- A
- Acidity
- A naturally occurring component of every wine; the level of perceived sharpness; a key element to a wine's longevity; a leading determinant of balance.
- Alcohol
- The end product of fermentation; technically ethyl alcohol resulting from the interaction of natural grape sugars and yeast; generally above 12.5 percent in dry table wines.
- Alsace
- A highly regarded wine region in eastern France renowned for dry and sweet wines made from Riesling, Gewuerztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and others.
- Amarone
- A succulent higher-alcohol red wine hailing from the Veneto region in northern Italy; made primarily from Corvina grapes dried on racks before pressing.
- AOC
- Appellation diOrigine Controlee, a French term for a denominated, governed wine region such as Margaux or Nuits-St.-Georges.
- Aroma
- A scent that's a component of the bouquet or nose; i.e. cherry is an aromatic component of a fruity bouquet.
- AVA
- American Viticultural Area; a denominated American wine region approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
- B
- Bacchus
- The Roman god of wine, known as Dionysus in ancient Greece; a hybrid white grape from Germany.
- Balance
- The level of harmony between acidity, tannins, fruit, oak, and other elements in a wine; a perceived quality that is more individual than scientific.
- Barrel Fermented
- A process by which wine (usually white) is fermented in oak barrels rather than in stainless steel tanks; a richer, creamier, oakier style of wine.
- Barrique
- French for 'barrel,' generally a barrel of 225 liters.
- Beaujolais
- A juicy, flavorful red wine made from Gamay grapes grown in the region of the same name.
- Beaujolais Nouveau
- The first Beaujolais wine of the harvest; its annual release date is the third Thursday in November.
- Blanc de Blancs
- The name for Champagne made entirely from Chardonnay grapes.
- Blanc de Noirs
- The name for Champagne made entirely from red grapes, either Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier, or both.
- Blend
- The process whereby two or more grape varieties are combined after separate fermentation; common blends include Cotes de Rhone and red and white Bordeaux.
- Blush
- A wine made from red grapes but which appears pink or salmon in color because the grape skins were removed from the fermenting juice before more color could be imparted; more commonly referred to as rose.
- Bodega
- Spanish for winery; literally the 'room where barrels are stored.'
- Body
- The impression of weight on one's palate; light, medium, and full are common body qualifiers.
- Bordeaux
- A city on the Garonne River in southwest France; a large wine-producing region with more than a dozen subregions; a red wine made mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc; a white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
- Botrytis Cinerea
- A beneficial mold that causes grapes to shrivel and sugars to concentrate, resulting in sweet, unctuous wines; common botryt's wines include Sauternes, Tokay, and German beerenauslese.
- Bouquet
- The sum of a wine's aromas; how a wine smells as a whole; a key determinant of quality.
- Breathe
- The process of letting a wine open up via the introduction of air
- Brix
- A scale used to measure the level of sugar in unfermented grapes. Multiplying brix by 0.55 will yield a wine's future alcohol level.
- Brut
- A French term used to describe the driest Champagnes.
- Burgundy
- A prominent French wine region stretching from Chablis in the north to Lyons in the south; Pinot Noir is the grape for red Burgundy, Chardonnay for white.
- C
- Cabernet Franc
- A red grape common to Bordeaux; characteristics include an herbal, leafy flavor and a soft, fleshy texture.
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- A powerful, tannic red grape of noble heritage; the base grape for many red Bordeaux and most of the best red wines from California, Washington, Chile, and South Africa; capable of aging for decades.
- Cap
- Grape solids like pits, skins, and stems that rise to the top of a tank during fermentation; what gives red wines color, tannins and weight.
- Cava
- Spanish for 'cellar,' but also a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional Champagne style from Xarello, Macabeo, and Parellada grapes.
- Chablis
- A town and wine region east of Paris known for steely, minerally Chardonnay.
- Champagne
- A denominated region northeast of Paris in which Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes are made into sparkling wine.
- Chaptalization
- The process of adding sugar to fermenting grapes in order to increase alcohol.
- Chardonnay
- Arguably the best and most widely planted white wine grape in the world.
- Chateau
- French for 'castle;' an estate with its own vineyards.
- Chenin Blanc
- A white grape common in the Loire Valley of France.
- Chianti
- A scenic, hilly section of Tuscany known for fruity red wines made mostly from Sangiovese grapes.
- Claret
- An English name for red Bordeaux.
- Clos
- Pronounced 'Cloh,' this French word once applied only to vineyards surrounded by walls.
- Color
- A key determinant of a wine's age and quality; white wines grow darker in color as they age while red wines turn brownish orange.
- Cooperative
- A winery owned jointly by multiple grape growers.
- Corked
- A wine with musty, mushroomy aromas and flavors resulting from a cork tainted by TCA (trichloroanisol).
- Crianza
- A Spanish term for a red wine that has been aged in oak barrels for at least one year.
- Cru
- A French term for ranking a wineis inherent quality, i.e. cru bourgeois, cru classe, premier cru, and grand cru.
- D
- Decant
- The process of transferring wine from a bottle to another holding vessel. The purpose is generally to aerate a young wine or to separate an older wine from any sediment.
- Denominacion de Origen
- Spanish for 'appellation of origin;' like the French AOC or Italian DOC.
- Denominazione di Origine Controllata
- Italian for a controlled wine region; similar to the French AOC or Spanish DO.
- Disgorge
- The process by which final sediments are removed from traditionally made sparkling wines prior to the adding of the dosage.
- Dosage
- A sweetened spirit added at the very end to Champagne and other traditionally made sparkling wines. It determines whether a wine is brut, extra dry, dry, or semisweet.
- Douro
- A river in Portugal as well as the wine region famous for producing Port wines.
- Dry
- A wine containing no more than 0.2 percent unfermented sugar.
- E
- Earthy
- A term used to describe aromas and flavors that have a certain soil-like quality.
- Enology
- The science of wine production; an enologist is a professional winemaker; an enophile is someone who enjoys wine.
- F
- Fermentation
- The process by which sugar is transformed into alcohol; how grape juice interacts with yeast to become wine.
- Filtration
- The process by which wine is clarified before bottling.
- Fining
- Part of the clarification process whereby elements are added to the wine, i.e. egg whites, in order to capture solids prior to filtration.
- Fortified Wine
- A wine in which brandy is introduced during fermentation; sugars and sweetness are high due to the suspended fermentation.
- Fumé Blanc
- A name created by Robert Mondavi to describe dry Sauvignon Blanc.
- G
- Gamay
- A red grape exceedingly popular in the Beaujolais region of France.
- GewĂĽrztraminer
- A sweet and spicy white grape popular in eastern France, Germany, Austria, northern Italy, and California.
- Graft
- A vineyard technique in which the bud-producing part of a grapevine is attached to an existing root.
- Gran Reserva
- A Spanish term used for wines that are aged in wood and bottles for at least five years prior to release.
- Grand Cru
- French for 'great growth;' the very best vineyards.
- Green
- A term used to describe underripe, vegetal flavors in a wine.
- Grenache
- A hearty, productive red grape popular in southern France as well as in Spain, where it is called Garnacha.
- GrĂĽner Veltliner
- A white grape popular in Austria that makes lean, fruity, racy wines.
- H
- Haut
- A French word meaning 'high.' It applies to quality as well as altitude.
- Hectare
- A metric measure equal to 10,000 square meters or 2.47 acres.
- Hectoliter
- A metric measure equal to 100 liters or 26.4 gallons.
- Herbaceous
- An aroma or flavor similar to green; often an indication of underripe grapes or fruit grown in a cool climate.
- Hollow
- A term used to describe a wine that doesnit have depth or body.
- Hybrid
- The genetic crossing of two or more grape types; common hybrids include Mueller-Thurgau and Bacchus
- I
- Ice Wine
- From the German eiswein, this is a wine made from frozen grapes; Germany, Austria and Canada are leading ice wine producers.
- J
- Jeroboam
- An oversized bottle equal to six regular 750 ml bottles.
- K
- Kabinett
- A German term for a wine of quality; usually the driest of Germanyis best Rieslings.
- Kosher
- A wine made according to strict Jewish rules under rabbinical supervision.
- L
- Labrusca
- Grape types native to North America such as Concord and Catawba.
- Late Harvest
- A term used to describe dessert wines made from grapes left on the vines for an extra long period, often until botrytis has set in.
- Lees
- Heavy sediment left in the barrel by fermenting wines; a combination of spent yeast cells and grape solids.
- Legs
- A term used to describe how wine sticks to the inside of a wineglass after drinking or swirling.
- Loire
- A river in central France as well as a wine region famous for Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc.
- M
- Maceration
- The process of allowing grape juice and skins to ferment together, thereby imparting color, tannins, and aromas.
- Madeira
- A fortified wine that has been made on a Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco since the fifteenth century.
- Maderized
- Stemming from the word Madeira, this term means oxidization in a hot environment.
- Magnum
- A bottle equal to two regular 750 ml bottles.
- Malbec
- A hearty red grape of French origin now exceedingly popular in Argentina.
- Malolactic Fermentation
- A secondary fermentation, often occurring in barrels, whereby harsher malic acid is converted into creamier lactic acid.
- Medoc
- A section of Bordeaux on the west bank of the Gironde Estuary known for great red wines; Margaux, St.-Estephe, and Pauillac are three leading AOCs in the Medoc.
- Merlot
- A lauded red grape popular in Bordeaux and throughout the world; large amounts of Merlot exist in Italy, the United States, South America, and elsewhere.
- Must
- Crushed grapes about to go or going through fermentation.
- N
- Nebbiolo
- A red grape popular in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy; the grape that yields both Barolo and Barbaresco.
- Negociant
- A French term for a person or company that buys wines from others and then labels it under his or her own name; stems from the French word for 'shipper.'
- Nose
- Synonymous with bouquet; the sum of a wine's aromas.
- O
- Oaky
- A term used to describe woody aromas and flavors; butter, popcorn, and toast notes are found in 'oaky' wines.
- Organic
- Grapes grown without the aid of chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
- Oxidized
- A wine that is no longer fresh because it was exposed to too much air.
- p
- pH
- An indication of a wine's acidity expressed by how much hydrogen is in it.
- P
- Phylloxera
- A voracious vine louse that over time has destroyed vineyards in Europe and California.
- Piedmont
- An area in northwest Italy known for Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Moscato.
- Pinot Blanc
- A white grape popular in Alsace, Germany, and elsewhere.
- Pinot Gris
- Also called Pinot Grigio, this is a grayish-purple grape that yields a white wine with a refreshing character.
- Pinot Noir
- The prime red grape of Burgundy, Champagne, and Oregon.
- Pinotage
- A hybrid between Pinot Noir and Cinsault thatis grown almost exclusively in South Africa.
- Plonk
- A derogatory name for cheap, poor-tasting wine.
- Pomace
- The mass of skins, pits, and stems left over after fermentation; used to make grappa in Italy and marc in France.
- Port
- A sweet, fortified wine made in the Douro Valley of Portugal and aged in the coastal town of Vila Nova de Gaia; variations include Vintage, Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage, Ruby, White, and others.
- Premier Cru
- French for 'first growth;' a high-quality vineyard but one not as good as grand cru.
- Press
- The process by which grape juice is extracted prior to fermentation; a machine that extracts juice from grapes.
- Primeur (en)
- A French term for wine sold while it is sill in the barrels; known as 'futures' in English-speaking countries.
- Pruning
- The annual vineyard chore of trimming back plants from the previous harvest.
- R
- Racking
- The process of moving wine from barrel to barrel, while leaving sediment behind.
- Reserva
- A Spanish term for a red wine that has spent at least three years in barrels and bottles before release.
- Reserve
- A largely American term indicating a wine of higher quality; it has no legal meaning.
- RhĂ´ne
- A river in southwest France surrounded by villages producing wines mostly from Syrah; the name of the wine-producing valley in France.
- Riddling
- The process of rotating Champagne bottles in order to shift sediment toward the cork.
- Riesling
- Along with Chardonnay, one of the top white grapes in the world; most popular in Germany, Alsace, and Austria.
- Rioja
- A well-known region in Spain known for traditional red wines made from the Tempranillo grape.
- Rosé
- French for "pink" and used to describe a category of refreshing wines that are pink in color but are made from red grapes.
- S
- Sancerre
- An area in the Loire Valley known mostly for wines made from Sauvignon Blanc.
- Sangiovese
- A red grape native to Tuscany; the base grape for Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Morellino di Scansano, and others.
- Sauternes
- A sweet Bordeaux white wine made from botrytized Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
- Sauvignon Blanc
- A white grape planted throughout the world; increasingly the signature wine of New Zealand.
- Sherry
- A fortified wine from a denominated region in southwest Spain; styles include fino, Manzanilla, oloroso, and amontillado.
- Shiraz
- The Australian name for Syrah; also used in South Africa and sparingly in the United States.
- Silky
- A term used to describe a wine with an especially smooth mouthfeel.
- Solera
- The Spanish system of blending wines of different ages to create a harmonious end product; a stack of barrels holding wines of various ages.
- Sommelier
- Technically a wine steward, but one potentially with a great degree of wine knowledge as well as a diploma of sorts in wine studies.
- Spicy
- A term used to describe certain aromas and flavors that may be sharp, woody, or sweet.
- Split
- A quarter-bottle of wine; a single-serving bottle equal to 175 milliliters.
- Steely
- A term used to describe an extremely crisp, acidic wine that was not aged in barrels.
- Stemmy
- A term used to describe harsh, green characteristics in a wine.
- Super Tuscan
- A red wine from Tuscany that is not made in accordance with established DOC rules; often a blended wine of superior quality containing Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot.
- Supple
- A term used to describe smooth, balanced wines.
- Syrah
- A red grape planted extensively in the Rhone Valley of France, Australia, and elsewhere; a spicy, full and tannic wine that usually requires aging before it can be enjoyed.
- SĂ©millon
- A plump white grape popular in Bordeaux and Australia; the base for Sauternes.
- T
- Table Wine
- A term used to describe wines of between 10 and 14 percent alcohol; in Europe, table wines are those that are made outside of regulated regions or by unapproved methods.
- Tannins
- Phenolic compounds that exist in most plants; in grapes, tannins are found primarily in the skins and pits; tannins are astringent and provide structure to a wine; over time tannins die off, making wines less harsh.
- Tempranillo
- The most popular red grape in Spain; common in Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
- Terroir
- A French term for the combination of soil, climate, and all other factors that influence the ultimate character of a wine.
- Tokay
- A dessert wine made in Hungary from dried Furmint grapes.
- Trocken
- German for 'dry.'
- V
- Varietal
- A wine made from just one grape type and named after that grape; the opposite of a blend.
- Veneto
- A large wine-producing region in northern Italy.
- Vin Santo
- Sweet wine from Tuscany made from late-harvest Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes.
- Vintage
- A particular year in the wine business; a specific harvest.
- Viognier
- A fragrant, powerful white grape grown in the Rhone Valley of France and elsewhere.
- Viticulture
- The science and business of growing wine grapes.
- Y
- Yeast
- Organisms that issue enzymes that trigger the fermentation process; yeasts can be natural or commercial.
- Yield
- The amount of grapes harvested in a particular year.
- Z
- Zinfandel
- A popular grape in California of disputed origin; scientists say it is related to grapes in Croatia and southern Italy.