Glossary Flashcards
Adamado
Medium Sweet
Portuguese
Adega
Winery
Portuguese
Agiorgitiko
Greek black variety (used in Nemea). Low acidity, with soft tannins and rich, plummy fruit.
Black grape variety
Alcohol
Potable alcohol, as contained in alcoholic drinks, is ethanol, sometimes called ethyl alcohol. Actual alcohol is the amount of ethanol present in a wine, measured as a percentage of the total volume at 20C as shown on the label.
Aligoté
High-acid inexpensive dry white from Burgundy, usually unoaked. Will be varietally labelled to distinguish these wines from Chardonnay.
White grape variety
Almacenista
A producer of Sherry who ages it and then sells it in bulk to a merchant.
(Spanish)
Alte Reben
Old Vines
German
Anbaugebiet
Designated quality wine region.
German
Appellation d’Origine Protégée
Protected Designation of Origin (q.v.).
French
Aragonez
Tempranillo, also called Tinta Roriz (in Portugal).
Black grape variety
Assemblage
Blending of a number of different parcels of wine, particularly in Bordeaux or Champagne.
(French)
Assyrtiko
White variety with pronounced fruit and high acidity; the wines are usually dry and unoaked. From Greece, particularly Santorini. (Some sweet versions are also made from dried grapes.
White grape variety.
Ausbruch
As Austrian quality category for sweet wines; the minimum must weight required is higher than that for Beerenauslese, but lower than that for Trockenbeerenauslese.
(German)
Azienda (or Casa)
An estate that makes wine from both its own and brought-in grapes.
(Italian)
Azienda (or Casa) Agricola
An estate that uses only its own grapes in the production of its wine.
(Italian)
Azienda (or Casa) Vinicola
A producer who buys in and vinifies grapes.
Italian
Baga
High-acid, high-tannin Portuguese black grape, usually oak-aged. The main region is Bairrada.
Black grape variety.
Bandol
AC region in Provence, mainly making long-lived, full-bodied red wines from Mourvèdre (q.v.).
Region
Bardolino
Red wine DOC region in North-East Italy; wines are similar in style to Valpolicella DOC.
Region.
Barrique
Cask (q.v.) with a capacity of 225 L. Traditional to Bordeaux, but now used throughout the world.
(French)
Barsac
AC region neighboring Sauternes, making wines of a similar style, quality and price.
Region
Bereich
A group of communes (Gemeinde).
German
Bergerac
AC region inland of Bordeaux, making wines in a similar style (red and white).
Region
Bin
Literally a location (for example in a cellar), where a particular wine is stored. Often used as a part of the brand name.
Biologique
Organic
French
Blaufränkisch
Red cherry fruit and peppery spice. Oaked/unoaked. Austria (especially Burgenland) plus Germany and Hungary.
Black grape variety
Blended Whisk(e)y
Scotland: a blend of grain and malt whisky.
USA: a blend of straight whisky and neutral corn spirit.
Bodega
Winery
Spanish
Bonnezeaux
Loire AC region making sweet wines from noble-rot affected Chenin Blanc grapes.
Region
Borderies
A region in Cognac, just north off Grande and Petite Champagne (q.v.), offering very high-quality spirits.
Region
Botanicals
Flavoring used in gin production, such as juniper, coriander, seeds and citrus peel.
Botrytis Cinerea
Fungus that attacks the grape berry. In certain circumstances it will form unwanted grey rot; in others, desirable noble rot.
Bottiglia
Bottle
Italian
Brut
Dry (of a sparkling wine).
French, Spanish
Bull’s Blood
Medium-bodied Hungarian red made from a blend of varietals, including Blaifränkisch and international varieties.
Bush Vines
Vines trained as free-standing plants, not needing the support of a trellis.
Butt
Traditional barrel used in Sherry production, holding about 600 litres.
Cahors
AC region in south-west France, making full-bodied reds, mainly from Malbec.
Calvados
Delimited region in north-west France, making apple (and pear)-based spirits.
Region
Campbeltown
Town on the west coast of mainland Scotland. Campbeltown single malt whiskies vary in style, but the best are very complex.
Region
Cantina Sociale
Co-operative cellar.
Italian
Cap Classique
A South African sparkling wine made using traditional method.
Carbonic Maceration
Fermentation of whole bunches of black grapes with the berries initially intact. The intercellular fermentation results in well-coloured, fruity red wines with little tannin.
Acetic Acid
The Acid component of vinegar present in small quantities in all wines. Excessive amounts result in a vinegary nose and taste.
Carignan
High-acid, high-tannin black variety. Suits hot regions such as the south of France and North Africa.
Cascina
Farmhouse (has come to mean ‘estate’).
Italian
Cask
Wooden barrel, usually made of oak, used for fermentation, maturation and storage of wines. Traditional names and sizes vary from region to region.
Cask Strength
Particularly of malt whiskies, a spirit that has not been reduced (watered down) to a bottling strength of around 40%abv. These generally will not be filtered and will be very high in alcohol: sometimes over 75% abv.
Casta
Grape variety.
Portuguese
Cave
Cellar (often underground) or winemaking establishment.
French
Cave Coopérative
Co-operative cellar.
French
Cépage
Grape variety.
French
Cerasuolo
Cherry pink.
Italian
Chai
Above-ground warehouse for storing wine, usually in barrels.
(French)
Chambolle-Musigny
Commune AC in the Côte de Nuits famous for Pinot Noir.
Region
Chaptalisation
Must enrichment (adding sugar to the grape juice to increase potential alcohol) specifically using beet or cane, named after Comte Chaptal, the Neoleonic minister who advocated its use.
Château
Producer in Bordeaux, generally, but not always, with accompanying house.
(French)
Chaume
Loire AC region making sweet wines from noble-rot affected Chenin Blanc. The best part of this is Quarts de Chaume AC.
Region
Chiaretto
Light or pale rosé.
Italian
Cinsault
Black variety with savoury, meaty flavours. Suits hot conditions such as southern Rhône (where it is blended with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre) and South Africa.
Climat
A vineyard site.
French
Clos
Historically, a walled vineyard, although the wines may no longer exist.
(French)
Colombard
White variety grown in south-west France for distillation, and for high-acid, appley dry whites.
Commune
A small wine-growing region, usually surrounding one village.
Condrieu
Northern Rhône AC region making complex, expensive, exotic dry and off-dry wines from Viognier (q.v.).
Region
Consorzio
Producers’ trade association, whose members’ wines are identified by an individually designed neck-label.
(Italian)
Continentality
The difference between summer and winter temperatures.
Co-operative Cellar
Winemaking (and sometimes bottling and marketing) facilities that are jointly owned by a number of growers.
Cornas
Northern Rhône AC region making full-bodies Reds from Syrah.
Region
Cortese
White variety used in Northern Italy (especially Gavi) for high-acid, unoaked dry whites with green and citrus fruit (pear, lemon).
Region
Corton
Grand Cru AC in the Côte de Beaune, making red (Pinot Noir) and white (Chardonnay) wines. Includes Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru AC.
Region
Corvina
The main variety used (along with Molinara and Rondinella) for Valpolicella. High-acid, medium tannin, and cherry and prune fruit.
Black grape variety.
Côte
Hillside
French
Côte Chalonnaise
Burgundy district making wines with some of the style and quality of those from the Côte d’Or, but at lower prices. See also Givry, Mercurey, Montagny, Rully.
Region
Coteau(x)
Slope(s).
French
Coteaux du Layon
Loire AC region making sweet wines from noble-rot affected Chenin Blanc grapes.
Region
Cru
A single ‘growth’, generally of quality. It might be a village or a vineyard.
(French)
Cru Artisan
A rank of Bordeaux châteaux, below Cru Bourgeois (q.v.).
French
Cru Bourgeois
A rank of Bordeaux châteaux, below Cru Classé (q.v.).
French
Cru Classé
A classified growth, normally in Bordeaux.
French
Cuvée
A blend, which could be of different varieties, regions or vintages, or it could be different barrels or cats from the same estate or vineyard.
(French)
Dégorgement/
Disgorgement
Removal of the sediment from a bottle in traditional method sparkling wine production.
(French)
Dégorgement Tardive
A champagne that has been disgorged after an exceptionally long period of yeast autolysis.
(French)
Demi-sec
Medium dry
French
Denominação de Origem Protegida (DOP)
Protected designation of origin.
Portuguese
Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP)
Protected Designation of Origin.
Spanish
Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP)
Protected Designation of Origin.
Italy
Dolcetto
Piemontese black variety with juicy black fruit, soft tannins and moderate acidity.
Black grape variety.
Domaine
Estate
French
Dosage
Adjustment of the sugar level in sparkling wines by the addition of liqueur d’expédition (q.v.) after disgorgement (q.v.).
(French)
Eau-de-vie
Spirit distilled to a maximum of 96% abv: literally, ‘water of life’.
(French)
Edelfaule
Noble rot.
German
Edes
Sweet
Hungarian
Einzellage
Individual vineyard
German
Elaborado (por)
Produced (by)
Spanish
En Primeur
Wines, especially from Bordeaux, that are sold before they are bottled.
(French)
Entre-Deux-Mers
AC region in Bordeaux making dry whites.
Region
Erzeugerabfullung
Bottled by a producer.
German
Estate
A producer who makes wine from grapes grown on their property only.
Extra-sec
Off-dry (sparkling wines).
French
Fattoria
Estate
Italy
Federspiel
In the Wachau, a category lying between Steingeder and Smaragd (q.v.).
(German)
Fine Champagne
On a bottle of Cognac, indicates that the grapes used come exclusively from Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne (q.v.), with the majority coming from Grand Champagne.
Region
Fining
Removal of matter in suspension in a wine by the addition of a fining agent such as bentonite, which acts as a coagulant. Occasionally animal products are used making such wines unsuitable for vegetarians, although none of fining agent remains in the wine.
Flor
Yeast growth that forms particularly on the surface of Fino and Manzanilla Sherries, giving them a distinctive taste and protecting them from oxidization.
(Spanish)
Frizzante
Slightly sparkling
Italian
Garganega
The dominant variety in the highest-quality Soave wines. Green fruit, crisp acidity, medium-body.
White variety
Garrafeira
A superior wine with additional aging.
Portuguese
Geschützte Geografische Angabe
Protected Geographic Indication (q.v.).
German
Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung
Protected Designation of Origin (q.v.).
German
Gigondas
Southern Rhône AC region making Grenache-dominated wines, comparable in style and quality to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Region
Givry
AC Commune in the Côte Chalonnaise, making red (Pinot Noir) and white (Chardonnay) wines.
Region