WINE GLOSSARIES (U-V-W-Y-Z)

UC (Fr.) Short for Union Coopérative or other titles denoting a local or regional cooperative. UC DAVIS The University of California’s oenology department at Davis. ULLAGE (Fr.) 1. The space between the top of the wine and the head of the bottle or cask. An old bottle of wine with an ullage beneath the shoulder of the bottle is unlikely to be any good. 2. The practice of topping off wine in a barrel to keep it full and thereby prevent excessive oxidation. ULTRAPREMIUM A marketing term for a quality Category. UMAMI,UNAMI The fifth basic taste (after sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness is the eastern concept of umami (asatisfying taste of completeness prompted by the amino acid glutamate, hence the use of monosodium glutamate as a taste enhancer in Chinese cuisine). Umami dates back to the early 1900s, but was given scientific credence in 2002, when Charles Zuker and Nick Ryber identified a taste receptor in the palate for amino acids. The concept of umami as a basic taste is contested by some scientists who argue that it is artificial and created out of a complex continuum of perceptions. Other scientists claim that this explains all basic tastes, including sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. Still others propose further basic taste sensations, such as the taste of free fatty acids and the metallic sensation. UNDERTONE A subtle and supporting characteristic that does not dominate like an overtone. In a fine wine, a strong and simple overtone of youth can evolve into a delicate undertone with maturity, adding to a vast array of other nuances that give the wine complexity. UNGENEROUS A wine that lacks generosity has little or no fruit and also far too much tannin (if red) or acidity for a correct and harmonious balance. UNRIPE ACID Malic acid, as opposed to tartaric acid or ripe acid. UPFRONT This term suggests a wine with an attractive, simple, immediately recognizable quality that says it all. Such a wine may initially be interesting, but it will not develop further and the last glass would say nothing more about its characteristics than the first. UVAGGIO (It.) Wine that has been blended from various grape varieties. VA The abbreviation for volatile acidity. VA LIFT A winemaking “trick” whereby the volatile acidity is elevated to enhance the fruitiness of wine, but it is never allowed to rise anywhere near the level where the wine becomes unstable. Acceptable only in wines that are ready to drink, since this phenomenon does not improve with age. VALUE-FOR-MONEY The difference between penny-saving and penny-pinching, true value-formoney can exist in a wine that costs $50 (or fifty pounds, euros, et. al.) as much as it can in one that costs $5, and the decision whether to buy will depend on how deep your pocket is. It is, however, facile to ask if the first wine is 10 times better than the second. You can still get value-formoney when buying a house for $1,000,000, but will it be ten times better than a $100,000 property? VANILLA,VANILLA-OAK Often used to describe the nose and sometimes the palate of an oak-aged wine, especially Rioja. It is the most basic and obvious of oak-induced characteristics. VANILLIN An aldehyde with a vanilla aroma that is found naturally in oak to one degree or another. VARIETAL,VARIETAL AROMA,VARIETAL CHARACTER The unique and distinctive character of a single grape variety as expressed in the wine it produces. VC (Sp.) Short for vino comarcal, which literally means a “local wine” and can be compared to the vin de pays of France. VDL A common abbreviation of vin de liqueur, a fortified wine that is normally muted with alcohol before fermentation can begin. VDLT (Sp.) Short for vino de la tierra, which literally means a “country wine,” but is closer to the VdQS of France than its vin de pays. VDN A common abbreviation for vin doux naturel. This is, in fact, a fortified wine, such as Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, that has been muted during the fermentation process, after it has achieved a level of between five and eight percent alcohol. VDQS A common abbreviation for vin délimité de qualité supérieure, which is a quality-control system below AOC, but above vin de table and vin de pays. VDT (It.) Short for vino da tavola. Supposedly the lowest rung in Italy’s appellation system, it does, however, in practice, encompass some of the country’s greatest wines. VEGETAL Applied to wines of a certain maturity, often Chardonnay or Pinot, that are well rounded in style and have taken on a bouquet pleasingly reminiscent of vegetation, rather than fruit. VENDANGE TARDIVE (Fr.) Late harvest. VÉRAISON (Fr.) The ripening period, during which the grapes do not actually change very much in size, but do gain in color (if black) and increase in sugar and tartaric acid, while at the same time decreasing in unripe malic acid. VERMOUTH An aromatized wine. The name vermouth originates from Wermut, the German for wormwood, which is its principal ingredient. The earliest examples made in Germany in the 16th century were for local consumption only, the first commercial vermouth being Punt-é-Mes, created by Antonio Carpano of Turin in 1786. Traditionally, Italian vermouth is red and sweet, while French is white and dry, but both countries make both styles. Vermouth is made by blending very bland base wines (they are two or three years old and come from Apulia and Sicily in Italy and Languedoc- Roussillon in France) with an extract of aromatic ingredients, then sweetening the blend with sugar and fortifying it with pure alcohol. Chambéry, a pale and delicately aromatic wine made in the Savoie, France, is the only vermouth with an official appellation. VIERTELSTÜCK (Ger.) A small oval cask with a capacity of 300 liters (80 gallons). VIGNERON (Fr.) Vineyard worker. VIGNOBLE (Fr.) Vineyard. VIGOR Although this term could easily apply to wine, it is invariably used when discussing the growth of a vine, and particularly of its canopy. In order to ripen grapes properly, a vine needs about 8 square inches (50 square centimeters) of leaf surface to every gram of fruit, but if a vine is too vigorous (termed “high vigor”), the grapes will have an overherbaceous character, even when they are theoretically ripe. VIN DE CAFÉ (Fr.) This category of French wine is sold by the carafe in cafés, bistros, and so on. VIN DE GARDE (Fr.) Wine that is capable of significant improvement if it is allowed to age. VIN DE GLACE (Fr.) French equivalent of Eiswein. VIN DE GOUTTE (Fr.) Free-run juice. In the case of white wine, this is the juice that runs free from the press before the actual pressing operation begins. With red wine, it is fermented wine drained off from the manta or cap before this is pressed. VIN DE L’ANNÉE (Fr.) This term is synonymous with vin primeur. VIN DE PAILLE (Fr.) Literally “straw wine,” a complex sweet wine produced by leaving latepicked grapes to dry and shrivel in the sun on straw mats. VIN DE PAYS (Fr.) A rustic style of country wine that is one step above vin de table, but one beneath VdQS. VIN DE TABLE (Fr.) Literally “table wine,” although not necessarily a direct translation. It describes the lowest level of wine in France and is not allowed to give either the grape variety or the area of origin on the label. In practice, it likely consists of various varieties from numerous areas that have been blended in bulk to produce a wine of consistent character, or lack thereof, as the case may be.

VIN D’UNE NUIT (Fr.) A rosé or very pale red wine that is allowed contact with the manta or cap for one night only. VIN GRIS (Fr.) A delicate, pale version of rosé. VIN JAUNE (Fr.) This is the famous “yellow wine” of the Jura that derives its name from its honeygold color that results from a deliberate oxidation beneath a sherrylike flor. The result is similar to an aged Fino sherry, although it is not fortified. VIN MOUSSEUX (Fr.) This literally means “sparkling wine” without any particular connotation of quality one way or the other. But because all fine sparkling wines in France utilize other terms, for all practical purposes it implies a cheap, low-quality product. VIN NOUVEAU (Fr.) This term is synonymous with vin primeur. VIN ORDINAIRE (Fr.) Literally “an ordinary wine,” this term is most often applied to a French vin de table, although it can be used in a rather derogatory way to describe any wine from any country. VIN PRIMEUR Young wine made to be drunk within the year in which it is produced. Beaujolais Primeur is the official designation of the most famous vin primeur, but export markets see it labeled as Beaujolais Nouveau most of the time. VINIFICATION Far more than simply describing fermentation, vinification involves the entire process of making wine, from the moment the grapes are picked to the point at which the wine is finally bottled. VINIMATIC This is an enclosed, rotating fermentation tank with blades fixed to the inner surface, that works on the same principle as a cement-mixer. Used initially to extract the maximum color from the grape skins with the minimum oxidation, it is now being utilized for prefermentation maceration. VINO DA TAVOLA (It.) Vin de table, table wine. VINO DE MESA (Sp.) Table wine, vin de table. VINO NOVELLO (It.) The same as vin primeur. VINOUS Of, or relating to, a characteristic of wine. When used to describe a wine, this term implies basic qualities only. VINTAGE 1. A wine of one year. 2. Synonymous with harvest: a vintage wine is the wine of one year’s harvest only (or at least 85 percent according to EU regulations) and the year may be anything from poor to exceptional. It is, for this reason, a misnomer to use the term vintage for the purpose of indicating a wine of special quality. VITICULTURE Cultivation of the vine. Viticulture is to grapes what horticulture is to flowers. VITIS VINIFERA A species covering all varieties of vines that provide classic winemaking grapes. VIVID The fruit in some wines can be so fresh, ripe, clean-cut, and expressive that it quickly gives a vivid impression of complete character in the mouth. VOLATILE ACIDS These acids, sometimes called fatty acids, are capable of evaporating at low temperatures. Too much volatile acidity is always a sign of instability, but small amounts do actually play a significant role in the taste and aroma of a wine. Formic, butyric, and proprionic are all volatile acids that may be found in wine, but acetic acid and carbonic acid are the most important. VOLATILE PHENOLS Almost one-third of all French wines tested have volatile phenols above the level of perception, so they are clearly not always bad. Some volatile phenols such as ethyl-4-guaiacol (smoky-spicy aroma) and, to a lesser degree, vinyl- 4-guaiacol (carnation aroma) can actually contribute attractive elements to a wine’s bouquet. However, volatile phenols are generally considered to be faults, and the amount of ethyl and vinyl phenols present in a wine is increased by harsh methods of pressing (particularly the use of continuous presses), insufficient settling, use of particular strains of yeast, and, to a lesser extent, increased skin-contact. Ethyl-4-phenol is responsible for the so-called Brett off-aromas (stables, horsey, sweatysaddles—Brettanomyces), while vinyl-4-phenol has a Band-Aid off-aroma. VOLUPTUOUS A term used to describe a succulently rich wine, often a red wine, which has a seductive, mouthfilling flavor. VQPRD A common abbreviation for vin de qualité produit dans une région délimitée. VR (Port.) The abbreviation for vinho regional, the lowest rung in Portugal’s appellation system. A VR can be compared to the regional vin de pays category in France. WARM,WARMTH Terms suggestive of a goodflavored red wine with a high alcoholic content; if these terms are used with an accompanying description of cedary or creamy, they can mean well-matured in oak. WATERSHED A term used for an area where water drains into a river system, lake, or some other body of water. WATERY An extreme qualification of thin. WEISSHERBST (Ger.) A single-variety rosé wine produced from black grapes only. WINE LAKE A common term for the EU surplus of low-quality table wine. WINKLER SCALE A term synonymous with the heat summation system. WOOD LACTONES These are various esters that are picked up from new oak; they may be the source of certain creamy-oak and coconutty characteristics. WOOD-MATURED This term normally refers to a wine that has been aged in new oak. YEAST A kind of fungus that is absolutely vital in all winemaking. Yeast cells excrete a number of yeast enzymes, some 22 of which are necessary to complete the chain reaction that is known as fermentation. YEAST ENZYMES Each yeast enzyme acts as a catalyst for one particular activity in the fermentation process and is specific for that one task only. YEASTY This is not a complimentary term for most wines, but a yeasty bouquet can sometimes be desirable in a good-quality sparkling wine, especially if it is young. YIELD 1. The quantity of grapes produced from a given area of land. 2. How much juice is pressed from this quantity of grapes. Wine people in Europe measure yield in hl/ha (hectoliters per hectare—a hectoliter equals 1,000 liters), referring to how much juice has been extracted from the grapes harvested from a specific area of land. This is fine when the amount of juice that can be pressed from grapes is controlled by European-type appellation systems, but in the New World, where this seldom happens, they tend to talk in terms of tons per acre. It can be difficult trying to make exact conversions in the field, particularly after a heavy tasting session, when even the size of a ton or gallon can become quite elusive. This is why, as a rough guide, I multiply the tons or divide the hectoliters by 20 to convert one to the other. This is based on the average extraction rates for both California and Australia, which makes it a good rule-of-thumb. Be aware that white wines can benefit from higher yields than reds (although sweet wines should have the lowest yields of all) and that sparkling wines can get away with relatively high yields. For example, Sauternes averages 25 hl/ha, Bordeaux 50 hl/ha, and Champagne 80 hl/ha. ZESTY A lively characteristic that is suggestive of a zippy tactile impression combined, maybe, with a distinctive hint of citrus aroma. ZING, ZINGY, ZIP, ZIPPY Terms that are all indicative of something that is noteable for being refreshing, lively, and vital in character, resulting from a high balance of ripe fruit acidity in the wine. VIN DE PRESSE (Fr.) Very dark, tannic, red wine pressed out of the manta or cap, after the vin de goutte has been drained off.