| ACID: |
A natural preservative of the wine
that contributes to its flavor. |
 |
| AERATION: |
The art of allowing a wine to
breathe. Mainly with red wines, it allows the wine to "open" and the true flavor
to emerge. |
|
|
| AGGRESSIVE: |
An unpleasant wine that tends to be
highly acidic and heavily tannic. Often a wine before its time. |
|
|
| ALCOHOL: |
Alcohol is derived from the
fermentation process when yeast is added and converts sugar to alcohol. When grapes are
allowed to ripen longer ("late Harvest") on the vine, the grape develops a
higher sugar content and will often result in a high residual sugar in the wine. Hence,
in a
sweeter wine this is a desirable effect such as in popular dessert wines and Rieslings, but not
necessarily in Cabernet's and other reds. |
|
|
| AMERICAN OAK: |
Barrels made form American oak used for
the aging of primarily red wines. |
|
|
| APPEARANCE: |
Just that. (e.g. cloudy, clear, deep
purple). Cabernet's tend to have a deep rich color while a Cabernet Franc may have a
lighter, transparent appearance. |
|
|
| APPELLATION: |
An appellation in the United States is
defined by the FDA and the Department of Agriculture as an American Viticultural area.
This is a designated Region for growing grapes. For example, both Napa Valley and Sonoma
County are comprised of number Appellations such as, the Russian River Valley, The
Alexander Valley, Howell Mountain and the Stag's Leap district to name a few. To claim
that a wine is from a particular appellation, 85 percent of the grapes used to make the
wine must be grown in that region. |
|
|
| ASTRINGENT: |
The feeling and taste your mouth will
experience from an aggressive wine. |
|
|
| BACKBONE: |
A well balanced, full-bodied wine. |
|
|
| BLANC DE BLANCS: |
White wines ("White from
White") made of all white grapes. Many sparkling wines, including French champagnes
are made from white grapes. |
|
|
| BLANC DE NOIRS: |
White wines made from red grapes
("White from Black") The wines retains a pale or rose color because it is not
fermented with the skin of the grape. The skin gives red wine its ruby color. |
|
|
| BODY: |
The structure and complexity of the wine
on the palette. |
|
|
| BOUQUET: |
The aroma of the wine, which develops with age. |
|
|
| BUTTERY: |
A smooth texture and buttery flavor often found in
Chardonnay. |
|
|
| CEDARY: |
Taste derived from casks used in the
aging process of red wines. |
|
|
| CHEWY: |
Full-bodied, heavily
tanned wines. |
|
|
| CLOUDINESS: |
Cloudiness can be an attribute of both older and Young
wines. In older wines it is most likely from the Sediment while in younger wines it could
be a sign of a poor wine. |
|
|
| CORKED: |
A bad cork or an improperly corked
bottle can turn a good wine bad often leaving a dry and bitter aftertaste. |
|
|
| CUVEE: |
A blend of a variety of grapes. |
|
|
| DECANTING: |
Slowly pouring the wine from the bottle
into a Decanter so to separate the wine from its sediments. |
|
|
| DELICATE: |
A lighter bodied wine that is softer on
the palette yet, delightful. Try Clos Pegase's Claret and Lang & Reed's Cabernet
Franc. |
|
|
| DEMI-SAC: |
Moderately sweet champagne or sparkling wine. |
|
|
| DEPTH: |
Describes the array of flavors, fullness
and body of the wine. More commonly referred to as the complexity of the wine. |
|
|
| DRY: |
A dry wine has trace amounts of residual sugar not
noticeable to the palette. |
|
|
| EARTHY: |
Flavors that the grapes derive from the
minerals in the soil. Often pleasant and aromatic. |
|
|
| ELEGANT: |
A spectacular, well balanced wine. |
|
|
| ESTATE-GROWN: |
Grapes grown from vineyards in the same
appellation That are owned by the estate. |
|
|
| FINISH: |
The completion and lingering flavor left
on your palette. The longer the finish the more sophisticated the wine. |
|
|
| FLORAL: |
More commonly characteristic of Whites, a flavor and a roma
reminiscent of flowers. |
|
|
| FRENCH OAK: |
The traditional wood for wine barrels. |
|
|
| FRESH: |
A bold, crisp, fruity wine found in most
younger wines. |
|
|
| GRAPEY: |
A simpler, less complex flavor. |
|
|
| GRASSY: |
A grassy earth tone found in some Whites
that Enriches the wine when delicately balanced. |
|
|
| HEARTY: |
A robust red wine full of flavor. |
|
|
| HEADY: |
Higher alcohol content. |
|
|
| HERBACIOIS: |
An herbal quality of both taste and
smell. More often found in Whites where it is most desirable. |
|
|
| LATE HARVEST: |
Grapes that are left to ripen on the vine harvested later
than the regular crop to produce a sweeter style wine such as dessert wines. |
|
|
| LEAN: |
A wine lacking flavor and depth. |
|
|
| MERITAGE: |
A term coined for blends of California
red and white wines. |
|
|
| NOSE: |
Refers to the aroma of the wine. |
|
|
| OAKY: |
There are a variety of "oaky" flavors derived
from the aging process of the wine in wood casks. The oak flavor can overpower a good wine
or it can provide a more subtle, elegant flavor. |
|
|
| OFF-DRY: |
A wine that is somewhat sweeter than a dry wine. |
|
|
| PERFUMED: |
Characteristic of floral, aromatic white wines. |
|
|
| RESIDUAL SUGAR: |
The sugar content that remains after fermentation. |
|
|
| RICH: |
A full-bodied, deep and complex wine. |
|
|
| ROUND: |
A smooth more balanced wine that has
the feeling of rolling on
your tongue. |
|
|
| SOFT: |
A wine that is soft to the taste with
less minerals and acid. |
|
|
| SPICY: |
A quality often found in red zinfandels
and other more Complex wines. Hints of spice are noticeable to the taste. A good wine with
food. |
|
|
| TANNIN: |
Tannin is a mineral found in the skin of
the grape or derived from wood casks during aging. Tannins are usually found in the finish
of the wine and evens the flavor. Tannins also help to mature the wine. |
