WINE ADVISOR


 

Wine terms

 

Below you wil find wine terms so that you can get familiar with the used expressions which is used in this business.

 

Alcoholic fermantation
Transformation of sugar into alcohol unde the influence of yeast.

Appelation dórigine controlee (AOC)
The regularity system that guarantuees the wine's authenticity (provenance, grape variety, yield, degree of alcohol...).

Assemblage
Operation that consists of assembling and mixing wines of the same provenance but a different vintage in order to obtain a superior quality

Blending
Mixing various wines of different origins and quality.

Cane
Branch of the vine after the leaves have fallen.

Chateau
Expression reserved for appleation dórigine controlee wines coming from a wine-growing exploitation.

Climate
Expression in Burgundy to designate a particular vineyard terrain.

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Cru (growth)
This word means both the vineyard terrain where the wine is cultivated and from which is derives its original qualities, and the wine produced on this vinyard terrain. The expresion "cru classé" is reserved for AOC wines coming from a licensed agricultural exploitation.

Cuvée (tankage)
Blending of wines varying provenance of different vintages.

Encepagement (total choice of grape variety)
All of the grape varieties making up a vineyard. This can be made up of just one variety (Gamay in Beaujolais) or different grape varieties which, when blended, enhance the quality of the wine.

Fining
Wine classification process obtained by he introduction of gelatine or albumin to gel together for the elimination of suspended particles.

Grape variety (or plant)
The same grape variety cab be found in various regions, under various names. among the best known red varietes Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet... Among the best known white varietes Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Chenin, Riesling.

Maceration
The phase where the skin of the grape is in contact with the juice.

Pale wine
Light red wine, without much colour, often obtained from a mixture of white and black grape, or from partially fermented black grapes. It is our rosé (pink) wine of today.

Pomace wine
Beverage obtained from refermenting the grape marc with additional water. Today the word is used for acidic, vineyard wine.

Pressing
Operation that consists of extracting the juice from the grape with the help of a winepress.

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Red
Wine produced from red grapes, the juice of which is fermented in the presence of the solid parts of the grape. The term "Red" was not used for wine prior the 17th century. Previously it was called "Vermillion" or "Ruby".

Robe (dress)
The colour of wine.

Tannin
Substance contained in the stalk (the stems of a buch of grapes) and the pips or contributed by the oak wood of the barrels. It allows the wine to age.

Tastevin
Small, flat silver cup in which one examines the wine that one is goinig to taste especially in Burgundy.

Teintur
Name given to several grape varieties that produce red of purple juice.

Vatting
Action of leaving the grape crop to ferment in the vat.

Vendagnes
The harvesting of the grapes when ripe. In the singular, the word designates the grape crop.

Vine training
Way of directing and cultivating the vine according to methods that vary from region to region.

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Vineyard terrain
All the specific influencens of a site on the life of the vine that give the wine its distinct character.

Vineyard
Territory planted with vines, and, by extension, the vines themselves. France has the separate vinyards of Bordeaux, the Bourgogne, and Champagne.

Vinification
all of the processes implemented for brining about the transformation of grapes into wine.

Vintage
The year the grape was harvested, its date of birth where the month is almost always September or October.

White (wine)
Wine coming from white and red grape varieties with white juice.The "white of of white" concerns only white wine made from white grapes.

Winemaking
Cultivation of the vine.

Winery
Premises situated at ground level, used for the development, storing and processing of wine.

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