to a wine that has been tainted by a chemical compound in its cork,
generally smelling of mold and must. Increasingly alarmed by the problem
of spoiled wine, the wine industry all over the world has been experimenting
with alternative forms of bottle closures including synthetic corks
and screwtops. |
| > Cremant is a term
used to describe French sparkling wines made outside of the Champagne
region, but employing the méthode Champenoise in their production.
Crémants are produced throughout France, most notably in Alsace and
the Loire. |
| > Cru is the French
term for rank or level, (often translated as ³growth²), often used
to define a hierarchy of vineyards within appellations. In most Bordeaux
classifications, premier cru classé is the top rank. In Burgundy,
premier cru vineyards are one level below grand cru. |
|
| > Cuvee is a blend
of wines. |
| > Decanting is gently
pouring wine from the bottle into another container to enhance aeration
and permits removal of sediment. |
| > Dry describes
a lack of perceptible sweetness. In dry wines, all or most of the
sugar is fermented into alcohol. Brut is a French term for dry Champagne;
extra-dry sparkling wines are actually sweeter than brut; demi-sec
refers to a medium-sweet to sweet wine. Trocken is the German word
for dry; halbtrocken is half-dry. Secco is Italian for dry, abboccato
for slightly sweet. |
| > Fat describes
a full-bodied wine, where the level of acidity is lower than the perceptible
sweetness or alcohol. |
| > Fermentation is
the process during which yeast transforms the sugar of grape juice
(or a mash of grains) into alcohol. |
| > Filtering is often
used to remove yeast cells and other particles from wine after fermentation
or prior to bottling. |
| > Fining is removing
suspended particles which cloud a wine by introducing an agent‹varying
from powdered clay to egg whites‹which binds to the suspended elements,
making them heavy enough to fall to the bottom of the storage vessel. |
| > Finish is the
wine¹s tactile and flavor impression left in the mouth after swallowing.
In the finest wines, the finish should be long and lingering. |
| > Fortified connotes
the addition of spirits to wine: to raise the level of alcohol, or
to stop fermentation and thereby maintain the natural sweetness of
the grapes. |
| > Glycerin is a
by-product of fermentation most noticeable in higher alcohol and late-harvest
wines, giving a smooth tactile impression. |
| > Kabinett, Spätlese & Auslese are
German terms which relate, in ascending order, to sugar levels at
harvest, not the sweetness of the finished wine. |
| > Late-Harvest refers
to sweet wines made from extra-ripe grapes. |
| > Length describes
wine with a prolonged flavor and feel in the mouth. |
| > Lees are the sediment‹consisting
of dead yeast cells, grape pulp, seeds and pigment‹that drop to the
bottom of a vessel during and after a wine¹s fermentation. Sur lie
is a French phrase which refers to extended contact of wine with the
lees, which imparts additional flavor (described in wine jargon as
leesy). |
| > Maceration is
the steeping of grape skins and seeds within the must to extract phenolics. |
| > Malolactic fermentation is
a secondary fermentation allowed to occur in some white wines and
the majority of reds. This process is used to convert sharp malic
acid into softer lactic acid; it contributes complexity and softness
to most reds and in whites it imparts a buttery quality. |
| > Meritage represents
white or red wines from a California winery incorporating a blend
of varieties traditionally used in Bordeaux, France. |
| > Méthode champenoise is
French for ³Champagne method,² referring to the production of sparkling
wines both in Champagne and elsewhere. The key step in the méthode
Champenoise is the inducement of a secondary fermentation inside the
bottle, by adding a small amount of yeast and sugar to a ³base wine²
and re-corking the bottle, trapping the carbon dioxide from the second
fermentation inside to give the wine its bubbles. |
|
| > Must is crushed
grapes ready to be fermented, or in the process of fermenting. |
| > Negociant is the
French word for merchant. |
| > Nose refers to
the aroma of a wine, or to the act of smelling the wine. |
| > Oxidized describes
wines that have spoiled or become brown due to oxygen. |
| > Phenolics are
chemical compounds found in wines; they include tannins, color pigments
and flavor compounds. |
| > Reserva in Spain
and Riserva in Italy are legally defined terms describing the aging
requirements of wines in particular regions. In most other countries,
³reserve² designations do not have legal definitions; they may refer
to a selection or lot, or simply be part of a brand name. |
| > Residual sugar refers
to a percentage of natural sugars left in a finished wine after it
has gone through fermentation. It is usually expressed as a percentage
of grams of sugars per liter of finished wine. A higher percentage
of RS generally marks a sweeter-tasting wine. |
| > Structure refers
to the interaction of components which contribute to a wine¹s tactile
sensation, including acidity, glycerin, alcohol and tannin. |
| > Sulfites are a
derivative of the element sulfur, widely used in winemaking, though
most wineries keep their applications to a minimum. Sulfur may be
sprayed in the vineyard as a preventive against diseases, pests and
mildew. Sulfites may be used in the winery to clean and sterilize
equipment, to kill off bacteria that could harm the wine, to prevent
browning in the juice, to inhibit native yeasts on the grapes, or
to guard against spoilage at bottling. Sulfites are also a natural
by-product of fermentation, and most wines contain very low levels
of added sulfites. By law, any wine with sulfites higher than 10 ppm
must state ³contains sulfites² on the label. |
| > Tannins are phenolic
compounds derived primarily from grape seeds and skins, as well as
the wooden casks in which wines are aged. Depending on the ripeness
and quality of the grapes from which they are extracted, tannins can
provide either a smooth texture or an astringency to the wine. Tannins
impede oxidation and are a primary component in a wine¹s structure.
As a wine ages, tannin becomes less noticeable as the tannin molecules
combine into large polyphenols and drop out as sediment at the bottom
of the bottle. |
| > Terroir describes
the environment or a particular vineyard, including elements of soil,
climate and aspect. The French term ³gout de terroir² refers to the
characteristic expression of a specific vineyard in a wine.
|
| > Varietal character
refers to the combination of aromas and tactile impressions typically
offered by a particular grape variety. |
| > Vintage is the
year in which the grapes were picked, and also refers to the picking
process. |
| > Vitis Vinifera is
the genus and species of grapevine responsible for producing grapes
that make the world¹s best wines‹cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, pinot
noir, riesling, sauvignon blanc, etc. |
| > Yeasts are one-celled
organisms that, in winemaking, convert sugars into alcohol. |
| > Yield is the quantity
of grapes or wine produced in a given area‹often stated as tons/acre
or hectoliters/hectare (hl/ha) |
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