Acid: One of the four tastes of wine. It is sometimes described as sour, acidic,
or tart & can be found on the sides of the tongue & mouth.
Amontillado: A type of Sherry.
A.O.C.: An abbreviation for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée;
the French government agency that controls wine production there.
Aroma: The smell of the grapes in a wine.
Auslese: A sweet white German wine made from selected bunches of
late-picked grapes.
A.V.A.: An abbreviation for American Viticultural Area
Barbaresco: A full bodied red wine from Piedmont, Italy;
Made from the Nebbiolo grape.
Barbera: A red grape grown primarily in Piedmont, Italy.
Barolo: A full bodied red wine from Piedmont, Italy;
Made from the Nebbiolo grape.
Beaujolais: A light, fruity red Burgandy wine from the region of Beaujolais.
Blanc de Blancs: A white wine made from white grapes.
Blanc de Noir: A white wine made from red grapes.
Botrytis Cinerea: A mold that forms on the grapes, known also as
“noble rot”.
Bouquet: The smell of the wine.
Brix: A scale that measures the sugar level of unfermented grape juice (must).
Brunello di Montalcino: A high quality red Italian wine from the Tuscany region.
Brut: The driest style of Champagne.
Cabernet Franc: A red grape of the Bordeaux region & the Loire Valley of France.
Cabernet Sauvignon: A widely planted red grape now grown all over world,
yielding many of the great wines of Bordeaux & California.
Chablis: The northernmost region in Burgundy; a wine that comes from
Chardonnay grapes, grown anywhere in the Chablis district.
Champagne: The region in France that produces the only sparkling wine that can be authentically called Champagne.
Chaptalization: The addition of sugar to the must (fresh grape juice) before
fermentation.
Chardonnay: A widely planted white grape, now grown all over the world.
Chateau: The French “legal” definition is a house attached to a vineyard having a specific number of acres with winemaking & storage facilities on the property.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape: A red wine from the southern Rhône Valley
region of France;
The name means “New Castle of the Pope”.
Chenin Blanc: A white grape grown in the Loire Valley region of France and in California.
Chianti: A red wine from the Tuscany region of Italy
Cinsault: A red grape from France’s Rhône Valley
Côte de Beaune: The southern portion of the Côte d’Or in Burgundy; known
especially for fine white wines.
Côte de Nuits: The northern portion of the Côte d’Or in Burgundy;
Known expecially for fine red wines.
Côte d’Or: The district in Burgundy that is known for some of the finest wines
in the world.
Côte Rôtie: A red wine from the northern Rhône Valley region of France.
Côtes-du-Rhône: The Rhône Valley region of France; also the regional wine from this district.
Crianza: A wine aged a year in oak & a year in the bottle.
Crozes-Hermitage: A red wine from the northern Rhône Valley region of France.
Decanting: The process of pouring wine from its bottle into a carafe to separate the sediment from the wine.
D.O.C.: An abbreviation for Denominazione de Origine Controllata;
The Italian government agency that controls wine production.
D.O.C.G.: An abbreviation for Denominazione de Origine Controllata e Garantita;
The Italian government allows this marking to appear only on the finest wines. The “G” stands for “Guaranteed”
Dolcetto: A red wine from Piedmont, Italy, that is lighter in style than a Barolo or
Barbaresco.
Estate-Bottled: Wine that’s made, produced & bottled by the vineyard’s owner.
Extra Dry: Less dry than brut Champagne.
Fermentation: The process by which grape juice is made into wine.
Fino: A type of Sherry.
Fortified wine: A wine such as Port & Sherry that has additional grape brandy
that raises the alcohol content.
Gamay: A red grape used to make Beaujolais wine.
Gewürztraminer: The “spicy” white grape grown in Alsace, California & Germany.
Gran Reserva: A Spanish wine that has had extra aging.
Grand Cru: The highest classification for wines in Burgundy.
Graves: Dry wine, red or white, from the Bordeaux region of France.
Grenache: A red grape of the Rhône Valley region of France.
Halbtrocken: The German term meaning “semi-dry”.
Hermitage: A red wine from the northern Rhône Valley region of France.
Kabinett: A light, semi-dry German wine.
Margaux: A village & district in the Bordeaux region of France.
Médoc: A district in the Bordeaux region of France.
Merlot: The red grape grown primarily in the Bordeaux region of France,
California & Chile.
Méthod Champenoise: The method by which Champagne is made.
Meursault: A village in the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy, France.
Microclimate: A term that refers to an area that has a climate within a climate.
While one area may be warm, it may have a cooler “microclimate” or region.
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer: A region in Germany that produces a light-style white wine.
Müller-Thurgau: A cross between the Riesling & the Silvaner grapes of Germany.
Muscadet: A light, dry wine from the Loire Valley of France.
Must: Grape juice before fermentation.
Nebbiolo: A red grape grown in Piedmont, Italy, which produces some of the
finest Italian wine, such as Barolo & Barbaresco.
Nose: The term used to describe the bouquet & aroma of wine.
Nuits-St-Georges: A village in the Côte de Nuits in Burgundy, France.
Pauillac: A village & district in the Bordeaux region of France.
Petite Sirah: A red grape grown primarily in California.
Pfalz: A wine region in Germany.
Piedmont: One of the most important wine districts in Italy.
Pinot Blanc: A white grape grown primarily in the Alsace region of France.
Pinot Grigio: The most popular white wine from Italy made from the grape variety called Pinot Grigio, a.k.a. Pinot Gris in France.
Pinot Meunier: A red grape grown primarily in the Champagne region of France.
Pinot Noir: A fragile red grape that is difficult to grow; nearly all red French
Burgandy wines are made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Pomerol: A district in the Bordeaux region of France.
Pommard: A village in the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy, France.
Pouilly-Fuissé: The highest-quality white Mâconnais wine.
Pouilly-Fumé: A dry white wine from the Loire Valley region of France.
Proprietary wine: A wine that’s given a brand name like any other product & is
marketed as such, e.g., Riunite, Mouton-Cadet.
Puligny-Montrachet: A village in the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy, France.
Qualitätswein: A German term meaning “quality wine”.
Reserva/Riserva: A term siometimes found on American wine labels.
Although it has no legal significance, it usually indicates a better-quality wine.
Residual sugar: An indication of how dry or sweet a wine is.
Rheingau: A region in Germany.
Riesling: A white grape grown primarily in Alsace, Germany & California.
Rioja: A wine region in Spain.
Ruby Port: A dark & sweet fortified wine blended from non-vintage wines.
Sancerre: A dry white wine from the Loire Valley region of France.
Sangiovese: A red grape grown primarily in Tuscany, Italy.
Sauternes: A sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region of France.
Sauvignon Blanc: A white grape grown primarily in the Loire Valley, Graves &
Sauternes regions of France & in Washington & California.
Sémillon: A white grape found primarily in the Graves & Sauternes regions of
Bordeaux, France.
Shiraz: A red grape grown primarily in Australia, a.k.a. Syrah.
Spätlese: A white German wine made from grapes picked later than the
normal harvest.
St-Émilion: A district in the Bordeaux region of France.
St-Estèphe: A village & district in the Bordeaux region of France.
St-Julien: A village & district in the Bordeaux region of France.
St-Véran: A white Mâconnais wine one step above Mâcon-Villages in quality.
Syrah: A red grape grown primarily in the Rhone Valley region of France,
Washington & California, a.k.a. Shiraz.
Tannin: A natural compound & preservative that comes from the skins,
stems & pits of the grapes & also from the wood in which wine is aged.
Tawny Port: A Port that is lighter, softer & aged longer that Ruby Port.
Tempranillo: A red grape grown primarily in Spain.
Trebbiano: A white grape grown in Italy.
Tuscany: A region in Italy.
Varietal Wine: A wine that is labeled with the predominant grape used to
produce the wine, i.e., a wine made from Chardonnay grapes would be labeled “Chardonnay”.
Vintage: The year the grapes are harvested.
Viognier: A white grape from the Rhone Valley region of France & California.
Vouvray: A white wine from the Loire Valley region of France;
It can be dry, semi-sweet or sweet.
Zinfandel: A red grape grown in California.
