Fundamentals: Glossary Flashcards
Spanish for ‘wall’
Abrigo
What is Albariza?
A kind of soil. 30-80% chalk with limestone, sand, clay. Water-retentive, found in sherry country and DO Montilla-Moriles
What is Albero?
Two meanings:
Absorbent sand flooring in sherry bodegas.
The name for albariza in DO Montilla-Moriles.
What is Aloque?
A semi-red wine unique to DO Valdepeñas. Also known as clarete.
Traditionally red and white wines were blended and aged/stored in tinajas: large earthernware jars. Today it’s a red and white field blend fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Usually Cencibel and Airén.
What is the Spanish for ‘vintage’, used on sherry labels?
Añada
What is Añejo? How is the term applied in Cariñena?
Spanish for ‘mature’ with 24 months ageing.
For example, añejo in DO Cariñena is for intensely oxidised wines of minimum 15% alcohol, with 24 months in barrel (no bottle ageing requirement). The DO also permits the usual ageing designations.
What is Arenas?
Sand. A soil in sherry country.
What is Arrope?
A dark syrup made by heating grape must over a low fire until it reduces to one-fifth volume. Used in making vinos de color.
What is Barros?
Clay. A soil in sherry country.
What are Botas?
Spanish for barrels
What are Bodegas?
Spanish for wineries
What are Brisats?
Orange wines made in Cataluña, for instance in DO Terra Alta
What is Cabeceo?
The process of blending dry and sweet sherries to produce cream sherry.
What is Calatayud Superior? (3)
A designation in DO Calatayud for wines made from:
low yielding vines (3,500kg/ha)
at least 50 years old
with minimum 85% Garnacha
What is Call Vermell?
A soil found on Mallorca. Reddish clay, often mixed with limestone gravels or stones.
What is Cava?
Spanish sparkling wine produced using método tradictional
What is Cava de Paraje Calificado?
Spanish for ‘Qualified Single Vineyard Cava’?, the highest quality designation in DO Cava. Requirements include:
hand harvested grapes
from a single vineyard
minimum 10 year old vines
aged on lees for minimum 36 months
vintage dated
Brut, Extra Brut, or Brut Nature
(as amended in SWS corrections)
What is the highest quality designation in DO Cava?
Cava de Paraje Calificado
What is Cierzo?
A wind. Strong, dry, cooling, north/northwest wind blowing through Rioja, Navarra, Aragón, Cataluña in winter
What is Clarete?
Wine made by crushing red and white grapes together, and vinifying like red, to make a pale red wine.
What is Clàssic Penedès?
A cava designation in DO Penedès. Regulations include:
100% organic
sourced within DO Penedès
método tradicional
minimum 15 months lees ageing
What espumoso quality designation is available in DO Penedès, other than cava?
Clàssic Penedès
What is a Colleiteiro?
A boutique winery in Ribeiro, Galicia. Annual production below 60,000L using estate-grown grapes.
What is a Consejo Regulador?
Spanish for the ‘regulating council’ of a DOP, which regulates viticulture and winemaking, sets quality standards, and provides proof of origin.
What is Cordón Trenzado?
A grape training technique unique to Las Islas Canarias. Vines are braided into long ropes, so they can be moved to allow other crops (mainly potatoes) to be grown on the same land.
What is Consecha?
Spanish for ‘harvest’ or ‘vintage’. Also a category of wine with no ageing requirement.
What are Consecheros?
Grape growers in Rioja, uniquely using carbonic maceration and wild yeast fermentation to make red wine
What are Costers?
Spanish for the banks of a river or steep slopes
What are Criaderas?
Spanish for ‘nurseries’: in sherry ageing, the butts in a solera system (other than the butts that the wine is bottled from, which is the solera).
What is Crianza?
An ageing category. Minimum times in total (in barrel):
Vinos tintos: 24 (6)
Vinos rosados: 18 (6)
Vinos blancos: 18 (6)
Longer in some regions like DOCa Rioja and DO Ribera del Duero
(amended in SWS corrections)
What does DO stand for and what does it mean?
Denominación de Origen
A legally defined area of grape/wine production. Also seen as DOP or PDO
What does DOP stand for?
Denominación de Origen Protegida
Also seen as DO or PDO
What does PDO stand for?
Protected Designation of Origin
What do DOCa and DOQ stand for, and what do they mean?
Denominación de Origen Calificada
Denominació de Origen Qualificada
(Denomination of Qualified Origin)
DOs that have attained the highest quality levels for at least 10 years
What is Destilado?
Spanish for ‘distilled’. Also, a distilled wine used in sherry production, usually from Airén
What is Doble Pasta?
Spanish for ‘double pulp’. Unique to DO Utiel-Requena and DO Manchela. Skins and pulp left from Bobal vino rosado production, are added to fermenting Bobal must to make a double-macerated red wine with high extract and tannin
What is Embat?
A soft, humid sea breeze in Mallorca. Blows in the sunniest part of the day, starting at noon and tapering off at sunset. Carries actual salt which lands on the grapes and ends up in the wine.
What is En Cabeza?
A vine training system. The head is trained downward, so the leaf canopy protects the fruit.
What is En Rama?
Spanish for ‘on the branch’. In sherry production, a biologically aged sherry that is lightly filtered, and not clarified or stabilised.
What is En Vaso?
Vine training also known as ‘bush vines’ or (in French) ‘gobelet’. The trunk is head-pruned and kept short.
What is Espaldera?
Vine training for vertical shoot positioning. One or permanent cordons are trained on support wires.
What designation is available to cava producers in Rioja who do not wish to label their wines as DO Cava, or are outside the DO Cava area?
Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja
(Quality Sparkling Wines of Rioja)
11-13% abv
método tradicional
only Brut Nature/Extra Brut/Brut
minimum 15 months sur lie (24 for Reserva, 36 plus vintage labeling for Gran Añada)
What is Flor?
Spanish for ‘flower’. In biological sherry ageing, a film of yeast comprising many yeast strains (the most abundant is Saccharomyces Beticus). Also known as Velo de Flor.
What is the Foehn effect?
Wind rises up a mountain, cools, loses its moisture as rain, and then descends on the other side as a warm, dry wind.
What is Fondillón?
Famous non-fortified sweet wine from DO Alicante. Only made in favourable years with long summers and low humidity. Overripe Monastrell grapes ferment to at least 16% abv with residual sugar, and are aged oxidatively for at least 10 years (optionally in a solera system, usually large oak casks up to 1,200 L).
What are Foudres?
Large wooden casks of at least 300 L
What is Garnacha de Empordá?
Red vino de licor of DO Empordá, aged for at least 2 years, minimum 90% overripe Garnacha Tinta/Peluda.
What is Genérico?
Spanish for ‘generic’. DOCa Rioja category (previously called Joven or Consecha) that covers about 40% of wine, and guarantees only origin and vintage. No minimum ageing. Includes wines that do not meet Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva requirements for any reason.
Also: a DOCa Rioja zonal classification for wines that are not single zone / municipality / vineyard.
What is a Girasol?
1970s prototype of mechanical riddling, precursor of gyropalette
What is Gran Añada?
Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja with extended lees ageing (at least 36 months) and vintage labelling.
What is Gran Reserva? Give numbers by style
Ageing category. Minimum months in total (barrel, bottle):
tintos: 60 (18, -)
rosados: 48 (6, -)
blancos: 48 (6, -)
tintos in DOCa Rioja: 60 (24, 24)
What is Gran Reserva Cava?
Cava with at least 30 months on lees, Brut Nature/Extra Brut/Brut.
What is Gran Vinya Classificada?
A single-vineyard classification in DOQ Priorat, similar to Grand Cru in Burgundy. Supersedes ‘Vi de Finca’.
What is a ‘Hoyo’?
Spanish for ‘hole’. In DO Lanzarote, a funnel-shaped hole 3m wide and 2-2.5m deep dug in the lapilli soil, so the vine can be planted at the bottom closer to the fertile clay/sand soil over limestone, and protected from the wind.
What is Jerez Superior?
A subdivision of sherry Zona de Producción of vineyards with albariza
What is Joven?
Spanish for ‘young’
What is lapilli? What is its synonym?
A layer of small, porous, volcanic pebbles over topsoil in Lanzarote and La Palma. It filters rainwater, pulls moisture from winds, and reduces evaporation from the underlying soil.
aka picón
What is a Levante? Synonyms?
Easterly wind, over land it’s hot strong and dry.
aka Levanter, Solano
What is a Leveche?
Hot dry dust-laden southwest wind from North Africa. Mainly in Valencia, Alicante in spring.
What is Licor de Tiraje?
French: liqueur de tirage
Mixture of yeast and sugar to initiate second fermentation in bottle in método tradicional.
What is Llicorella?
Soil in DOQ Priorat with pockets in DO Montsant and DO Conca de Barberà. Shallow copper-coloured soil of decomposed slate/shale, low organic content, formed in Devonian and Carboniferous 416-318mya
What is Madreo?
In DO Tierra de León: Whole cluster vino rosado winemaking.
What is a Majuelo?
In Castilla y León, a family-owned and -farmed vineyard, whose grapes are sold as a cash crop to wineries
What is Malmsey?
In Las Islas Canarias, a sweet, white, unfortified wine from Malvasía grapes. Mostly of historical note.
What is the Marco de Jerez?
The area containing the nine (ten with San Juan del Valle) towns authorised to make sherry.
What is Marco Real?
Planting pattern to reduce hydric stress: a grid of 2.5m spacing.
What is Método Tradicional?
Spanish for ‘traditional method’ sparkling wine production
What is Mistela de Moscatel?
Sweet, fortified Moscatel de Alejandría must (not fermented)
What is Mitad y Mitad?
Spanish for ‘half and half’. A 50/50 mixture of distilled grape spirit and mature sherry, used to fortify sherry.
What is Monterrei Superior?
In DO Monterrei (in Galicia, not need-to-know), a designation for wines with at least 85% of any native variety
What is Mosto Prensa?
In sherry production, the firmly pressed fraction that cannot be used for sherry. Usually for distillation.
What is Mutage?
Adding neutral grape spirit to fermenting must to stop fermentation, boost alcohol, and leave residual sugar
What is Pajarete?
In DO Málaga: fortified sweet wine from Pedro Ximénez and/or Moscatel, oxidatively aged for at least two years in oak barrels (optionally in a solera system). 45-140 g/L sugar. Usually brown, dried figs/hazelnuts, rich full palate.
Also spelled Paxarete, Paxarette.
Popular in 18C England
What is Panal?
Soil in DO Montsant in Cataluña. Limestone-rich, silty-loam.
What is Parral?
Spanish for pergola. Overhead trellising for vine training. Maximises air circulation to prevent mildew. Promotes even ripening.
What is Picón?
Lapilli
A layer of small, porous, volcanic pebbles over topsoil in Lanzarote and La Palma. It filters rainwater, pulls moisture from winds, and reduces evaporation from the underlying soil.
What is Pie Franco?
Spanish for ‘free footed’. An ungrafted grapevine.
What is Poniente?
A cool, humid (up to 95%) westerly or northwesterly wind, often as an evening sea breeze. Opposes and moderates the easterly Levante in southern Spain.
What is Primera Yema?
In sherry production: free run juice (or very lightly pressed) for classification for biological ageing.
What is Rancio?
Wine with extremely oxidised character.
What are Rañas?
Terraces on which vines are planted
What are Rayas?
Sherries that have spent time outside baking in the sun for 1-2 years with 15% per year evaporation. Typically blended with sweetening agents to make dessert sherry.
(There are other meanings of Raya…)
What is RCGM?
Rectified Concentrated Grape Must
Clear, odourless sugar solution from grape must, used to sweeten sherry
What is Reserva?
Ageing category. Minimum months in total (barrel):
Tintos: 36 (12)
Rosados: 24 (6)
Blancos: 24 (6)
DO Cava: 15 months sur lie
Espumosos de Calidad de Rioja: 24 months sur lie
What is Reserva Cava?
Cava with at least 15 months sur lie (instead of the usual 9 months)
What is a Ría?
A submerged river valley, often branch- or tree-shaped with irregular banks of various elevations. Not formed by glaciers.
e.g. in Rías Baixas in Galicia
What is Ribera Sacra Summum?
In DO Ribera Sacra in Galicia:
Tintos: minimum 85% preferred varieties and minimum 60% Mencía.
Blancos: 100% preferred varieties.
What is Rosado de Aguja?
In VC Valles de Benavente (in Castilla y León):
Rosado made semi-sparkling by injecting carbon dioxide.
What is Ruedos?
Soil in DO Montilla-Moriles: sandy topsoil over clay subsoil.
What is Saignée?
French for ‘bleeding the tank’. A technique for making rosado.
What is Sangrado?
Spanish for Saignée, which is French for ‘bleeding the tank’. A technique for making rosado.
What is Sauló?
Soil in DO Montsant in Cataluña: decomposed granitic sands.
What is Segunda Yema?
In sherry production: the lightly pressed fraction, typically for Oloroso sherry
What is Sobremadre?
Spanish for ‘with the mother’. A fermentation technique where some of the solids are left in the unfiltered wine (the sobremadre) for 90-180 days, then bottled without clarification or filtering. The resulting wine is slightly effervescent.
What is Sobretabla?
In sherry production, after the base wine has been fermented and fortified, it is classified and moved to the wooden butts of the relevant sobretabla. It stays there for 3-12 months until second classification and moving on to the solera system. This intermediate stage balances the needs of the solera to be topped up regularly, with the fact there is only one harvest per year.
What is Solano?
Synonym for Levante. An easterly wind bringing hot, dry weather to the Andalusian Plain in spring and summer.
What is Soleo / Asoleado?
In DO Montilla-Moriles, sun drying grapes on straw mats to concentrate sugars and double potential alcohol.
What are the four meanings of Solera?
Vertical stacking of casks representing one type of sherry from many vintages.
The oldest (often the bottom) row of butts in a vertical stacking.
A dynamic ageing system; older wine is partially withdrawn from a butt and replaced with younger wine.
A fractional blending and ageing system.
What is Sweet PX?
In DO Montilla-Moriles, a sweet wine from sun-dried Pedro Ximénez grapes.
PX is hand-harvested in August,
sun-dried on mats for 4-10 days,
turned regularly for even dehydration,
minimum sugar 400 g/L,
pressed in special basket presses,
fermentation struggles above 3-4%abv because of the sugar,
fortified with neutral grape spirit to 15%abv,
put in tinajas or casks, classified as vintage or solera.
If solera, minimum 2 years in wood, casks filled to minimise oxidation.
If vintage, never topped off, continue to concentrate, may reach 500 g/L sugar.
What is Tarragona Clásico?
In DO Tarragona:
high alcohol vino dulce
from overripe grapes
aged 12 years in large oak
(optional solera)
What is a Tinaja?
A large earthernware jar used for fermentation and storage.
e.g. DO Montilla-Moriles, DO Valdepeñas
What is Tostado do Ribeiro?
In DO Ribeiro in Galicia:
sweet fortified wine, popular in 17-18C
What is the Tramontana?
Strong, cool, dry, north wine that blows through Cataluña and Las Islas Baleares in autumn, winter, and spring.
What is Txakoli?
In País Vasco: a traditional Basque wine revitalised for commercial production in the 1980s by a group of dedicated wine producers
What is Valdeorras Castas Nobles?
In DO Valdeorras in Galicia:
a new designation for wines with at least 85% preferred varieties
What is Vara y Pulgar?
In sherry country and DOCa Rioja:
an annually-alternating cane and spur pruning system. Literally ‘stick and thumb’.
What is Vi de Finca?
Until 2019 in DOQ Priorat:
the highest quality designation. Now superseded by Vinya Classificada, and Gran Vinya Classificada single-vineyard designations (like Premier Cru and Grand Cru in Burgundy).
What is Vi de Paratge?
In DOQ Priorat:
a vineyard classification (like Lieu-dit in Burgundy) which defines sites (paratges) according to geological and topographical features
What is Vi de Vila?
In DOQ Priorat:
a high profile village designation, the first of its kind to incorporate historic and social factors. Wines are labeled Vi de Vila with the name of an approved sub-zone.
What is Vino (de España)?
The lowest quality level. No geographical indiation (beyond country of origin). May state grape and year.
Previously Vino de Mesa.
What is VC?
Vino de Calidad con Indicación Geográfica
Designates wines produced in a particular region, using grapes from the same area, of a quality and reputation. Intermediate between VT and DO.
What is IGP?
Vino de Indicación Geográfica Protegida
Spanish for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). An EU wine category less strict than DO. Wines should reflect the region or place. Vino de la Tierra (VT) is in this category.
What is VT?
Vino de la Tierra.
Spanish for ‘country wines’.
IGP.
What is Vino de Licor?
Spanish for ‘fortified wine’
What is Vino de Mesa?
The lowest quality category. Now called Vino (de España).
What is VP?
Vino de Pago.
Highly regarded single-estate wines with unique soil/mesoclimates.
Many are outside DO areas.
What is Vino de Tea?
In Las Islas Canarias:
Blanco, rosado, tinto wines aged for at least 6 months in Canary Island pine (‘tea’) barrels.
What is Vino Dulce?
Spanish for ‘sweet wine’
What is Vino Espumoso?
Spanish for ‘sparkling wine’.
What is Vino Generoso?
Dry, fortified wine.
What is Vino Generoso de Licor?
Sweet, fortified wine.
What is Vino Naranja?
In DO Condado de Huelva in Andalucía:
an aromatised sweet wine made with the rinds of bitter oranges
What is Vino Rosado?
Spanish for ‘rosé wine’
What is Vino Tinto?
Spanish for ‘red wine’
What is Vino Tostado?
In DO Ribeiro in Galicia:
Sweet fortified white wine made from sun-dried grapes, particularly in 17-18C
What are Vinos de Color?
Wines used to deepen the colour of sherry. Arrope and Palomino Fino must are mixed in a 1:3 ratio, and aged in a solera.
What are Vinos de Municipio?
In DOCa Rioja:
Spanish for ‘village wines’.
The winery must be in the village. Up to 15% of the grapes may come from a neighbouring village; if purchased, the contract must be at least 10 years. Transparent and traceable production figures.
What are Vinos de Zona?
In DOCa Rioja:
a sub-regional designation, mostly used by producers in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa (rarely Rioja Oriental).
Up to 15% of the grapes may come from a neighbouring zone; if purchased, the contract must be at least 10 years. Transparent and traceable production figures.
What is Vinya Classificada?
In DOQ Priorat:
a single-vineyard classification (similar to Premier Cru in Burgundy). Supersedes Vi de Finca.
What are Vinyes Velles?
In DOQ Priorat:
Catalan for ‘old vines’. A designation for vines at least 75 years old or planted prior to 1945.
What is Viñedo Singular?
In DOCa Rioja:
Spanish for ‘single vineyard’. Single vineyard label designation with requirements including 20% lower yields, hand harvest, vines at least 35 years old.
What is the Zona de Crianza?
The Sherry Triangle, literally ‘Ageing and Maturing Zone’. The area encompassing Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where sherry may be aged.
(But recent changes to the regulations allow ageing in any of the ten towns.)
What is the Zona de Producción?
In sherry country, the ‘Production Zone’. The nine towns (ten with San José del Valle) authorised by the Consejo Regulador to grow grapes for sherry production.
