Terminology Flashcards
Acidification
Process of acid adjustment natural grape acids are legally added to wine to increase acid levels
Acetic acid
When present in more than nominal amount it gives one a sour or vinegary aspect
Amelioration
Catchall term for various methods of improving the wine (some illegal) adding sugar, water and/or acid to grape juice or wine to correct deficiencies. Most countries have regulations pertaining to use of these practices
Ampelography
The study of grape varieties
Auslese
“out picked”
Grapes are selectively picked out from particular ripe bunches
Medium to fuller wine
Baume
Hydrometric must weight scale which determines the sugar content of grape juice by measuring its density this indicates potential alcohol content
Barrica or Barrique
Standard Bordeaux
barrel capacity 225 L
Batonnage
French for Lee’s stirring from baton - French for stick
Beerenauslese
Beeren = "berries" Aus = "out" Lese = "picking"
Grapes individually picked out creating Rich dessert wines
Bereich
German wine regions, 13 total, subdivided into bereiche
Bodega
Spanish word for cellar or winemaking enterprise
(Australian)
Bin number
System used by wine companies to identify batches of wine
bin numbers often used as brand names
Biodynamic viticulture
This approach works with the movement of the planets and cosmic forces to achieve health and balance in soil and Vine. Vines are treated with infusions of mineral, animal and plant materials, applied in homeopathic quantities according to the position of planets
Bordeaux mixture
Copper sulfate, slaked lime and water, sprayed onto vines throughout the growing season to prevent downy mildew. It is one of the few chemical treatments allowed in organic viticulture.
Botrytis Cinerea
“Noble Rot”
Late in the growing season the nights are cool, heavy with dew, mornings have fog, days are warm
Noble rot attacks grapes and they shrivel, water evaporates, leaves concentrated sugar
Calcareous
Soil based on limestone
(prized in burgundy)
and occasionally include chalk
(prized in champagne)
Carbonic maceration
Winemaking technique whereby grapes are fermented whole in a sealed container under the influence of carbon dioxide (Beaujolais nouveau)
Chai
French, particularly Bordeaux, word for the building in which wine is stored usually in barrel
Chaptalization
Adding sugar to the must before fermentation to increase the amount of alcohol
Claret
English term for red Bordeaux wine
Climat
French term for a specifically defined area of Vineyard, often very small
Clos
Burgundian term for a specific walled Vineyard also used by pioneers in Priorat, Spain
Citric acid
Only a fraction of the grapes acid
Imparts a strong, tart taste
Cold stabilization
Method of removing tartrate by storing wine at a very low temperature (26 to 32°) for up to three weeks. Flavorless tartrate (removed only for aesthetic purposes) fall to the bottom, leaving wine clear
Consorzio
Italian for consortium or association. Especially of wine producers. Each DOC has a course source which make rules for region.
French = Comitr Interprofessionel
Spanish = Consejo Regulador
Commune
French Village and its surrounding area or parish
Cosecha
Spanish for vintage
Cotes / Coteaux
French for ‘slopes’
hillside vineyards often produce better wine then low-lying ones
Coulure
Vine growing phenomenon whereby a significant proportion of the potential fruit fails to set when the vine flowers in early summer, usually due to unsettled weather the effects is reduced yields
Cremant
Traditional method sparkling wine from French regions other than champagne
Crianza
Spanish term used to describe both the process of aging the wine and the youngest official category of matured wines. A Crianza wine is aged in barrel, tank and/or bottle for at least two years
Cru
French word meaning literally growth but in wine terms generally a specific vineyard
Cru classed
Literally ‘classed growth’
indicating that a Vineyard is included in the official ranking system of its region
Cru Bourgeois
In Bordeaux, a quality ranking immediately below cru classe
Cryoextraction
Technique of freezing grapes to remove excess water and increase concentration adopted in Sauternes in 1980s to improve lesser vintages
Cultivar
Term mainly used in south Africa for a single grape vineyard
Cuve
French for vat or tank
Cuvée
Term indicates a blend of either different grape varieties for simply putting together the best barrels of wine
Deacidify
Winemaking process undertaken only after very cool summers whereby the acidity of a wine or must is deliberately reduced, usually by adding calcium carbonate (chalk) or occasionally water
Deacidification
Process of acid adjustment lowering acid in the wines through any of the following methods:
cold stabilization
amelioration
malolactic fermentation
Diurnal Temperature Variation
Difference in average day and night temperature high variation is thought to result in deep colors and firm acidity
Domaine
French particularly Burgundian term for wine producing property, an estate
Einzellage
German for an individual Vineyard
Eiswein
Very rare, sweet, concentrated wine made from frozen grapes left on vine, pressed while still frozen. Grapes must be ripe enough to make a Beerenauslese
Elevage
French term covering all winemaking stages between fermentation and bottling
Espumoso
Spanish for sparkling
Fermentation
Sugar + yeast =
alcohol + carbon dioxide
Filtering
Step used to clarify wine prior to bottling. Removes yeast cells and other microorganisms, that could spoil the wine and sediment. Wine is pumped through various filters.
Fining
Winemaking operation designed to clarify the wine by adding a fining agents such as albu-men, casein or a type of Clay called Bentonite, which attracts solids in suspension in the wine and precipitates them as sediment
Fix acids
(Malic or tartaric)
Fruit acids organic to grape
Flor
Yeast that forms a thick film on the surface of a wine. Vital to the production of lighter sherries.
Fortified wine
Wine which has a high alcohol grape spirit added, either before or after the alcoholic fermentation is complete
Garrafeira
Portuguese term for high quality wine with at least half a percent of alcohol higher than the required minimum, that has had at least three years aging for reds and at least one year for whites
Gran Reserva
Top-quality, mature Spanish wine from an especially good vintage, with at least five years aging (cask and bottle) for reds and four years for whites
Grand Cru
‘Great growth’
top-quality classification of French wine in areas other than Bordeaux
Bordeaux may be subdivided into different ranks based on its regions
Grand Vin
Bordeaux term to indicate a producers top wine usually bears a Château name
Heat stabilization
Process ensuring that wine doesn’t develop a haziness or cloudiness when stored at warm temperatures usually accompanied by fining
Kabinett
Late, semi dry wine from normally ripened grapes
Keller
German term for cellar
KMW
Austrian
Klosterneuburger Mostwaage
Must weight scale in degrees
Late harvest - New World
Vendage Tardive - French
Grapes contain more sugar and concentrated flavor
Lees
The deposit left in the bottom of vat, tank or barrel
Lees stirring
Winemaking operation of stirring up the lees to encourage aeration and interaction between them and the wine
Lieu-dit
Burgundian term for a single vineyard below the rank of premier Cru
Liquoroso
Italian term for wines made high in alcohol, often but not always fortified
Climat scale
Macro:
Meso:
Micro:
Macro: region
Meso: specific geographical area (a vineyard, hillside or valley)
Micro: vine
Maderization
Form of oxidization in whites caused by heating, usually over a period of time
takes its name from Madeira
unintentionally done and light white wines, is a fault
Malic acid
Second principle acid in grapes
gives wine a fruity essence
Malolactic fermentation
Second fermentation that lowers tart malic acid + increases softer lactic acid = richer, buttery wines
biochemical reaction where bacteria convert Malic into lactic acid + carbon dioxide, no alcohol is produced but Diacetyl (or Biacetyl)
buttery aroma adds complexity well crispness + fruitiness diminish. Occurs to all reds and some whites
Meritage
American, primarily Californian term for reds or whites made from Bordeaux grape varieties
Millerandage
Failure of some young grapes to develop normally and on an otherwise normal bunch of grapes
Downy Mildew
Peronospora
Fungal disease
Powdery Mildew
Oidium
Fungal disease
Mousseux
French term for sparkly wine not made by the traditional method
Musque
French - musky or Muscat like
Aromatic
Must
Mixture of grape juice, skins, pips and pulp produced after crushing and prior to fermentation. Eventually becomes wine.
Must weight names
Baume
Brix
Oeschle
KMW
Negociant
French term for a merchant bottler,
Merchant or shipper who buys in wine from Growers, then matures, maybe blends and bottles it for sale
Nouveau - French
Novello - Italian
New wine
wine for drinking very young from November in year vintage
Oeschsle
In Germany, must weight is measured in degrees indicating levels of sweetness
Oidium
Fungal disease
Powdery Mildew
Petillant
French for semi sparkling
Phenolics
General term for potentially astringent tannins, pigments and flavour compounds in a grape or wine. In grapes they are concentrated in the skins a.k.a. polyphenols
Physiological ripeness
Stage reached by a grape when the flavors and phenolics are fully ripe.
the stem is brown rather than green, a grape can easily be pulled off the bunch and the skin may start to shrivel
Piece
Traditional Burgundy barrel holding 228L
Pierce’s Disease
Fatal vine disease spread by insects, especially in the southern states of the USA and increasingly in California
Prohibition
18th amendment, 1920
21st repealed, 1933
Quinta
Portuguese farm or wine estate
Racking
Transferring of wine from one barrel to another, leaving lees or sentiment behind. Also aerates, necessary for aging process and softening tannins.
Rancio
Style of wine deliberately oxidized
Naturally strong or fortified
Aged in sun
