WINE GLOSSARY OF TERMS Flashcards
BP / BUYER’S PREMIUM
the charge or fee paid by the buyer to the auction house
DDP / DELIVERED DUTY PAID
Signifies that the price quoted includes all the charges, including shipping, and any taxes as applicable up to the destination named by the buyer.
DP
DUTY PAID
EN PRIMEUR
French for “FUTURES”
FUTURES
simply means to buy/sell wine after it is made, but BEFORE it is bottled and/or released into the market.
HT / HORS-TAXE
French for “EXCLUDING TAX”
-Another way of specifying this to say “PLUS APPLICABLE TAXES.”
IB or I/B > IN BOND
Refers to wines stored in bonded warehouses or storage facilities, which are exempt from sales or excise taxes.
- These also do not incur any taxes if bought or sold while still in bond.
- Another important feature of “in bond” pricing is that if someone chooses to have the wine delivered at a later date, the sales tax is payable on the original sale price of the wine and not the current market value.
LOT # / LOT NUMBER
An identification number allotted to a set of wines to be sold as a lot.
Per Unit
indicates that the wine is sold as a unit, be it a bottle, case or OWC (Original wooden case)
OWC
Original Wooden Case
PPU
PRICE PER UNIT
PRE-ARRIVAL
Wine sold as “FUTURES” or “EN PRIMEUR”
TC / TOUT COMPRIS
TTC / TARIFS TOUT COMPRIS
French term for “all inclusive”
“all-inclusive price”
VAT / “VALUE ADDED TAX”
Similar to GST (Goods and Services Tax)
-basically means tax levied on value added to the wine during different stages of production and selling.
VENDU A L UNITE
French term meaning “sold as a unit”
-on French merchants wine lists
WET / “WINE EQUILISATION TAX”
A form of VAT that you may come across on wine lists from Australian merchants.
IS
IN STOCK
LI
LIMITED INVENTORY
LIMITED RELEASE
A marketing tool used to indicate a wine higher quality because of lower production; it has no legal siginificance
LS
LIMITED STOCK
LOW STOCK
OS
OUT OF STOCK
EB
ESTATE BOTTLED
MC / MISE AN BOUTEILLE AU CHATEAU
Estate bottled or bottled by the wine producer within the estate.
used on quality wine labels from Bordeaux in particular
MISE EN BOUTEILLE A LA PROPRIETE
French term meaning BOTTLED AT THE PROPERTY
MISE EN BOUTEILLE AU DOMAINE
Estate bottled.
Mostly seen on BURGUNDY wine labels
MIS EN BOUNTEILLE DANS NOS CAVES / MIS EN BOUTEILLE DANS NOS CHAIS
Bottled in our cellars
IB ; I/B
a wine stored “in bond.”
Apart from the pricing, “in bond” also theoretically signifies professional storage to maintain a wine’s provenance.
OC
ORIGINAL CASE
OHK / ORIGINALHOLZKISTE
the German for OWC
OWC / ORIGINAL WOODEN CASE
Normally indicates wines that comes in wooden cases and bear some form of identification of the estate or the producer.
*quite a common practice for premium wines
1CRU / 1ER CRU
Premier Cru
AOC(AOP) /
APPELATION D’ORIGIN CONTROLEE
the EU equivalent is APPELLATION D’ORIGIN PROTEGEE
AVA / AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREA.
This abbreviation may follow a region’s name
ex: Columbia Valley AVA
BORDEAUX FIRST GROWTHS
1er GCC (Premier Grand Cru Classe) 1er CC (Premier Cru Classe) PGC (Premier Grand Cru) 1er GCC 'A' or 'B' (classification for wines from Bordeaux right bank region of Saint Emlion)
DO / DOMINACION DE ORIGEN
A spanish term denoting quality wine from a designated area.
DOC / DENOMINAZIONE DI ORIGINE CONTROLLATA
Below DOCG and equivalent to the French AOC
DOCa / DENOMINACION DE ORIGEN CALIFICADA
HIGHEST quality of Spanish wines from RIOJA, PIORATO, and RIBERA DEL DUERO.
DOCG / DENOMINAZIONE DI ORIGINE CONTROLLATA E GARANTITA.
HIGHEST classification for quality Italian wines.
GC
GRAND CRU
GCC
GRAND CRU CLASSE
IGP (VDP) / INDICATION GEOGRAPHIQUE PROTEGEE
The EU term for VDP (VIN DE PAYS)
-A French country wine which comes from a broad designated area and is of lower quality than AOC wines.
IGT / INDICAZIONE GEOGRAFICA TIPICA
Denotes wine from a specific region within ITALY.
-Many of the finest wines in Italy may be labeled IGT to avoid DOC or DOCG regulations.
QbA / QUALITASWEIN BESTIMMER ANBAUGEBIETE
This is the second-level German classification for quality wines within a designated region.
QmP / QUALITASWEIN MI PRADIKAT
A term applied to top German wines which means “quality wine with special characteristics.”
- To qualify for this level, the grapes must meet minimum ripeness levels.
- QmP level has been changed to PRADIKATSWEIN since 2006 vintage.
VDT
VIN DE TABLE / VINO DA TAVOLA
-Basic table wine
BLANC DE BLANCS
Appears on Champagne labels
-A wine made entirely from white grapes (AKA Chardonnay)
BLANC DE NOIRS
A Champagne made from black grape varieties, namely Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
CAVA
the term used for Spanish sparkling wines produced by the Champagne method
CREMANT
Sparkling wines made outside the Champagne region using the traditional method
FRIZZANTE
An Italian wine with a lighter sparkle than Spumante
-Sometimes also referred to as “Semi-Sparkling”
METHODE TRADITIONNELLE
A traditional method of producing quality sparkling wines that involves a second fermentation in the bottle
SEKT
German term for sparkling wines
SPUMANTE
Italian term meaning sparkling
AMONTILLADO
A variation of Fino sherry.
-It is first matured as a Fino, followed by a long and slow oxidative maturation - resulting in a wine with some flavor characterisitcs of Fino but much darker in color due to age.
BOTRYTIZED
mostly refers to wines that are made using grapes affected by the fungus BOTRYTIS CINCEREA
-In its beneficial form, the condition is also known as “NOBLE ROT”
-The affected berries split, resulting in a loss of water which creates a HIGHER percentage of solids, especially sugars. this results in a wines high in residual sugar and concentrated flavor.
(EX: De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon)
COLHEITA
A tawny port from a single vintage.
-Instead of showing the number of years (ex: 10 year old, 20-year old) , the label will give the vintage.
CREAM SHERRY
An artificially sweetened sherry
CRUSTED PORT
Named for the crust/deposit, which develops as the wine ages in the bottle.
-These wines are blends of several vintages.
FINO
A style of sherry that is the driest and most pale in color
ICE WINE
Wines produced from grapes that have been naturally frozen while still on the vine.
-The idea is to separate the frozen water during pressing, leaving behind a liquid with higher dissolved sugars and other solids which do not freeze.
(Ex: INNISKILLIN RIESLING NIAGARA PENINSULA ICE WINE)
LATE HARVEST
Wines left on the vine longer to attain higher sugar levels
Ex: CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE ETHOS LATE HARVEST RIESLING
LBV / LATE BOTTLE VINTAGE
A Port wine that is aged in wooden casks for longer than a vintage port (which improves in the bottle).
-Can be filtered or unfiltered
MANZANILLA
A sherry matured in the Spanish coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda.
-A distinct characteristic of this wine is its SALTY tang
NOBLE
Similar to botrytized
-VINOPTIMA ORMOND NOBLE LATE HARVEST GEWEURTRAMINER
OLOROSO
A sherry oxidatively aged for a long time, resulting in a dark and rich wine
PX / PEDRO XIMENEX
A Luscious sherry mostly produced from semi-dried grapes
RUBY PORT
an inexpensive style of port made by blending wines from more than one vintages and aged from a short period of time before bottling.
-The aim is not only to retain the rich ruby color, but also to preserve the strong flavors of the port grapes.
SGN / SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES.
A quality classification in Alsace.
-means “Select harvesting of berries affected by the noble rot”
(Ex: ZIND-HUMBRECHT TOKAY PINOT GRIS HEIMBOURG SGN ALSACE)
SINGLE QUINTA VINTAGE PORT
A house specialty and a high-quality port wine made from grapes sourced from vineyards which normally produce the fruits for vintage ports.
- will be produced in a particular year considered to be very good but not exceptional, when a vintage can be declared.
- the blends for these wines are sourced from single estates (quinta)
TAWNY PORT
A port wine aged for a long period in wooden barrels with some oxygen contact (oxidation), resulting in a wine which attains a golden-brown color (tawny)
-On the label, the name of a wine is often preceded by the average age of the blend.
TBA / TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE
“DRY BERRY SELECTION”
-These grapes are left on the vine for the longest period of time, which helps them reach a raisin-like state- resulting in wines that are extremely concentrated and sweet.
(EX: J.J. PRUM WEHLENER SONNENUHR TBA 1959)
VDN / VIN DOUX NATUREL
- A wine with a high level of natural/residual sugar, achieved by fortifying the wine before the fermentation is finished.
VINTAGE PORT
the best quality of port wine, made only in exceptional years.
-These wines age in the bottle for decades
VT / VENDANGE TARDIVE
An Alsace classification meaning wines made from late-harvested grapes
(EX: LUCIEN ALBRECHT RIESLING VT)
RP / ROBERT PARKER
1998 CHATEAU LAFITE ROTHSCHILD 1ER CRU CLASSE PAUILLAC (98/100 RP)
WS / WINE SPECTATOR
EX: 2004 E. GUIGAL COTE ROTIE LA MOULINE, RHONE, FRANCE (95/100 WS)
ST / STEPHEN TANZER
EX: 2000 SILVIO GRASSO ‘CIABOT MANZONI’ BAROLO DOCG, PIEDMONT, ITALY (ST 91)
WA / WINE ADVOCATE
EX: 2005 PETRUS, POMEROL (WA 96 POINTS)
JR / JANCIS ROBINSON
EX: 2008 CHATEAU MARGAUX 1ST CRU CLASSE, MARGAUX (JR 17.5+)
JH / JAMES HALLIDAY
EX: 2007 YALUMBA SHIRAZ - VIOGNIER , BAROSSA, AUSTRALIA (JD 92 POINTS)
PROPRIETARY BLEND
A generic term used to denote a wine made using more than one grape variety.
-the blend should consist of grape varieties native to the region
BIN
Originally a batch/collection of wine bottles, but more specifically a brand name that separates a particular wine from others produced by the same winery.
-Often appears on wine labels with a number
EX: PENSFOLDS BIN 407 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
BLUSH
Widely used term in the US for a pale-pink-colored wine.
CLARET
A traditional English term for red wines from BORDEAUX
CUVEE
Essentially a French term, but increasingly seen on New World wine labels also.
- Denotes a wine of a specific blend/batch.
- In many cases this will also indicate a house specialty
KOSHER
Wines produced according to Jewish dietary laws.
LIEU-DIT
French term for a named vineyard.
-used to emphasize a vineyard’s status
EX: LIEU-DIT LES POYEAUX SAUMUR CHAMPIGNY AOC.
MERITAGE
A term mostly used in the US for a style of blended red wine made from the noble grape varieties of Bordeaux, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
ORGANIC
A wine made without using any chemicals
- the use of the word “organic” on wine labels is strictly regulated by the wine laws of a particular country.
RESERVE
Often an aged wine.
-it can also suggest a higher quality
UNFILTERED
A wine which has not been filtered, to preserve its primary fruit characters.
VEILLES VIGNES
French for “old vines.”
