A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Acidity
A number of acids in a wine that gives it crispness and structure. Too much is sour and harsh, too little makes the wine taste flat.
Aftertaste
Flavours and aromas which remain present after swallowing the wine.
Ageing
Process of ageing wines in bottles and oak casks
Alcohol Content
Percentage of alcohol contained in the wine. Sometimes given in degrees (12 degrees is the same as 12% alcohol content)
B
Back Label (Etiqueta)
Label placed on the back of a wine bottle. It is here that you usually find all the relevant info about the wine.
Barrel Fermentation
Vinification process in which the wine is fermented in casks or wood vats (usually made of oak). This is usually done with white wines and results in a characteristic smoky aroma.
Blanco
White wine
Bodega
Spanish name for a company devoted to making, ageing, bottling or storing wines. Basically when we say “vineyard” in
Body
Term to describe how the wine feels in your mouth (the fullness or density). Does it feel heavy or light in your mouth?
Bouquet
You know when people take a deep snort of the wine and pronounce “What a lovely bouquet”. Well they’re describing the tertiary aromas (the extra added smells you get from the ageing of the wine in oak casks and in the bottle). Young wines do not have a bouquet.
C
Cask (Barrel)
A wood barrel, normally oak, that is used to age wines. Most barrels are usually from
Cava
(1) A sparkling wine, (2) Catalan word for bodega, (3) An underground cellar.
Clarification
Where the solid matter that clouds the wine is precipitated by dragging, using clays such as bentonite or kaolin, or organic products such as isinglass or egg whites.
Common wine
Wine that does not belong to a (designation of origin) – basicially plonk!
Consejo Regulador
Official organisation set up to govern and promote a Denominación de Origen.
Cosecha
Harvest.
Crianza
Process of ageing wine in oak casks. Also, a category of wine (in Rioja it has to be aged for a minimum of 12 months in the barrel).
D
Destalking
The action of separating the grapes from the stalks or stems (not to be confused with the action of stopping from following a celebrity).
Deep
The wine has lots of flavours, often very layered and changing.
D.O.C.a
Denominación de Origen Classificada – Designation of Origin. The generic name given to a specific agricultural food product that meets certain requirements as to its origin, the way it is processed and its quality. E.g. Also seen on Spanish Hams.
Drinking
What it’s all about.
F
Finish
Action during a wine tasting in which air is expelled through the nose while the wine is being tasted in order to better appreciate certain aromas. The usual term in English is "finish". In Spanish it is called “retronasal”.
Fixed Acidity
The acidity of a wine calculated as the sum of its non-free organic and mineral acids – don’t worry this lost me too.
Free Running
Separating the must from the skins through gravity by draining the crushed grapes (not jumping between buildings).
G
Gran Reserva
A category of wine. In Rioja it has to aged for a minimum of 2 years in oak and 3 further years in the bottle. Usually only made in exceptional vintages.
H
Harvest
Picking of grapes for transportation to the bodega. In
I
Isinglass
Gel extracted from fish that is then used to clarify wine.
J
Joven
Spanish for Young Wine. Undergoes no ageing and is intended for immediate release.
K
Kaolin
Type of clay used in the clarification process.
L
Legs
And she knows how to use them! The term actually refers to the trails of liquid that run down the sides of the glass when you swirl it. Also known as “Tears” which is also something you may get when being given the wine bill at Petrus.
M
Maceration
Process where the must is left in contact with the skins to enhance the extraction of colour and aromas.
Malolactic Fermentation
Transformation of malic acid into lactic acid using bacteria. In Rioja and Navarra, malolactic fermentation usually occurs spontaneously some weeks or even months after alcoholic fermentation. The "tingling" sensation often detected in young still wines comes from the carbon dioxide released during malolactic fermentation.
Must
Grape juice used to make wine – it’s as simple as that.
O
Oenology
The science of wine, winemaking and wine ageing.
P
Phylloxera
Parasite of vines that attack their roots.
R
Racking
Where the wine is pumped or poured between tanks or casks to decant it.
Red Wine
Wine made from red grapes where the must has been fermented in contact with their skins. Vino Tinto in Spanish.
Reserva
A category of wine. In Rioja it has to be aged for a minimum of 3 years with at least 12 months being in the barrel.
Roble
Oak.
Rosé
Common name for wine made pink by brief contact with red, purple or black grape skins.
S
Seco
Dry
Sparkling Wine
Wine that has undergone a second fermentation in the bottle or in relatively small, air-tight vats. Sparkling wines must have a pressure of at least 4 bar. Sparkling wine is
Still Wine
Wine that is not Sparkling Wine.
T
Table Wine
Wine that is normally drank whilst having a meal (Vino de Mesa).
Tannin
A group of phenolic compounds from the grapes’ skins, seed and stems (and also from wooden barrels) that give the wine a bitter, dry or puckering feeling when you drink it.
Tinto
Red Wine.
V
Varietal
Made from at least 85% of the stated variety (the rest can be made up of any other grapes/varieties).
Viniculture
Art of making wine.
Vinification
Turning grapes into wine.
Vintage
Year in which a wine’s grapes are harvested.
Vino
Spanish for Wine!
Vino de la Tierra
“Wine of the land”. Type of table wine that is likely to apply for promotion to Quality Wine status; equivalent to “vin de pays” in
W
White Wine
Wine made from white grapes where the must is separated from the skin of the grapes before fermentation.
Y
Young Wine
Wine that has not had an ageing process and is usually marketed within its first year.
