France Flashcards
Biologique
Organically produced
Bland de Blanc
100%white grapes in a white sparkling wine
Blanc de Noirs
100% black grapes in a white sparkling wine
Brut
Dry style of sparkling wine
Sec
Dry (not sweet)
Demi-Sec
Off-dry (lightly sweet)
Doux / Moelleux
Sweet
Cépage
Grapes used in the wine (Encépagment is the proportions of the blend)
Château
A winery
Clos
A walled vineyard or vineyard on the site of an ancient walled vineyard. Commonly used in Burgundy
Côtes
Wines from a slope or hillside (contiguous)-usually along a river
Coteaux
Wines from a grouping of slopes or hillsides (non-contiguous)
Cru
‘Growth,’ indicates a vineyard or group of vineyards typically recognized for quality
Grand Cru
‘Great Growth,’ used in BURG and CHAMP to distinguish the region’s vest vineyards
Premier Cru
‘First Growth,’ top-tier designation for producers in BRDX and second best designation for vineyards in BURG and CHAMP
Grand Vin
Used in BORDX to indicate a winery’s ‘first label’ or best wine they produce (their opinion of best wine). Common for BORDX to have 1st, 2nd, 3rd label at varying price tiers.
Cuvée
‘Vat’ or ‘Tank’ but is used to denote a specific wine blend or batch
Domaine
A winery estate with vineyards
Élevé en fûtus de chêne
Aged in Oak
Millésime
The vintage date. more commonly used in CHAMP
Mis en bouteille au château/domaine
Bottled at winery
Mousseux
Sparkling
Non-Ffiltré
Unfiltered wine
Pétillant
Lightly sparkling
Propriétaire
owner of winery
Supérieur
A regulatory term used in BRDX to describe a wine with higher minimum alcohol and aging requirements than the base
Sur Lie
A wine that is aged on lees (dead yeast particles), which are known to give a creamy/bready taste and increased body. Mostly found in Muscadet of the Loire
Vendangé à la main
Hand harvested
Vieille Vignes
Old vines
Vignoble
Vineyard
Vin Doux Naturel (VDN)
A wine that is fortified during fermentation (usually a sweet dessert wine)
