G

Question 1

Garagiste

Answer 1

A micro-négociant specializing in very limited-production wines, often known as “vins de garage” or garage wines, because their production size is such that they could be made in a garage. The movement began on bordeaux’s Right Bank in St.-Emilion with Châteaus Le Pin and Valandraud, but the term is now often applied to micro-négociants the world over.

Question 2

Gelatin

Answer 2

The same active gel found in Jell-O, this animal product is used in the fining process to bind with excess tannins so that they may be removed during filtration.

Question 3

Generic

Answer 3

Lower-quality blends with names like “Mountain White” that are frequently made from inexpensive varieties. New World wines using place names such as Chablis or Burgundy as generic terms have largely disappeared thanks to international trade agreements; understandably, wine producers in those places do not appreciate the use of their name on wines from other areas that may be made from different grape varieties according to different standards.

Question 4

Glycerin

Answer 4

Produced during fermentation, glycerin contributes to the wine’s body.

Question 5

Goüt de Terroir

Answer 5

French for “the taste of terroir,” meaning the unique characteristics imparted by a specific site.

Question 6

Graceful

Answer 6

Describes a wine that is harmonious and pleasing in a subtle way.

Question 7

Grafting

Answer 7

Uniting two plants so they grow as one. Most often used to join phylloxera-resistant rootstock with vitis vinifera buds that will bear fruit.

Question 8

Gran Reserva

Answer 8

Gran Reserva, the highest level of Spain’s quality categories, is only made in the best vintages. This distinction requires reds to be aged at least five years with a minimum of two in oak.

Question 9

Grand Cru

Answer 9

French, literally “great growth” or the top tier of vineyards and their wines in reqions that use the term. For example, in Burgundy, these wines are one step above Premier Cru.

Question 10

Grand Cru Classé

Answer 10

French term used to categorize vineyards by quality. In Bordeaux’s Médoc region, for example, five levels of Grand Cru Classé were established in 1855.

Question 11

Grand Vin

Answer 11

The premier cuvée made by a winery. Grand vin, or “great wine” is an enregulated term frequently used in Bordeaux to indicate that a wine is the best of multiple wines made at a given winery.

Question 12

Grapey

Answer 12

Characterized by simple flavors and aromas associated with fresh table grapes; distinct from the more complex fruit flavors (currant, black cherry, fig or apricot) found in fine wines.

Question 13

Grassy

Answer 13

A signature descriptor for Sauvignon Blanc and a pleasant one unless overbearing and pungent.

Question 14

Gray Rot

Answer 14

Gray rot sets in when the fruit fungus Botrytis cinerea, as a result of persistent wet, humid conditions, overruns a crop and destroys the fruit. Fruit afflicted with gray rot appears to be covered in a carpet of gray fur.

Question 15

Green

Answer 15

Tasting of unripe fruit. Wines made from unripe grapes will often possess this quality. Generally not considered a positive attribute but may be pleasant in Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

Question 16

Green Harvest

Answer 16

The trimming of unripe grapes to decrease crop yields, thereby improving the concentration of the remaining bunches.

Question 17

Grip

Answer 17

A welcome firmness of texture, usually from tannin, which helps give definition to wines such as Cabernet and Port.

Question 18

Grown, Produced and Bottled

Answer 18

Means the winery handled each aspect of wine growing.