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Wine glossary A–Z

401 wine words explained in plain English: tasting, winemaking, labels and service.

A

Abboccato

Italian for slightly sweet.

Acetaldehyde

A compound formed when wine meets oxygen, smelling of bruised apple or sherry. A fault in table wine, but a hallmark of fino sherry.

Acidity

The freshness that makes your mouth water. High acidity feels crisp.

Aeration

Letting wine meet air so its aromas open up and its flavors soften.

Alcohol by volume (ABV)

The percentage of a wine that is alcohol, shown on the label.

Amabile

Italian for ‘lovable’: a medium-sweet wine, a touch sweeter than abboccato but not fully dolce.

Amarone

A rich Italian red from partly dried grapes in Valpolicella.

Amontillado

Sherry that starts under flor, then ages with air contact. Nutty and amber.

Ampelography

The science of identifying and classifying grapevines, traditionally by leaf and berry shape, now often backed up by DNA analysis.

Amphora

A clay jar used to ferment and age wine since ancient times, now revived by producers seeking texture without oak flavour.

Angel's share

The wine lost to evaporation while it ages in barrel.

AOC

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée: France's system of protected wine regions and the rules for each.

Aperitif

A drink served before a meal to stimulate the appetite.

Appassimento

Italian method of drying harvested grapes on racks to concentrate sugar and flavor.

Appellation

A legally defined area where grapes are grown, with rules on what can be made there.

Aroma

A smell that comes from the grape itself, such as fruit or flowers.

Assemblage

The blending of different wines or grapes into the final wine.

Astringent

A drying, grippy feeling in the mouth, usually caused by tannin.

Auslese

German Prädikat for very ripe, selected bunches. Riper than Spätlese, often sweet.

Austere

Firm, lean and restrained, with little fruit or softness.

Autolysis

The breakdown of dead yeast cells, which adds bready, biscuit notes to sparkling wine.

AVA

American Viticultural Area: a US wine region defined by geography.

B

Balance

How well acidity, sweetness, tannin, alcohol and fruit sit together without one standing out.

Balthazar

A 12-litre bottle, equal to 16 standard bottles.

Barrel aging

Maturing wine in oak barrels, which adds flavors like vanilla and spice and lets in tiny amounts of air.

Barrique

A 225-litre oak barrel, the classic Bordeaux size.

Bâtonnage

Stirring the lees in a barrel or tank to add richness and texture.

Baumé

A scale for measuring the sugar in grape must; one degree Baumé roughly equals 1% potential alcohol. Common in France and Australia.

Beerenauslese

Sweet German wine from individually selected, very ripe, often botrytized berries.

Bentonite

A fine clay used to fine white and rosé wines, removing unstable proteins that could otherwise cause a haze in bottle.

Biodynamic

A farming approach that treats the vineyard as one living system and follows a set calendar of tasks.

Bitter

A sharp, unpleasant taste, often from tannin or unripe skins.

Blanc de Blancs

A white wine, often sparkling, made only from white grapes. In Champagne this means Chardonnay.

Blanc de Noirs

A white or pale wine made from dark-skinned grapes, with the juice kept away from the skins.

Blend

A wine made from more than one grape variety, vineyard or batch.

Blind tasting

Tasting wine without seeing the label, to judge it on its own merits.

Bodega

A Spanish winery or wine storehouse.

Body

How heavy or light the wine feels, from light as skim milk to rich as cream.

Bordeaux blend

A red blend of grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Botrytis

A mold that shrivels grapes and concentrates their sugar, used for sweet wines like Sauternes. Also called noble rot.

Bottle shock

A temporary dullness after bottling or travel that fades with rest.

Bouquet

The smells that develop as a wine ages in barrel and bottle.

Brettanomyces

A yeast that in small amounts adds savory notes, and in larger amounts barnyard or medicinal smells.

Brix

A scale measuring sugar in grape juice. Higher Brix means more potential alcohol.

Brut

A dry style of sparkling wine with very little sugar.

Bud break

The moment in spring when buds on the vines open and growth begins.

Bush vine

A vine grown without a trellis as a free-standing goblet shape, common in warm, dry regions. Also called gobelet.

Buttery

A creamy, butter-like note, often from malolactic fermentation in Chardonnay.

C

Canopy management

Adjusting a vine's leaves and shoots to control sunlight, airflow and ripening.

Cap

The mass of skins and solids that floats on top of fermenting red wine.

Cap Classique

South African sparkling wine made by the traditional method.

Capsule

The foil or plastic covering over a bottle's cork.

Carbonic maceration

Fermenting whole, uncrushed grapes in a carbon dioxide-rich tank. It gives light, fruity reds, as in Beaujolais.

Cassis

The aroma of blackcurrant, common in Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cava

Spanish sparkling wine made by the traditional method, mainly in Catalonia.

Cellar

A cool, dark place to store wine. Also the winery's area for making and storing it.

Chalky

A dry, powdery texture or a flavor like chalk, often noted in wines from limestone soils.

Chambré

French for 'brought to room temperature'. An old serving term for red wine, from days when rooms were cooler than today.

Chaptalization

Adding sugar to grape juice before fermentation to raise the final alcohol level.

Charmat

The tank method of making sparkling wine, with the second fermentation in a large tank.

Château

A wine estate, especially in Bordeaux.

Clairet

A Bordeaux style between rosé and light red, made with a short maceration; the likely origin of the English word ‘claret’.

Claret

The traditional British word for red Bordeaux.

Classico

Italian for 'classic': the original historic heart of a wine zone, such as Chianti Classico or Soave Classico.

Climat

A named, precisely defined vineyard plot in Burgundy.

Clone

A genetic variant of a grape variety chosen for traits like yield or flavor.

Clos

A vineyard enclosed by a wall, common in Burgundy.

Cloying

Describes a sweet wine without enough acidity to balance it, leaving a heavy, sticky impression on the palate.

Cold soak

Chilling crushed grapes with their skins before fermentation to extract color and fruit.

Colheita

Portuguese for 'harvest'. In Port, a tawny from a single vintage, aged at least seven years in wood before bottling.

Complex

A wine with many layers of aroma and flavor that change as you taste it.

Cooked

A flat, stewed fruit flavor from too much heat in the vineyard or storage.

Cooperage

The craft of making barrels, or the place where they are made.

Cooperative

A winery owned by a group of growers who pool their grapes.

Cordon

A permanent woody arm of the vine trained along a wire, from which short spurs are pruned each winter.

Corkage

A fee a restaurant charges for opening a bottle you bring yourself.

Corked

A wine spoiled by a compound called TCA, giving a smell of wet cardboard or damp cellar.

Cosecha

Spanish for ‘harvest’; on a label it shows the vintage year the grapes were picked.

Coulure

Poor fruit set after flowering, which reduces the size of the crop.

Coupe

A shallow, broad-bowled stemmed glass once fashionable for Champagne; pretty, but it loses bubbles and aroma quickly.

Cover crop

Plants grown between vine rows to protect soil and encourage biodiversity.

Cream sherry

A sweet sherry style, usually Oloroso blended with Pedro Ximénez or other sweetening wine.

Creamy

A smooth, rounded texture, often from lees or malolactic fermentation.

Crémant

A French sparkling wine made by the traditional method outside Champagne.

Crianza

A Spanish aging category with a minimum time in barrel and bottle. Rules vary by region.

Crisp

Fresh and lively, with refreshing acidity.

Cru

French for 'growth'. It marks a vineyard or estate of recognized quality.

Cru Bourgeois

A classification of Médoc châteaux outside the 1855 ranking, with three tiers – Cru Bourgeois, Supérieur and Exceptionnel – reviewed every five years.

Cru Classé

French for ‘classified growth’: a château ranked in an official classification, such as the 1855 Médoc and Sauternes list.

Crust

The thick sediment that forms in unfiltered Vintage Port.

Cuvaison

The time a red wine spends in contact with its skins during fermentation.

Cuvée

A specific blend or batch of wine. In Champagne it can also mean the first pressing of the juice.

D

Decanting

Pouring wine into another vessel to aerate it or separate sediment.

Dégorgement

French for disgorgement.

Délestage

French for 'unloading': rack-and-return, where fermenting juice is drained off and pumped back over the cap to extract colour and soften tannins.

Demi-sec

Medium-sweet. For sparkling wine it is sweeter than dry.

Dense

Packed with concentrated flavor and color.

Dessert wine

A sweet wine served with or in place of dessert.

Destemming

Separating grape berries from their stems before fermentation to avoid green, harsh tannins. Called éraflage or égrappage in French.

Digestif

A drink, often a spirit, served after a meal to aid digestion.

Disgorgement

Removing the yeast sediment from a bottle of sparkling wine after aging.

Diurnal range

The difference between daytime and night-time temperatures. Cool nights help grapes keep fresh acidity and aroma.

DO

Denominación de Origen: Spain's system of protected wine regions.

DOC / DOCG

Italy's quality labels for protected wine areas. DOCG has stricter rules and testing.

DOCa

Denominación de Origen Calificada, Spain's top quality tier, held only by Rioja and Priorat (DOQ in Catalan).

Domaine

A wine estate, especially in Burgundy.

Dosage

The small amount of sugar and wine added to sparkling wine just before final corking.

Double magnum

A 3-litre bottle, equal to four standard bottles; the Bordeaux name for what Champagne calls a Jeroboam.

Doux

French for sweet. The sweetest level of Champagne.

Dry

A wine with little or no sugar left after fermentation.

Dry farming

Growing vines without irrigation, relying on rainfall and deep roots; often linked to lower yields and concentrated fruit.

Dumb

Describes a wine that is temporarily closed, with little aroma or flavor.

E

Earthy

Aromas or flavors of soil, mushrooms or forest floor.

Einzellage

German for 'single site': an individual, registered vineyard named on the label after the village.

Elegant

Refined and balanced, with finesse rather than power.

Élevage

The aging and handling of wine between fermentation and bottling.

En primeur

Buying wine as a future, months or years before it is bottled and released.

Erste Lage

German for 'first site': the VDP's second-highest vineyard tier, just below Grosse Lage, comparable to a Burgundian premier cru.

Erzeugerabfüllung

German for ‘producer bottling’: the wine was bottled by the grower or growers’ cooperative that made it.

Estate bottled

Wine grown, made and bottled by the same producer at one property.

Esters

Aroma compounds formed during fermentation and aging that give fruity and floral notes.

Estufagem

The Portuguese process of gently heating Madeira in tanks for at least three months, giving its cooked, caramel and nutty character.

Extra brut

A very dry style of sparkling wine, drier than brut.

Extra dry

For sparkling wine, a style slightly sweeter than brut.

Extract

The dissolved solids in a wine, such as color, tannin and sugar, that give it depth.

F

Fat

A full, heavy wine with low acidity.

Feinherb

An unofficial German label term for wines that taste off-dry, usually a touch sweeter than halbtrocken.

Fermentation

The process in which yeast turns sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Fiasco

Italian for ‘flask’: the round-bottomed, straw-wrapped bottle long associated with traditional Chianti.

Field blend

A vineyard planted with several varieties that are harvested and fermented together.

Filtration

Passing wine through a filter to remove particles and microbes before bottling.

Fining

Adding a substance to clear a wine of tiny particles that cause cloudiness or harshness.

Finish

How long the flavors linger after you swallow.

Fino

A dry, pale Sherry aged under a layer of flor.

Firm

A wine with noticeable tannin or acidity that gives it a solid structure.

Flabby

A wine that tastes limp because it lacks acidity.

Flat

Lacking freshness or, in sparkling wine, lacking bubbles.

Fleshy

A soft, plump wine with ripe fruit.

Flight

A group of wines tasted together for comparison.

Flinty

A dry, smoky, struck-stone note often found in Sauvignon Blanc and Chablis.

Flor

A layer of yeast that grows on some Sherries and protects them from air.

Flute

A tall, narrow glass used for sparkling wine.

Fortified wine

Wine with added spirit, such as Port, Sherry or Madeira.

Foudre

French for a very large wooden vat, often holding several thousand litres, used for gentle ageing with little oak flavour.

Foxy

The grapey, musky aroma typical of some American grapes such as Concord.

Free-run juice

The juice that flows from crushed grapes without pressing.

Frizzante

Italian for lightly sparkling.

Fruit set

The stage after flowering when tiny berries begin to form.

Fruit-forward

A style where ripe fruit flavors lead over earthy or oaky notes.

Full-bodied

A wine that feels rich and heavy in the mouth.

G

Garrafeira

A Portuguese term for a top wine given extended ageing in cask and bottle before release, often from a single vintage.

Geranium taint

A fault smelling of crushed geranium leaves, caused when lactic bacteria break down sorbic acid added as a preservative.

GI (Geographical Indication)

A legally protected place name for wine, used notably in Australia and in EU and international law.

Glycerol

A natural compound in wine that adds smoothness and body.

Grafting

Joining a vine variety onto a separate rootstock.

Gran Reserva

Spain's top aging category, with long aging in barrel and bottle.

Grand Cru

The top tier of vineyards in Burgundy and Alsace. In Bordeaux the term is used differently by each area.

Grand vin

The main, top-tier wine of an estate.

Green

Flavors of unripe fruit, leaves or stems.

Green harvest

Cutting off some unripe bunches to reduce yield and concentrate flavor.

Grippy

A wine whose tannins grab the mouth.

Grosses Gewächs

German for 'great growth'. The VDP's term for a dry wine from a top-rated Grosse Lage vineyard, shown as GG.

Grower Champagne

Champagne made by the same estate that grows the grapes.

Gutswein

The entry level of the German VDP classification: an estate wine from the producer’s own vineyards, named by grape or brand.

Gyropalette

A machine that riddles large crates of sparkling-wine bottles automatically, doing in days what hand riddling takes weeks to achieve.

H

Halbtrocken

German for 'half-dry'. An off-dry wine with a little noticeable sweetness, legally up to 18 g/L of residual sugar.

Hang time

How long grapes stay on the vine before picking.

Hard

A wine with harsh tannin or acidity.

Harvest

Picking the grapes, usually late summer to autumn. Also called vendange.

Heady

A wine with noticeably high alcohol.

Herbaceous

Aromas of fresh herbs, grass or green pepper.

Hock

A traditional British word for German white wine.

Hollow

A wine with a start and finish but little in the middle.

Horizontal tasting

Comparing wines from the same vintage but different producers.

Hot

A wine whose alcohol gives a burning feel.

Hybrid grape

A grape produced by crossing different species.

Hydrometer

A tool for measuring the sugar in juice to track ripeness and fermentation.

I

Ice wine

Sweet wine from grapes frozen on the vine and pressed while still frozen. Eiswein in German.

IGT / IGP

Wine labels for a wider regional area, often allowing more freedom than DOC or AOC.

Imperial

A 6-litre bottle, equal to eight standard bottles, used mainly for Bordeaux reds.

Inky

A very dark, deeply colored wine.

Integrated

A wine where oak, tannin and acidity blend smoothly with the fruit.

Isinglass

A fining agent made from fish bladders.

J

Jammy

A red wine with very ripe, concentrated, cooked-fruit flavors.

Jeroboam

A large bottle holding 3 litres. For Bordeaux it can be 4.5 litres.

Jug wine

Inexpensive wine sold in large bottles.

K

Kabinett

The lightest German Prädikat level, from fully ripe grapes.

Kosher wine

Wine made under Jewish dietary law.

Kvevri

A large buried clay vessel used for making wine in Georgia. Also spelled qvevri.

L

Lactic

Related to lactic acid, which gives a soft, creamy impression.

Lagar

A shallow stone trough in which grapes are foot-trodden, still used in the Douro for some of the finest Port.

Late Bottled Vintage (LBV)

A Port from a single year, aged four to six years in wood before bottling, so it is ready to drink sooner.

Late harvest

Grapes picked later than usual for extra sugar, often used for sweet wines.

Lean

A wine with high acidity and little fruit or body.

Lees

The dead yeast and grape particles that settle after fermentation. Resting on them adds body and a bready note.

Legs

The streaks that run down the glass after swirling. They reflect alcohol and sugar, not quality.

Length

Another way to describe the finish. A long wine keeps its flavor well after you swallow.

Lieu-dit

A named place or parcel within a vineyard area, especially in France.

Lifted

A wine whose aromas feel bright and fragrant.

Light strike

A fault caused by UV light reacting with the wine, giving smells of cabbage or wet cardboard; a risk in clear glass bottles.

Light-bodied

A wine that feels light and delicate in the mouth.

Liqueur de tirage

The mix of yeast and sugar added to still wine to start the second fermentation in the bottle.

Lively

Fresh and energetic, with bright acidity.

Lush

A rich, soft wine with plenty of ripe fruit.

M

Maceration

Soaking grape skins in juice or wine to draw out color, flavor and tannin.

Madeirized

A wine cooked or oxidized so that it tastes like Madeira, nutty and caramelized.

Magnum

A bottle holding 1.5 litres, equal to two standard bottles.

Malolactic fermentation

A step that turns sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid. It gives a creamy feel.

Manzanilla

A pale, very dry Fino-style sherry aged under flor in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, known for its salty, tangy freshness.

Master of Wine (MW)

A title awarded by the Institute of Masters of Wine in London after a famously demanding exam; only a few hundred people hold it.

Master Sommelier (MS)

The top title awarded by the Court of Master Sommeliers, earned by passing demanding theory, blind tasting and service exams.

Medium-bodied

A wine between light and full in weight.

Mercaptans

Sulfur compounds that give smells of rotten onion, garlic or rubber.

Méthode traditionnelle

The method of making sparkling wine by a second fermentation in the bottle, as in Champagne.

Methuselah

A 6-litre bottle, equal to 8 standard bottles.

Micro-oxygenation

Adding tiny controlled amounts of oxygen to soften tannin and stabilize color.

Mid-palate

The middle part of the tasting experience, between the first taste and the finish.

Mildew

A fungal vine disease. Powdery and downy mildew are the main types.

Millerandage

Uneven fruit set, leaving bunches with a mix of normal and tiny seedless berries. Often called 'hens and chicks'.

Mineral

A word for flavors like wet stone, chalk or salt. Its exact meaning is debated.

Mis en bouteille au château

Bottled at the estate where the grapes were grown.

Monopole

A vineyard owned entirely by one producer, mainly in Burgundy.

Mousiness

A fault from certain bacteria or yeasts, giving an unpleasant aftertaste like a mouse cage on the finish; more common in low-sulphite wines.

Mousse

The foam and texture of the bubbles in sparkling wine.

Mouthfeel

The texture of a wine: its weight, smoothness, grip and warmth.

Mouthwatering

Describes wine with acidity that makes you salivate.

Muselet

The wire cage that holds a sparkling wine's cork in place.

Must

Freshly crushed grape juice, including skins, seeds and pulp, before it becomes wine.

Mutage

Adding spirit to stop fermentation, used to make fortified wines.

N

Natural wine

Wine made with minimal intervention. There is no single legal definition.

Nebuchadnezzar

A 15-litre bottle, equal to 20 standard bottles.

Négociant

A merchant who buys grapes or wine and sells under their own label.

New World

Wine regions outside Europe's traditional areas, such as the US, Australia and Chile.

Noble grape

A name for classic grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Noble rot

See Botrytis.

Non-vintage (NV)

A wine blended from several years rather than one, common in Champagne.

Nose

The overall smell of a wine.

Nouveau

A very young wine released soon after harvest, such as Beaujolais Nouveau.

Nutty

Aromas of almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts, often from aging or oxidation.

O

Oak

The wood used for barrels. It adds flavors such as vanilla, toast and spice.

Oaky

A wine with strong flavors from oak, such as vanilla, toast or smoke.

Oechsle

A German scale measuring the sugar in grape must by its density; Prädikat levels such as Spätlese have Oechsle minimums.

Oeil de perdrix

French for 'partridge eye': a pale, coppery-pink colour, and a name for rosé or blanc de noirs wines with that tint.

Oenology

The science of wine and winemaking.

Off-dry

Slightly sweet, just past dry.

Old vines

Vines that give smaller crops of more concentrated fruit. There is no legal age, though some regions define it.

Old World

Europe's traditional wine regions, such as France, Italy and Spain.

Oloroso

A dark, rich Sherry aged with air contact and no flor.

Opulent

Rich, ripe and luxurious.

Orange wine

White grapes fermented with their skins, which gives an amber color and some tannin.

Organic wine

Wine from grapes grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Rules vary by country.

Ortswein

The village level of the German VDP classification, from respected sites within a single village; one step above Gutswein.

Oxidation

Exposure to too much air, which dulls fruit and can give flavors of bruised apple or nuts.

P

Palate

Your sense of taste, or the flavors of a wine in the mouth.

Palo Cortado

A rare sherry that begins under flor then ages oxidatively, combining Amontillado's finesse with Oloroso's richness.

Passerillage

Drying grapes on the vine to concentrate their sugars.

Passito

Italian wine made from dried grapes, often sweet.

Peppery

A spicy note of black or white pepper, common in Syrah.

Pét-Nat

Short for pétillant naturel. A sparkling wine bottled before the first fermentation finishes.

Pétillant

Lightly sparkling, with fewer bubbles than a fully sparkling wine.

Petrol

A kerosene-like aroma typical of mature Riesling, caused by the compound TDN. Prized by many, disliked by some.

pH

A measure of acidity. Lower pH means a more acidic wine.

Phylloxera

A tiny insect that destroyed most European vineyards in the 1800s. Grafting onto resistant roots solved it.

Piccolo

A small 187.5 ml bottle, a quarter of a standard bottle, often used for single servings of sparkling wine. Also called a split.

Pigeage

Punching down the cap of skins into the fermenting wine.

Plush

A soft, velvety and generous wine.

Polished

Smooth, refined and without rough edges.

Pomace

The skins, seeds and stems left over after pressing.

Prädikat

Germany's quality system based on grape ripeness at harvest.

Premier Cru

French for 'first growth'. In Burgundy it ranks just below Grand Cru.

Pressing

Squeezing grapes to separate juice from skins.

Primary aromas

Aromas from the grape itself, such as fruit and flowers.

Pruning

Cutting back vines to control growth and crop size.

Pumping over

Pumping fermenting juice from the bottom of the tank over the cap. Also called remontage.

Punt

The dimple in the bottom of a wine bottle.

Puttonyos

The sweetness scale for Tokaji Aszú, named after the hods once used to add botrytised berries; today usually 5 or 6 puttonyos.

Q

Quaffable

Easy and enjoyable to drink.

Qualitätswein

German for 'quality wine': wine from one of Germany's 13 wine regions meeting basic quality rules, below the Prädikat levels.

Quinta

A Portuguese wine estate or farm, especially in the Douro.

R

Racking

Moving wine off its sediment into a clean container.

Rancio

A nutty, savory aroma in aged, oxidized wines.

Recioto

A sweet Italian wine from the Veneto made from dried grapes, such as Recioto della Valpolicella or Recioto di Soave.

Reductive

Winemaking with little air contact, or a wine with a struck-match or rubbery smell from lack of oxygen.

Rehoboam

A 4.5-litre bottle, equal to six standard bottles, mainly used for Champagne.

Reserva / Riserva

A Spanish or Italian label for wine aged longer before release. Exact rules vary by country and region.

Residual sugar

The sugar left in a wine after fermentation stops.

Rich

A wine with depth, weight and concentrated flavor.

Riddling

Turning bottles of sparkling wine gradually so sediment collects in the neck.

Rim variation

The color difference between the center and the edge of the wine in the glass, which can show age.

Ripasso

A Valpolicella refermented on the dried-grape skins left over from Amarone, giving extra body, depth and alcohol.

Robust

Strong, full and powerful.

Rootstock

The root system a vine is grafted onto, often chosen for pest resistance.

Rosé

A pink wine made by leaving red grape skins in the juice for only a short time.

Round

Smooth and soft, without sharp tannin or acidity.

Ruby

A young, fruity style of Port aged briefly.

Rustic

A wine that is earthy and rough, with less polish.

S

Sabrage

Opening a bottle of Champagne by sliding a sabre along the neck so the collar and cork break cleanly away.

Saccharomyces

The yeast genus most used to ferment wine.

Saignée

Bleeding off some juice early from red grapes to concentrate the red or make rosé.

Salmanazar

A large 9-litre bottle, equal to 12 standard bottles – a full case in one.

Screwcap

A metal closure that seals wine without a cork.

Sec

French for dry. For Champagne it actually means slightly sweet.

Second fermentation

A fermentation of a finished wine to create bubbles, as in Champagne.

Second wine

A wine from a top estate made from younger vines or lesser batches.

Secondary aromas

Aromas from fermentation, such as yeast, butter or bread.

Sediment

Solid particles that settle in older bottles. Harmless but unpleasant to drink.

Sekt

German or Austrian sparkling wine.

Sélection de Grains Nobles

A very sweet Alsace wine from botrytized grapes.

Silky

A smooth, fine texture.

Skin contact

Leaving juice in contact with grape skins to extract color, flavor and tannin.

Smoke taint

Ashy, smoky, medicinal flavours in wine made from grapes exposed to wildfire smoke during the growing season.

Smoky

Aromas of smoke or toast, from oak, soil or smoke-affected grapes.

Soft

Low in tannin or acidity, easy and gentle.

Solera

A system of fractional blending that mixes younger and older wines, used for Sherry.

Sommelier

A trained wine professional, often working in restaurants, who manages the wine list and advises guests.

Sparkling wine

Wine with bubbles from carbon dioxide, made by various methods.

Spätlese

German for 'late harvest'. Riper than Kabinett.

Spicy

Notes of spices such as pepper, clove or cinnamon.

Spumante

Italian for 'sparkling'. A fully sparkling wine, such as Asti or many Prosecco and Franciacorta wines.

Stabilization

Treatments that prevent haze or crystals forming in the bottle.

Stainless steel

Tanks used for clean, fresh wines with no oak influence.

Steely

Tight, mineral and high in acidity, with little oak.

Stemmy

A green, bitter note from stems.

Stems

The woody parts of a grape bunch. Using them in fermentation adds tannin and spice.

Structure

The framework of acidity, tannin, alcohol and body that holds a wine together.

Sulfites

Compounds that occur naturally and are often added to protect wine from spoiling and oxidation.

Super Tuscan

A high-quality Tuscan red made outside the traditional rules, often with international grapes.

Superiore

Italian label term for a wine meeting stricter rules than its basic DOC, typically higher minimum alcohol and sometimes longer ageing.

Supple

Smooth and flexible in the mouth, with soft tannin.

Sur lie

Aging a wine on its lees, for added richness and texture.

Sustainable winemaking

Methods that aim to protect the environment and the long-term health of the vineyard.

Swirling

Gently moving wine in the glass to release its aromas.

T

Table wine

An everyday wine, or in Europe the lowest legal category.

Tannic

A wine with lots of tannin.

Tannin

Compounds from skins and seeds that give red wine its grip and dryness.

Tart

Sharply acidic.

Tartrate crystals

Harmless, glass-like crystals that sometimes form in bottles of wine, especially when chilled.

Tastevin

A shallow silver tasting cup, traditionally worn on a chain by sommeliers and associated with Burgundy.

Tasting notes

Written observations of a wine's look, smell, taste and finish.

Tawny

Port aged for years in barrel, becoming amber and nutty.

TCA

The compound that causes cork taint.

Terroir

The mix of soil, climate and landscape that shapes a wine's character.

Tertiary aromas

Aromas from aging, such as leather, mushroom or dried fruit.

Tête de cuvée

French for a producer’s top or prestige wine, especially in Champagne, made from the best grapes and juice.

Texture

How a wine feels in the mouth, such as creamy, silky or grippy.

Thin

A wine lacking body and flavor.

Tight

Closed and firm, not yet showing its full character.

Tinto

Spanish and Portuguese for 'red', as in vino tinto or vinho tinto.

Tirage

Bottling still wine with yeast and sugar for the second fermentation.

Toast

The level to which the inside of a barrel is charred, affecting flavors like vanilla and smoke.

Trellis

A framework of posts and wires that supports vines.

Trocken

German for 'dry'. On labels it means little or no sweetness, legally up to 9 g/L of residual sugar depending on acidity.

Trockenbeerenauslese

The sweetest German Prädikat, from shriveled botrytized berries.

Typicity

How well a wine shows the traits expected of its grape or region.

U

Ullage

The empty space between the wine and the cork. A larger gap can suggest an older or leaky bottle.

Unctuous

Rich, thick and oily in texture, often for sweet wines.

Unfiltered

Wine bottled without filtration, which can look slightly cloudy.

Unoaked

Wine made and aged without oak, such as in steel tanks, for a fresher, fruitier style.

V

Varietal

A wine made mainly from one named grape, or the grape variety itself.

Vat

A large container for fermenting or storing wine.

VDP

Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, an association of top German estates marked by an eagle logo, with its own vineyard classification.

Vegan wine

Wine made without animal-derived fining agents like egg, milk or isinglass.

Vegetal

Aromas of vegetables or green plants, such as bell pepper or asparagus.

Velvety

A soft, smooth texture.

Vendange tardive

French for late harvest, used for sweet Alsace wines.

Veraison

The point when grapes change color and begin to ripen.

Vertical tasting

Comparing the same wine from different vintages.

Vigneron

A French word for someone who grows grapes and makes wine.

Vin de pays

A former French category for regional wines, now called IGP.

Vin de table

The French term for basic table wine.

Vin doux naturel

A French sweet wine fortified before fermentation finishes.

Vin gris

French for 'grey wine': a very pale rosé made by pressing red grapes straight away, with almost no skin contact.

Vin jaune

A Jura wine aged under a yeast film for at least six years.

Vineyard

A planted area of grapevines.

Vinification

The process of turning grapes into wine.

Vino de Pago

Spain's top tier for single estates with a distinctive terroir, each with its own appellation.

Vinous

Describes the general character of wine, such as fruit and fermentation notes.

Vintage

The year the grapes were harvested.

Vintage Port

Port from a single exceptional declared year, bottled young after about two years in wood and built to age for decades.

Viscosity

The thickness of a wine, which affects how it moves in the glass.

Viticulture

The growing of grapevines.

Vitis vinifera

The European grape species behind nearly all the world's quality wine.

Volatile acidity

Acetic acid in wine. A little adds complexity, too much smells of vinegar or nail polish.

W

Waiter's friend

The folding lever corkscrew carried by most sommeliers, with a small blade for cutting the foil.

Weight

The impression of fullness in the mouth. Another word for body.

Weingut

The German word for a wine estate.

Weissherbst

A German rosé made from a single red grape variety, such as Spätburgunder, found mostly in Baden and Württemberg.

Whole-cluster

Fermenting grapes with their stems, which adds structure and spice.

Wild yeast

Yeasts naturally present on the grapes and in the cellar that start fermentation without added cultured yeast; also called native or ambient yeast.

Wine thief

A long glass or metal pipette used to draw samples of wine from a barrel for tasting.

Winemaker

The person who decides how grapes are turned into wine.

Winery

The place where wine is made.

Woody

An unpleasant flavor of raw oak or wet wood.

X

Xarel·lo

A white grape grown mainly in Catalonia, Spain, and one of the three classic Cava grapes.

Y

Yeast

The microorganism that converts sugar to alcohol during fermentation.

Yeasty

A bready, doughy note from yeast.

Yield

The amount of grapes or wine produced from a vineyard area. Lower yields often mean more concentrated flavor.

Young wine

A wine early in its life, usually fruity and fresh.

Z

Zero dosage

Sparkling wine with no added sugar at disgorgement.

Zesty

A tasting word for lively, citrusy freshness.

Zymology

The study of fermentation.