ABC An acronym for
“Anything But Cabernet” or “Anything But Chardonnay,” ABC was a more than- Acceptable
term when originally conceived by Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon. Grahm was
selling Cabernet at the time, but saw it as a rut that every California winery
was trapped in. He wanted to explore the quality potential of other grapes, particularly
the Rhône varieties, but was severely restricted by the public demand for
Cabernet and Chardonnay. While Cabernet walked off the shelf, Grahm had to
work hard at selling the virtues of anything more exotic. Compelled to sell
Cabernet to fund other activities, he came up with the ABC term.
Everyone
loved it when Grahm invented it. It has since been hijacked by inverted snobs
and myopic critics, however, who have been zealots in their crusade to rid
the world of two great wine grapes.
ABV Abbreviation
for alcohol by volume.
AC (Port., Gr.) Short for Adega
Cooperativa in Portugal and Agricultural Cooperative in Greece,
or
other titles denoting a local or regional cooperative in these countries.
ACCESSIBLE Literally that
the wine is easy to approach, with no great barriers of tannin, acidity,
or
undeveloped extract to prevent enjoyment of drinking. This term is often used
for young, fine-quality wine that will undoubtedly improve
with
age but whose tannins are supple and thus approachable.
ACETALDEHYDE The principal
aldehyde in all wines, but found in much greater quantities in sherry. In
light, unfortified table wines, a small
amount
of acetaldehyde enhances the bouquet, but an excess is undesirable because it
is unstable,
halfway
to complete oxidation, and evokes a sherry like smell.
ACETIC ACID The most
important volatile acid found in wine, aside from carbonic acid. Small amounts
of acetic acid contribute positively to the attractive flavor of a wine, but
large quantities produce a taste of vinegar.
ACETIFICATION The production
of acetic acid in a wine.
ACETOBACTER The vinegar bacillus
(rod-shaped bacterium), which can cause acidification.
ACIDITY Essential for
the life and vitality of all wines. Too much will make wine too sharp (not sour—that’s
a fault), but not enough will make it taste flat and dull, and the flavor
will not last in the mouth. also Total
acidity and pH.
ACTIVE ACIDITY Acids contain
positively charged hydrogen ions, the concentration of which determines the
total acidity of a wine. The pH is the measure of the electrical charge of a
given solution (positive acidity hydrogen buffered by negative alkalinity
hydrogen ions). Thus, the pH of a wine is a measure of its active acidity.
ADEGA (Port.) Cellar or
winery. Often used as part of a firm’s title.
AEROBIC Occurring in
the presence of air.
AFTERTASTE A term for
the flavor and aroma left in the mouth after the wine has been swallowed.
When the aftertaste is attractive, it could be the reason why you prefer one
wine to a similar wine with no particular aftertaste.
AQUIFER A
water-retaining geological formation into which rainfall from the surrounding
area drains.
AROMA This should
really be confined to the fresh and fruity smells reminiscent of grapes,
rather than the more winey or bottle-mature complexities of bouquet; but it
is not always possible to use this
word
in its purest form, hence aroma and bouquet may be thought of as being
synonymous
BENCH or
BENCHLAND
The flat land between two slopes, this term describes a form of natural,
rather than artificial, terrace.
BENTONITE This is a
fine clay containing a volcanic ash derivative called montromillonite, which
is a hydrated silicate of magnesium that activates a precipitation in wine
when used as a fining agent.
BEREICH (Ger.) A wine
district in Germany, which contains smaller Grosslagen and is itself
part of a larger Anbaugebiet.
BIG VINTAGE,
BIG YEAR
These terms are usually applied to great years, because the exceptional weather
conditions produce bigger (i.e., fuller and richer) wines than normal. They
may also be used literally to describe a year with a big crop.
BIG WINE This term
describes a full-bodied wine with an exceptionally rich flavor.
BIODYNAMIC Wines
produced biody namically are grown without the aid of chemical or synthetic sprays
or fertilizers and are vinified with natural yeast and the minimum use of filtration,
sulfur dioxide (SO2), and capitalization.
BISCUITY A desirable
aspect of bouquet that is found in some Champagnes—particularly in well matured,
Pinot-Noir-dominated blends (Chardonnay dominated
Champagnes
tend to go toasty, although some top-quality Chardonnay Champagnes can slowly
acquire a creamy bis-cuitiness).
BITE A very
definite qualification of grip. Bite is usually a desirable characteristic,
although an unpleasant bite is possible.
BITTERNESS This quality
may be an unpleasant aspect of a poorly made wine or an expected characteristic
of an as-yet undeveloped concentration of flavors that should, with maturity,
become rich and delicious. The term is often applied to tannin.
BLACKSTRAP A derogatory
term that originated when port was an unsophisticated product, colored by
elderberries and very coarse.
BLANC DE
BLANCS (Fr.)
This literally means “white of whites,” and describes a white wine made from
white grapes. It is a term often, but not exclusively, used for sparkling
wines.
BLANC DE NOIRS
(Fr.)
This literally means “white of blacks,” and describes a white wine made from black
grapes. It is a term that is often, but not exclusively, used for sparkling
wines. In the New
World,
such wines usually have a tinge of pink (often no different from a
full-fledged rosé), but a classic blanc de noirs should be as white as
Possible without artificial means.
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AGES
GRACEFULLY
Describes wine that retains finesse as it matures and that sometimes may even
increase in finesse.
AGGRESSIVE The opposite
of soft and smooth.
ALBANY DOCTOR One of
Western Australia’s beneficially cooling sea breezes, the Albany Doctor provides
similar relief to that of the famous Fremantle Doctor, only farther south and
closer to the coast. also Canberra
Doctor.
ALBARIZA (Sp.) A
white-surfaced soil formed by diatomaceous (decomposed deep-sea algae) deposits,
which is found in the sherry-producing area of Spain. also Sherry Country.
ALCOHOL In wine
terms, this is ethyl alcohol; a colorless flammable liquid. Alcohol is
essential to the flavor and body of alcoholic products, thus a de-alcoholized
wine is intrinsically difficult to perfect.
ALCOHOLIC This term is
usually employed in a pejorative rather than a literal sense and implies that
a wine has too much alcohol to be in balance.
ALDEHYDE The midway
stage between an alcohol and an acid, formed during the oxidation of an alcohol.
Acetaldehyde is the most important of the common wine aldehydes, and forms as
wine alcohol oxidizes to become acetic acid (vinegar). Small amounts of
acetaldehyde add to the complexity of a wine, but too much will make
a
table wine smell like sherry.
AMINO ACIDS Proteins
formed by a combination of fruit esters, amino acids are found naturally in grapes
and are both created and consumed during fermentation and autolysis. They are
essential precursors to the complexity and finesse of a sparkling wine. also Maillard Reactions.
AMPELOGRAPHER An expert who
studies, records, and identifies grapevines.
AMYLIC The peardrop,
banana, or bubble-gum aromas of amyl or isoamyl acetate, excessive amounts of
which can be produced in white wines if the fermentation is conducted at a
very low temperature, and in red wines made by macération carbonique.
ANAEROBIC Occurring in
the absence of oxygen. Most maturation processes that take place in a sealed
bottle are considered to be anaerobic.
ANBAUGEBIET
(Ger.) A
wine region in Germany, such as Rheinpfalz or Mosel, that is divided into districts
(Bereiche). All QbA and QmP wines must show their Anbaugebiet of
origin on the label.
ANTHOCYANINS The
second-most important group of phenolic compounds found in wine, anthocyanins
are color pigments located in the grapes’ skins.
ANTIOXIDANT Any chemical
that prevents grapes, must, or wine from oxidizing, such as ascorbic acid or
sulfur dioxide (SO2).
AOC (Fr.) Appellation
d’Origine Contrôlée is the top rung in the French wine-quality system,
although in practice it includes everything from the greatest
French
wines to the worst; thus it is almost always better to buy an expensive vin
de pays than a
cheap
AOC wine.
APERITIF Originally
used exclusively to describe a beverage prescribed purely for laxative
purposes, the term aperitif now describes any drink that is taken before a
meal in order to stimulate the appetite.
APPELLATION Literally a
name, this term is usually used to refer to an official geographically-based designation
for a wine.
BOTTLE-AROMAS In Riesling
and Gewürztraminer, these are richer aromatics as terpenes develop under anaerobic
conditions. In sparkling wine, they are the mellowing aromas created after
disgorgement.
BOUQUET This should
really be applied to the combination of smells directly attributable to a
wine’s maturity in bottle—thus “aroma” for grape-related smells and “bouquet”
for maturation-related smells. But it is not always possible to use these
words in their purest form, hence aroma and bouquet may be considered
synonymous.
BOURGEOIS
(Fr.)
Cru Bourgeois is a Bordeaux château classification beneath Cru
Classé.
BREATHING A term used
to describe the interaction between a wine and the air after a bottle has
been opened and before it is drunk.
BREED The finesse of
a wine that is due to the intrinsic quality of grape and terroir combined
with the irrefutable skill and experience of a great winemaker.
BRETTANOMYCES A genus of
yeast that can inhabit a winery or barrels that are sold from one winery to
another. Brett (as it is commonly referred to) is a common spoilage organism
that mainly, although not exclusively, affects red wines. It
creates
various volatile phenols, including ethyl- 4-phenol, which is responsible for
the “Brett” offodors,
such
as the so-called sweaty saddles,
barnyard,
stables, and generally horsey smells.
BRUT (Fr.) Normally
reserved for sparkling wines, brut literally means raw or bone dry.
Even the driest wines, however, contain a little residual sugar.
BURNT Synonymous
with baked, and marginally uncomplimentary.
BUTTERY This is
normally a rich, fat, and positively delicious character found in white wines,
particularly those that have undergone malolactic fermentation.
BUYER’S OWN
BRAND BOB
for short, this is a brand that belongs to the wine buyer, which could be a
wine merchant, supermarket, or restaurant (the buyer is the seller as far as
the consumer is concerned)..
BLIND, BLIND
TASTING
A winetasting at which the identity of the wines is unknown to the taster
until
after he or she has made notes and given scores. All competitive tastings are
made blind.
BLOWZY An overblown
and exaggerated fruity aroma, such as fruit jam, which may be attractive
in
a cheap wine, but would indicate a lack of finesse in a more expensive
product.
BLUSH WINE A rosé wine
that is probably cheap.
BODEGA (Sp.) The Spanish
equivalent of the Portuguese adega (i.e., a cellar or winery).
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AROMATIC GRAPE VARIETIES The most
aromatic
classic
varieties are Gewürztraminer, Muscat, and Riesling, and they are defined as
such because when ripe they possess high levels of various terpenes in their
skins. Although attractive when young, these terpenes take a few years in
bottle to
Develop
their full varietal potential.
AROMATIZED
WINE
Usually fortified, these wines are flavored by as few as one, or as many as
50,
Aromatic
substances and range from bittersweet vermouth to retsina. The various
herbs, fruits, flowers, and other less-appetizing ingredients used include
strawberries, orange peel, elderflowers, wormwood, quinine, and pine resin.
ASCORBIC ACID Otherwise
known as Vitamin C, ascorbic acid is an antioxidant, which is often used in
conjunction with sulfur. It has a more freshening effect than sulfur, which
tends to dampen the aromatics in wine. It also enables less sulfur to be used
in the vinification process. Not to be confused with sorbic acid.
ASEPTIC A particular characteristic
of a substance such as sorbic acid or sulfur dioxide (SO2) that can kill
bacteria.
ASPECT The
topography of a vineyard, including its altitude, the direction in which the
vines face, and the angle of any slope.
ASSEMBLAGE
(Fr.)
A blends of base wines that create the final cuvée.
ATMOSPHERE A measure of
atmospheric pressure: 1 atmosphere = 15 pounds per square inch. The
Average
internal pressure of a bottle of Champagne is six atmospheres.
ATTACK A wine with
good attack suggests one that is complete and readily presents its full armament
of taste characteristics to the palate. The wine is likely to be youthful
rather than mature and its attack augurs well for its future.
AUSLESE (Ger.) A category of
German QmP wine that is very sweet, made from late-harvested grapes,
and
may also contain some botrytized grapes.
AUSTERE This term is
used to describe wine that lacks fruit and is dominated by harsh acidity and/or
tannin.
AUTOLYSIS The enzymatic
breakdown of yeast cells that increases the possibility of bacterial spoilage;
the autolysis effect of aging a wine on its lees is therefore undesirable in
most wines, exceptions being those bottled surlie (principally Muscadet)
and sparkling wines.
AUTOLYTIC With the
aroma of a freshly disgorged brut-style sparkling wine, which is not “yeasty”
at all, but has a flowery, often acacia-like, freshness.
BACK-BLEND To blend
fresh, unfermented grape juice into a fully fermented wine, with the goal of
Adding
a certain fresh, grapey sweetness commonly associated with German wines.
Synonymous with the German practice of adding Süssreserve.
BACKWARD Describes a
wine that is slow to develop (the opposite of precocious).
BAKED Applies to
wines of high alcoholic content that give a sensory perception of grapes
harvested in great heat—either from a hot country or from a classic wine area
in a swelteringly hot year. This characteristic can be controlled to some
extent by the following methods: early harvesting, night
harvesting,
rapid transport to the winery, and modern cool fermentation techniques
BALANCE Refers to the
harmonious relationship between acids, alcohol, fruit, tannin, and other natural
elements. If you have two similar wines but you definitely prefer one of
them, its balance is likely to be one of the two determining factors (length
being the other).
BAN DE
VENDANGE (Fr.)
Official regional start of grape-picking for the latest vintage.
BARREL-FERMENTED Some white
wines are still traditionally fermented in oak barrels—new for
top-quality
Bordeaux, Burgundy, and premium varietal wines; old for middle-quality wines
and top-quality Champagnes. New barrels impart oaky characteristics; the
older the barrels, the less oaky and more oxidative the influence.
Barrel-fermented wines have more complex aromas than wines that have simply
been matured in wood. Stainless Steel or Oak
BARRIQUE (Fr.) This
literally means “barrel,” but is used generically in English-speaking countries
for any small oak cask and often denotes the use of new oak. BASIC A
marketing term for a quality category;
BAUMÉ (Fr.) A scale of measurement
used to indicate the amount of sugar in grape must.
BEERENAUSLESE
(Ger.)
A category of German QmP wine that comes above Auslese but beneath
Trockenbeerenauslese, and is made
from botrytized grapes. It has more finesse and elegance than any other
intensely sweet wine, with the possible exception of Eiswein.
BODY The
impression of weight in the mouth, which is brought about by a combination of
the fruit extract and alcoholic strength.
BOTA (Sp.) A sherry butt
(cask) with a capacity of between 600 and 650 liters (159 to 172 gallons).
BOTRYTIS A generic
term for rot, but also often used as an abbreviation of Botrytis cinerea.
BOTRYTIS
CINEREA
The technically correct name for noble rot, the only rot that is welcomed by
winemakers—particularly
in sweet-wine areas, as it is responsible for the world’s greatest sweet
wines.
also
Sauternes,
BOTRYTIZED
GRAPES
Literally “rotten grapes,” but the term is commonly used for grapes that have
been affected by Botrytis cinerea.
BOTTLE-AGE The length of
time a wine spends in bottle before it is consumed. A wine that has good bottle-age
is one that has sufficient time to mature properly. Bottle-aging has a
mellowing effect.
BOB An acronym
for “Buyer’s Own Brand,” under which many retailers and restaurants sell wine
of increasingly good value particularly in the supermarket sector, in which
the selection process has been increasingly honed to a fine art since the early 1980s
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