A

Abbocato – Italian term for medium-sweet wine and full-bodied wine.

Portuguese term for sweet wine

Adega – Portuguese term for winery

After taste – the taste left in the mouth by some wines after they have been tasted
After taste is measured in time: short, average or long.
An average after taste lasts 5-10 seconds.

Swallowing or spitting out produces the same result,
Because there are no gustatory papillae or smell receptors in the throat.

You can, however better determine the percentage of alcohol:
The more you experience a burning feeling in your throat, the more alcohol.

Agiorgitiko – Greek black variety originating from Greece.

Aglianico – black variety from southern Italy. High tannin and acid, complex fruit and good ageability.
Wines: Taurasi and Aglianico del Vulture.

Albarinho / Alvarinho / Albariño
White wine variety originating from Northwestern Spain and Portugal.
Related to the Riesling
Fruity and high cid, apricot, citrus and peach.

In Spain wines are named after the grape variety.
The Albarinho was a forgotten variety in Spain, suddenly rediscovered
The last 10 years a very trendy wine in Spanish restaurants, significantly increased in price.

In Portugal the wine from Alvarinho is called: Vino Verde.
De renowned and very light, young style white wine with fresh acids and a little bit carbonated.
In Portugal there is a red Vino Verde as well which isn’t sold in The Netherlands: A wine with average acidity.

The alcohol percentage of the wine is one of the elements which is required to be on the label.The prescribed minimum alcohol percentage of wine is set at a minimum of 8,5 %.Naturally the fermentation of grapejuice stops at a maximum alcohol percentage of 15%.

The alcohol in wine, beer and other liquors is ethanol.(With a small percentage of additional alcohols.The chemical formula of ethanol is: C2 H5 OH, or a composition of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

During the distillation of wine, for example for grappa, eau-de-vie or brandy, the ethanol is extracted from the alcoholic fundamental wine through heating. Ethanol damps at 78,3 degrees and is then absorbed through cooling.

There are three stages of distillation: lead, heart and expiration. In the lead the alcohol is located which damps at the lowest temperature: methanol, a very toxic substance. That is the danger of distillation on your own: not removing the lead.
The middle stage of the distillation process, named the heartm is ethanol.
After the heart the expiration damp: the higher alcohols, like propane and butane.
They give off so called ‘foozles’: unpleasant odors.
On a minor level, the foozles do give the distillate more character.

The usage of alcohol makes you let go of inhibitions.
It also creates tunnel vision, feared in traffic: the perception is reduced to a line of sight that extends only to what is right in front of you.
Like with narcotics people have less control over their behavior and the behavior gets less predictable.

Moderate use of alcohol has no demonstrable effect on your health.

Aligoté: a white grape variety.
Fruity high-acid dry white from Burgundy.

Base for the famous Kir: a composition from Aligoté and Crème de cassis,
Meant to make the thin wine a bit rounder and sweeter.

Almacenista – A producer of Sherry who ages it and then sells it in bulk to a merchant.

Alte Reben – German term for old vines. French term: Vieilles Vignes.
Usually vines which are over 50 years of age.
Because of their age these vines give less and smaller grapes, making the flavour of the wine more concentrated.

Amabile – Italian term for medium-sweet wine.

Amarone – A red wine originating from Veneto, Italy

American varieties like Vitis Labrusca, Vitis Berlandieri, Vitis Ruperstris, etc. are used as a stock.
These American stocks are resistant to most from grapelice, a disease taken from America which damages the roots of the plant.

The grape variety, meaning the flavour of the wine is determined by the bough, the grapevine growing from the stock.
For all the wines in the world (with a few exceptions) it is a European variety.

Anbaugebiete – German term for a large designated wine region.
All wine regions of Germany are in climate zone A, the coolest climate in Europe, except for Baden, which is in climate zone B.
There are 13 Anbaugebiete.

Ahr
Mosel
Nahe
Pfalz
Mittelrhein
Rheingau
Rheinhessen
Hessische Bergstrasse
Franken
Würtemberg
Baden
Sachsen
Saale Unstrut

Annata – Italian term for the year of harvest.

Aragonez – a black grape variety.
Portuguese for the Spanisch Tempranillo, also called Tinto Roriz.
One of the grape varieties for red port.

Aroma-wheel – a method to easily recognize and name aromas in wine.
The Wijnstudio has developed an aromazon on the basis of 6 groups of scent:

Fruit
Flowers and spices
Vegetale and nuts
Bestial
Wood and toast
Earthly and chemical

There are aromazon’s for specific groups of wine as well, for instance German white wine.
There are aromazon’s for other liquors, like whisky.

Assemblage: French term for mixing (blending) a number of different wines.

Never say mélange in france, as it is seen as a undervaluation of assembling.
The cellarer makes the assemblage and is therefore responsible for the flavour of the wine and the company style.

Assyrtiko – A white grape variety.
High acidity, pronounced fruit.
Dry and unoaked wines from Greece, particularly Santorini.
Some sweet versions are also made, from dried grapes.

Ausbruch – An Austrian wine from a small area near Neusiedlersee – Burgenland
Wines with “Edelrot” (affected by bortyrtus or porriture noble),
Sweet but elegant, lighter than most sweet Austrian wines.
In terms of classification: between Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.
Because of the fact that “edelrot” always occurs in this region the quality is constant every year.
This provides a good price/quality ratio.

Yeast-autolysis – The decomposition of dead yeast-cells in wine.
This process gives wine an aroma of dough.
Generally known with Muscadet sur lie and sparkling wine which riped on the bottle, like Champaign and Cava.

Azienda – Italian term for an estate that uses its own or bought-in grapes for the production of its wine.

B

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Bag in Box – Wine in a cardboard box, usually some liters.
Inside the cardboard box there is a synthetic bag which lets no whatsoever in, but does lets you take out the wine. This is possible through the use of a small tap.
Biggest benefit: The box is square, thus easy to place and pour.
Just like with a Tetra-type of package (like orange juice in a literpack) with Bag in Box the quality of the wine is perfectly kept.
Moreover: The greater the capacity, the better the preservability of the wine.
The image of Bag in Box is very cheap however, so it is mostly used for cheap wines.
This could change: the screw cap had the same image, but is now more accepted as full-fledged sealing of quality wine.

Bandol – Red wine from the Provence, southern France.
Made of 100% Mourvèrdre-grapes.
A dark red colour, round and full-bodied.
Can be stored for a long time.

Barbera – a red grape variety from Piedmont – Italy
High aicidity, cherry scented.
The Barbera can deliver high quality wines marked by juicy red fruit under the name Barbera.

Bardolino – Red wine from Veneto, northwestern Italy.
From the same grapes as Valpolicella, of which Corvino Veronese is the most important.
Bardolino is an easy, light wine, drink slightly cooled.
Is produces in large volumes.

Barrique – A wooden barrel.
Term from Bordeaux for an oak cask with a capacity of 255 liters.
The best casks are made with oak from the Central Massive.
American oak has bigger pores and consequently gives more vanilla tones to the wine, which makes the flavour less subtle.

Barsac – French wine region located beneath Bordeaux, adjacent to the Sauternes.
An AOC from exclusively sweet white botrytis-wines: wines which have been dried by the ‘pourriture noble” or noble rot.

Battonage – French term for stirring the dead yeast-cells in wine.
This adds extra flavour to the wine.
Traditionally this was done with a stick (batton), now it is mostly mechanically done in RVS tanks with blades.
English term: see stirring

Baumé – French unit for measuring the amount of sugar in the must.
This is measured through the use of a baumé- indicator, a sort of thermometer which is placed in the must.
A refractometer is also used, which determines the refractive index of the light in a single drop of liquid, thus indicating the level of sugar.

Nowadays when determining the ripeness of the grape the fenolic ripeness is used: the ripeness of the tannins and colour.
This can be determined through study of the grape seed.

Beaujolais – The biggest wine region of the Bourgogne.

Beaujolais starts just above the city of Lyon.
Over 80% of all Bourgogne is Beaujolais. Of that a large amount is prime. (red)
Red Beaujolais is made from the Gamay-grape, which grows especially well on granite soil.
Beaujolais-Villages is wine from the middle of the Beaujolais with a better soil.
Besides that, there are 10 villages in the north of the Beaujolais with the best terroir, the have their own name: Cru Beaujolais.
These cru’s have an excellent price/quality ratio, on average, they cost around €15,- to €22.-
Not only do these cru’s have a red and fruity aroma, they are also capable of having a firm character.
Subsequently from north to south the cru’s are:
St. Amour
Juliennas
Chenas
Moulin-a-vent
Fleurie
Chiroubles
Morgon
Regnie
Côte de Brouilly
Brouilly

Beaujolais Primeur – very young wine from Beaujolais – Southern Bourgogne.
Made according to the method carbonique – the fermentation takes place in the grape itself, which is why the colour and flavour shape up quickly. This takes place in a sealed tank.
The flavour of Beaujolais Primeur is: red fruit like strawberries and raspberries, low acidity and few tannins, a slight carbon dioxide tickle.
A very supple, easy to drink wine.
This wine cannot be stored for more than a year, the is a risk of refermentation on the bottle.
The fruit-aromas will be gone after a year as well.
Beaujolais Primeur is allowed to be sold in The Netherlands from the 3rd of November.
Nowadays this isn’t that important anymore.
The Beaujolais Primeur is primarily sold in America.

Bereich – German term for a wine region within an Anbaugebiet:
A group of Gemeinden or communes.

Bergerac – French AOC region east of Bordeaux.
The wines are made similarly to the Bordeaux style but are often a but suppler, more accessible
And nicely priced.

Bin – English term for a location, like an angle in a cellar, where a particular wine is stored.
Often used in Australia as part of a brand name,
For example: Bin 28 by Penfolds.

Biological wine – Wines which are made as naturally as possible,
Without the use of chemical fertilizers or chemical insecticides.
The biological wine-growing primarily focuses on a healthy soil life in the vineyard.
A development gaining more and more support for wine makers admit that one can only make good wine from nothing but the best grapes.
A lot of grapes are more or less cultivated biologically, not only at small vineyards but athe very large as well, in America too.
In France an in between also exists: La Lutte Raisonée, which wants to limit insecticides as much as possible.

Blanc de Blancs – White wine of green grapes

Blanc de Noirs – White wine of black grapes.

Blaufränkisch – Red grape variety

Blending of wine. French term: Assemblage.
The wine-grower is responsible for the style of a wine through the blending of fundamental wines.
This could be: a blend of a single grape variety from a single region but of several vineyards.
This happens in Bourgogne, where only one black grape is allowed in the red wine.

Red Bordeaux is assembled (blended) from wines of a maximum of 6 different grape varieties, usually from a single region.

In Australia its custom to buy wines or grapes from regions which are more than 1000 kilometers apart.
For the Australians the quality of the grape and the result in the wine counts, not the place or origin.
Champagne is the absolute master of blending: usually up to 100 different wines in the assemblage of a single Champagne:
Made from 3 grape varieties, several regions, several parties from several years, if not wood-layered.

Bocksbeutel – flat- round bellied bottle.
Traditionally in Franken (Germany) and for Rosé from Portugal.

Bodega – Spanish term for a Winery

Bonnezeaux – AOC wine region in the area Anjou in the Loire, beneath the city of Angers.
Bonnezeaux is together with Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon the best known region for beautiful sweet Loire wines.
Made of the Chenin blanc-grape, with “pourriture noble” –by noble rot dried grapes.

Bordeaux – prices
There is a lot of overproduction of mediocre wine in Bordeaux.
This is distilled to brandy with EU-allowance.
The first rate Chateaux aren’t affected, prices rise every year because of the rising prosperity of countries like India and China.
Serving first class Chateaux in China is a way of showing how rich you are: an exquisite luxury product in the West.

Red Bordeaux is in nearly all cases a blend of grapes.
In almost all Bordeaux a part of Merlot is processed.
An example of an expensive wine made of just Merlot (the so called mono-cépage, and by that very special) is Chateaux Petrus from Pomerol, one of the most expensive wines in the world.

On the right bank of the Gironde (St. Emillion, pomerol and surroundings) the Merlot and Cabernet Franc are dominant.
On the left bank (Medoc and surroundings) the Cabernet Sauvignon is dominant.
Because the Cabernet Sauvignon is a must “severe” grape with higher acidity and tannins, its often in his youth a more harsher wine.
Fine Medoc-wines thus should not be drunk too early.

The grapes which are allowed to be used in red Bordeaux are:
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Malbec
Carmenère
Petit Verdot

In Bordeaux dry white wines are made, particularly in Entre Deux Mers.
And there the famous dark-yellow sweet wines are made, from by botritus (pourriture noble) affected, dried grapes, particularly in Sauternes.

Sauternes is a bulky, full-sweet wine with high acidity. The acidity provides the balance in flavour. The most expensive Sauternes is the Chateaux d’Yquem, of which half a bottle usually costs over €100,-.

The three grapes for white Bordeaux are:
Sauvignon blanc
Muscadelle

Borderies – wine regions in the Cognac, north of Bordeaux, in the Charente Maritime district.

Botanicals – English term for herbs and plants which do not pass a taste to liquor like gin and vermouth.
For example: coriander, juniper berry, orange peel, absinth.

Botrytus Cinerea – a well known fungus in the agriculture.
This fungus appears in warm and damp areas and attacks the fruits.
Usually with grapes which are close by a river or a lake.
If Botrytus appears at grapes which are not yet ripe the harvest is lost.
This is called “pourriture gris” in France.
If botrytis appears at ripe grapes it is referred to as “pourriture noble” (French)
Edelrot (German/Dutch) or noble rot (English)

Through botrytis the grapes dry and the flavour concentrates.
Especially sweet and sour, which amplify because of this, but stay in balance.
Out of this the wine-grower creates golden, yellow sweet wines.

Best known examples: Sauternes in the Bordeaux, Tokaij in Hungary, Vin de Constance in South-Africa.

Bottiglia – Italian term for (wine) bottle

Brix – Measuring unit for the amount of sugar in the must.
Usual in America, comparable to Baumé in France and Oeuchsle in Germany.

Brunello di Montalcino – Wine region in Tuscany.
Red wines in the style of Chianti, made of the Sangiovese grape.
Generally highly appreciated and highly priced.

Brut – French term for a dry sparkling wine.
Brut is commonly mistaken by consumers for a quality of champaign.
But it’s nothing more than the level of sweetness in the wine, caused by the “dosage”:
The sugar which is added last to the champaign.

Bush vine – a way of directing and cutting the grape branches.
Bush vine is a half-wild way of growing, the grapes are not fit to be harvested mechanically.

Butt –Barrel used for sherry holding about 600 liters.

C

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Cabernet Franc
Black variety, family of the famous Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bordeaux, in particular the right bank (st. Emillion and surroundings) and the Loire.

Lots of fruit. Works well in a cool climate, but if it’s too cold it will not ripe entirely.

Cabernet Sauvignon
World’s most appreciated international black wine grape.

Lots of colour, tannins, acids, vegetal tones, black berry aroma.
Ripens extremely well on wood.
Makes for strong wine which ages extremely well.
Used a lot in international blends to improve wines.

Dominant grape in Haut Medoc, Bordeaux.
Popular all over the world, especially in California:
The famous Opus One by Robert Mondavi.

Corvine Veronese – black wine grape.
Veneto – Italy.
Provides together with Rondinello and Molinere grapes the base for Valpolicella, Bardolino, Amarone and Reciotto.
Out of these three Corvino is the qualitygrape.
Provides a lot of fruit and colour.

Coteaux-du-Layon – wine region in Anjou, Loire France.
Sweet white botrytis wines from the Chenin blanc grape.

Côtes – French term for a hillside in a vineyard.
Hillsides have a number of advantages:
Because of the angle the sun is able to better penetrate the grape vines.
Because of that the grapes are better ripened. This is especially advantageous in cool areas.
Also, the feared night frost doesn’t remain, it sinks to the ground.
A disadvantage of a hillside is soil erosion.
Sometimes the upper layer of the soil must be reapplied.

If the hillside is very steep the use of mechanical farming equipment will get more difficult.
Cables are then used or even rails and winches are applied.
Labour will also become more expensive.

Crémant – French term for all sparkling wines outside Champaign.
Wines which are made according to the Méthode Traditionelle: Second fermentation on the bottle.

French term for crop.
Can however be a quality region in the viticulture or a classification as well: Grand Cru.

Cru Artisan – A quality indication for Bordeaux wines.
Lower than Cru Bourgeois.

Cru Bourgeois – Quality indication for Bordeaux wines.
The answer to the Grand Cru Classées, an arrangement which hasn’t been changed since the installation in 1855.
This has led to unsatisfied wine farmers, which make very beautiful wines, sometimes maybe even better than the classified wines, but can never be admitted in the classification.
Unfortunately because of the constant disagreement between wine growers, Crus Bourgeois is a continuous source of trouble, which are fought in court.

Quality parcel, usually in Bordeaux.

Cuve Close – tank method or Charmat method.
A way to make sparkling wine.
A wine is made to ferment again by adding sugar and yeast.
This second fermentation produces a lot of carbon dioxide, CO2, which is held in a tank.
Because the carbon dioxide has no way of escaping it mixes with the wine.

The colder the tank, the longer the process takes: differing from 10 to 90 days.
The longer it takes, the better the integration of the carbon dioxide in the wine.

Cuvée – French term for a blend of wines.

D

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Dégorgement – French term for the removing of yeast sediment from a sparkling wine.
Literal translation: the removing from the throat.
Immediately following this is the (if necessary) sweetening and bottling.
After this the sparkling wine is ready for sale and will not improve any further.

Demi sec – French term for medium-dry.
By Dutch standards this is already fairly sweet.

Dépot – French term for residue.
Often a sign of a not or slightly filtered wine, but the consumer does not appreciate the residue and often thinks the wine contains a mistake.
A vintage port is not filtered.
A very old Vintage Port can fill a third of the bottle with sediment.

Dolcetto – black wine grape.
Italian grape, mainly in Piemonte.
Wine of the same name, deep red, soft tannins.

Despite its name (sweetie) there is often a slight bitter taste in the wine.

Domaine – French term for wine estate, mainly used in Bourgogne.

Dosage – French term for the added sweetness of a sparkling wine.
Champaign is very dry by nature.
If the Champaign is made ready for sale, a dash of sugar is added, dissolved in wine.
This is called dosage, or: liqeur d’expedition. That’s the moment when the sweetness of the wine is determined.

The different levels of sweetness in Champaign are: (total number of grams of sugar per liter)
Brut Nature / Extra Brut / Ultra Brut / Zero Dosage 0 gram/liter
Brut 0 -15 gram/liter
Extra Sec 12 - 20 gram/liter
Sec 17 - 35 gram/liter
Demi-sec 33-50 gram/liter
Doux 50 grams/liter and more

E

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Eau de Vie – literal translation: Water of life
A distillate of the remnants of the pressing of wine: peels, stalks and seeds.
This always contains a remnant of wine, which will be distilled.

Edelfäule – German term for noble rot.
French: Pourriture Noble
A mould (botrytus) which appears spontaneously with grapes in warm and damp weather.
Because of this the grapes dry and flavours are concentrated, especially the sugars and acids, of which the flavours do stay in balance.

Across the entire world wine growers make golden, sweet wines, like the Sauternes and the Tokaij.

Edes – Hungarian term for sweet wine.

Egrapagge – the removing the stalks of the grapes.
Removing the stalks is often applied, always before the fermentation, to prevent (too much) bitter tannins from getting in the wine.

Einzellage – German term for a vineyard.
French: Vigne

Elaborade (por) Spanish term for: produced (by)

Elevée en fût de chêne – The wine is grown on oak.

Spanish term for: bottled (= put in a bottle) (by)

Entre Deux Mers – a large AOC wine area in the Bordeaux region where mainly dry white wine is made from the grapes:
Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle.
Literal translation: between two seas, the area between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne.

Erzeuger Abfüllung
German term for “bottled on the estate”.
French: mise en bouteille á la propriétaire.

Ethanol
Ethanol – Alcohol
The chemical formula of ethanol is: C2 H5 0H

Extra Sec – French term for dry, but not as dry as Brut
Used for sparkling wines.

F

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Fattoria – Italian term for a wine estate.
French: Château (Bordeaux) or Domaine (Bourgogne)

Federspiel – Category of wines in Wachau – Austria.
Light, stimulating wines.
Other categories in Wachau: Steinfeder and Smaragd.

Federweisser – young wine is not yet done fermenting in Germany.

Fiasco – the old-fashioned Italian basket bottle.
The round bellied bottle is covered with raffia. Very labour intensive, thus too expensive now.

Fine Champaign – not Champaign, but a region in the cognac.
Cognac is produced in the department of Charente Maritime, above Bordeaux.
The most important grape: Ugni Blanc, or Trebbaniano, a real mass production wine grape.
Fine Champaign is made from grapes coming from the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.
These are areas with a limey soil. The more lime, the higher the quality.

Flor – A low yeast level.
Flor is a layer of yeast of a few centimeters thick, which floats on the sherry.
It’s a spontaneous natural phenomena which appears in the sherry region and several other locations in the world, including the Jura.
Flor seals off the sherry in the barrel, as a result of which no oxygen can reach the sherry.
These sherries are called Fino or Mazanilla. They are always very thin of structure en very pale of colour.

An Amontillada is a sherry which had flor at first, but later still oxidized.
For more information: www.vinosdejerez.nl

Foudre – French term for a very large wooden wine barrel.
No standardized measure, can contains several thousand liters.

Frizzante – Italian term for light sparkling wine, 2.5 bar of pressure.

G

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Gamay – black wine grape.
Beaujolais – France. De best wines on granite soil.
Light-bodied, strawberry aroma.
There are 10 famous cru’s in Beaujolais, like Fleurie, Moulin a Vent.
Several cru’s taste a lot stronger than one expects from a “Beaujolais”.

Beaujolais Primeur is ready within 6 weeks if done according to the “Meceration Carbonique”.
Consumption in The Netherlands as of the third Thursday of November.
Nowadays the Beaujolais Primeur is primarily exported to America.

In The Netherlands not a lot of Beaujolais Primeur is drunk anymore.
They are mostly replaced by Novello’s from Italy, which arrive in the first week of November.

Garganega – white variety.
Green fruit, crisp acidity, medium-bodied.
Dominant grape in the Soave wines (Veneto – Italy).

Garnacha / Grenache – black variety.
Most cultivated black grape in Spain (Garnacha) and southern France (Grenache)
Is an important part of the blend of grapes in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape, together with Syrah.
Most cultivated black grape in the world. Preferably lives in a hot climate.
Provides a lot of alcohol and little colour: suitable for rosé.

Garrafeire – Portuguese term for a ripened wine.
De Garrafeira is the first class wine of a company, with the longest ripening process.

The best combinations of wine and food are made when the character of them both match.
Well known combinations are: blue cheese with sweet Sauternes, venison with Syrah from the northern Rhone, Riesling with sauerkraut, truffle with Chianti.
In traditional wine regions the gastronomy is good because the inhabitants have harmonized their wine and food for centuries.
Red wine with meat and white with fish is an outdated principle.
Light red wine can go with baked fish, firm white wine can go with light meat.

Peter Klosse has done ground-breaking work with his research after taste.
To understand the character of food and wine It is important to discern:
Mouth feeling: tight or filming
Type of flavour: young or ripening
Taste intensity: faint or stout.
Complexity: simple or complex.

Gavi di Gavi – dry white wine from Piemonte – Italy,
Fresh acids from the Cortese-grape.
A DOCG wine which can be of very good quality.

Gewurztraminer – white variety.
Elzas – France, Alto Adige – Italy, Germany, Austria, New Zeeland, Spain, Australia.
Related to the Muscat grape. A powerful aroma of roses.
Medium to high acidity. Dry, semi-dry and sweet wines.
In some cool areas the Gewürztraminer can develop more fresh acids.

In the Elzas this grape is called the Emperor.

Gigondas – AOC in the southern Rhône, France.
Dominant grapes: Grenache and Syrah, comparable to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Givry – AOC commune in the Côte Chalonais in Bourgogne, France.
Red wine of the Pinot Noir as well as white wine of the Chardonnay.

Goût de Pétrol – French term for an aroma of gasoline or rubber.
Nowadays the French speak of Goût de terroir, it sounds better.
This taste arises from the minerals in the soil.
Especially the Riesling is sensitive to it.
With German Riesling it mainly arises during the aging of the wine.
This scent appears with unripe plucked grapes, a technique which is deliberately applied in Australia.
There are wine growers which consider this aroma as an error in the wine.
But it is appreciated as well, especially if it isn’t too dominant.

Graciano – black wine grape.
Important grape in Nevarra, Spain, also appears in Rioja and the rest of Spain.
Lots of fruit, the thick peel provides colour and tannins.
Is often blended with the black Grenache grape.

Grechetto –white wine grape.
Medium to high acidity, base to the Orvieto wine: Umbria, Italy.
Dry and semi-sweet (amabile) wines.

Grenache blanc – Full-bodied, medium to low acidity, aroma of peach.
In southern France and northern Spain.

Grosslage – German term for an accumulation of vineyards.
This is a group of Einzellagen (vineyards) combined.

Grüner Veltliner – white grape wine.
A typical Austrian grape, out of which high quality wine is made.
Over 1/3 of all the Autrian grapes is Grüner Veltliner.
Contains quite some fresh acid and fruit.

Suited for all kinds of taste ranging from light and fresh to full and stout.
Because of its versatile tastes very good combinable with all sorts of food.

H

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Haut Médoc – wine region in the Bordeaux. Nothing but red quality wines.
Haut Médoc used to be a swamp which was reclaimed by the Dutch.
After that it were the English which bought the Clairette from Bordeaux.
Also popular because of the easy supply route: from Médoc via the Gironde by sea.

Haut Médoc is a barren landscape, with famous wine estates everywhere.
The most important Haut Médoc wine villages are:
Saint-Estèphe
Pauillac
Saint Julien
Margaux
Listrac
Moullis

Heurige – young wine from Vienna which is still fermenting.

HPA number – number that is issued to on request to businesses that bottle wine and only to those businesses that are registered in the Register of Wine Merchants of the Product Board Wine. Also called NL-HPA number.

Hybrid – a cross of European grapes (Vitis Vinifera) and American grapes (Vitis Labrusca, Vitis Berlandieri amongst others)
Hybrids are not allowed to be made wine of, because of the fact that American grapes give off a bad wine taste.

There are a few exceptions for specific grapes in specific areas:
Vidal, a hybrid of the French Ugni blanc and the American Seibel grapes, used for Canadian Ice Wine.

Baco 22A, used for Armagnac and the only allowed hybrid-grape in France.

In The Netherlands especially the red wines are made from hybrids such as the Regent.
These hybrids are better proof against the damp and cold Dutch climate.

I

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Imbottigliato all’ origine – Italian term for bottled on the domain.

Invecchiato – Italian term for ripened.

J

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Jumilla – DO wine region in southwestern Spain, below Valencia.
Deep red, full wines of the Monastrell grape. (French: Mourvèdre)

K

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KMW – Klosterneuburger Mostwaage
Measuring unit for the amount of sugar in the must.
Usual in Austria.
Comparable to Beaumé (france) Brix (America) Oechsle (Germany).

KWV – Kooperatieve Wynbouers Vereniging.
The biggest coöperion in South Africa.

L

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Lambrusco – black grape variety
This is the grape out of which Lambrusco is made in Emilla Romagne (Italy):
A very light style, lightly-sparkling, semi-dry.
Unfortunately Lambrusco as a name is also misused as a name for a very cheap, factory made wine.

Stirring the lees (the dead yeast) in a wine in order to increase the aroma’s.
The french term for lees stirring is battonage (stir with a stick)

Lie – French term for the sediment of dead yeast cells.
English: lees.
By placing the wine sur lie a typical dough taste develops.
Best known examples: Champaign and Muscadet sur lie.

Lieu dit – French term for a wine parcel.
This wine parcel has no Grand Cru or Premier Cru status, but is seen as a better part of soil.

Liquer d’expedition – French term for the sweet addition to Champaign.
Right before the bottling the sweetness of the (always very dry) Champaign is determined.
A mix of sugar and wine is added.

The sweetness of Champaign ranges from zero dosage (totally dry) to doux (explicitly sweet)

Liquer de tirage – French term, used with Champaign
A mix of wine, sugar and yeast is added to a quiet wine.
A quite wine is an already fermented, non-sparkling wine.
The bottle is closed off again and this mix incites a second fermentation on the bottle.

During this second fermentation carbon dioxide comes into existence, which cannot escape: the sparkling wine is born.

Liquoreux – French term for a very sweet, syrupy wine.
Often made of grapes affected by botrytis ( a mould), which have been dried by the mould and make a concentrated wine because of that.

M

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Macération – French term for soaking.
De time that de fermenting wine is in contact with the peels. The longer the maceration, the more colour, aroma and tannins there are extracted from the peels and comes into the wine.
This happens before the fermentation, to provide the wine with even more fruity aromas.

Madeira – Island in the Atlantic Ocean, off Morocco.

The wind is always present, moderating the climate.
The famous Madeira is a with alcohol fortified wine, made in 4 styles, which are named after the grape variety:
Sercial (dry) Verdelho (slighty sweet) Boal (sweet) and Malmsey (very sweet)
Unfortunately the bulk of the Madeira which is sold in The Netherlands is made from the less TInta Negra grape.

Madérisation – through warmth the wine changes.
The wine turns brown and obtains tones of caramel.
Called after Madeira, the wine which was taken as ballast on ships to tropics and once there started to madérising because of the warmth.

Madiran – wine region is south western France.
Strong, deep red wines with a lot of fruit, acid and tannins made from 4 grape varieties:
Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Fer Servadou.
Especially the Tannat provides for the intense character, the dark colour and the great amount of tannin in the wine.

Malbec – black wine grape.
Part of the blend of grapes in the red Bordeaux.
Most important grape of Argentina.
Prunes, blackberry, lots of colour and tannins.

Malolactic fermentation – conversion of malic acid into lactic acid.
A bacteriologic fermentation taking place after the normal fermentation.
The hard, aggressive malic acids are converted into soft lactic acids.
Another (+/-) 1% of alcohol is formed.
You can taste the malolactic fermentation as butter and nuts in the wine.

Usual proceedings for all red wines.
Usually not with white wines, because too much freshness is lost.
Exception: A lot of Chardonnay wines, amongst which the wood-stored white Bourgognes.

Malvasia – white wine grape.
Mediterranean Sea: Italy, Greece, all islands.
Sweet wines like Madeira and Vin Santo.

Manipulate – French term for a wine grower.
Mainly used in the Champagne.

Marc – French term for pressed wine: peels, grape seeds, stalks.
English: Pomace.
The wine which is made from this is distilled to eau de vie.
This eau the vie can also be wood stored and can ripe.

The best known example is Grappa from Italy.

Marsanne – a white wine grape.
Not a lot of acids, fine taste.
Especially used in Rhône wine, like the Hermitage.
Mainly blended with the Roussanne grape.

Mas – French term for an estate or wine domain.
In Roussillon and north eastern Spain: Catalonia.

Maso / Masseria – Italian term for wine domain.

Matro – black grape variety.
Better known as Mourverdre (France) or Monastrell (Spain).
Very soft wines with a very deep red colour.

Méthode traditionelle – French term for a second fermentation on the bottle.
The second fermentation on a closed bottle with the help of sugar and yeast gives off carbon dioxide, which cannot escape and mixes into the wine. French: tirage.

The most famous wine is made according to this method: Champaign.
Other wines made this way are called crémant.
Best known wine: The Spanish Cava.

Micro brûlage – the climate in and around the grape vine.
Mesoclimate is the climate in the vineyard.
Macroclimate is the climate in a wine region.

Micro climate - the climate in and around the vine.
Meso climate - the climate at the vineyard.
Macro climate - the climate in a wine-region.

Millésime –French term for year of harvest, an indication on the bottle.
Mainly in use for sparkling wines where normally no year is mentioned, because they are blends of varying years.
A Millésime is then an exceptionally good wine of a single year.

Mise en Bouteille au château – French term for a bottling on the estate.
Through this, the drinker has the guarantee the wine was bottled by the wine grower himself and has not been replaced by other wines.

Mise sur lie – French term for bottled with the lie: the yeast depot.
This adds more taste to the wine.
Best known example: Muscadet sur lie.

Mistelle – French term for a liquor based on grape juice.
Spanish: Mistela. Unfermented grape juice and alcohol.
For instance: Pineau de Charente (Cognac), Ratafia (Champaign) and Moscatel de Valencia.

Monbazillac – wine region in the Bergerac – France.
Sweet white wines of the Sémillon grape in the style of the Sauternes: with by botrytis affected grapes, not fortified with alcohol.

Monopole – French term for a vineyard with a single owner.
Mainly in Bourgogne.

Montagny – wine region in the Côtes Chalonnaise – Bourgogne, France.
White wine of the Chardonnay grape

Morey-Saint-Denis – wine region in Côtes de Nuits – Bourgogne, France.
Famous for the pricey red wines of the Pinot Noirs grape.

Moulleux – French term for sweet wine.
Often round and stout of structure as well.

Mourverdre / Mourvedre / Monastrel / Mataro – black wine grape.
Spain, Bandol – France, California.
Deep red colour, lots of alcohol and tannins. Grows in a hot climate.

Mousseux – French term for sparkling.
A carbonated wine with bubbles.
The pressure is 3 – 6 bar.
A wine with a pressure level of 1 – 2 bar is called pétillant: tingling.

Muffa Nobile – Italian term for noble rot.
French: Pourriture. German Edelfäule.

Botrytus, a fungus, provides the drying of grapes.
Because of that the flavours in the wine are more concentrated.
Special for golden wines like Sauternes and Tokaij.

Muscat – a grape with a hugely strong primary aroma: the scent of grapes and roses.
One of the oldest grape varieties in the world.
Knows many colours, golden, pink, deep blue.
A number of subvarieties: Miscat a petit grain, Muscat d’Alexandrie, Muscat Ottonel.

Used for dry and sweet wines.
Southern France: Roussillon. For the Vins doux Naturel.
Also an excellent sweet-smelling table grape.

Also in Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, South Africa, California and Australia.

N

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Naoussa – wine region in northern Greece.
Red wines with a lot of acids and tannins of the Xinomavro grape.

Nebbiolo – black wine grape.
The name is derived from Nebbia: Italian for fog, which occurs a lot in Piemonte.
Base to the famous Barolo and Barbaresco from Piemonte.

Aromas of viola, high acidity and firm tannin.
Pale colour, tends to age quickly.

The wines can ripen for a very long time

Négociant – French term for wine trader, trade-house.

Negroamaro – black wine grape.
Means: black and bitter.
Used in the Salice Salentino wine from Puglia, southern Italy.

Nemea – wine region in north eastern Greece.
Full, soft and fruity red wines of the bleu Agiorgitiko grape.

Nero d’Avola – black wine grape.
Red wines with a lot of fruit and body, and a dark colour.
Mainly known in Sicily.

New Zeeland in wine – New Zeeland is one of the youngest wine countries in the world:
Only as from 50 years there is an organized approach to viticulture.

The white wines are explicitly fresh and the aromas of especially Sauvignon blanc are overwhelming, with aromas like grass and buxwood and tropical fruit: lychee, mango and pineapple.

The wines are very popular, especially in Australia and America.
At the same time the production is still rather small, making the wines expensive.

The southern islands has a distinct cool climate.
For a wine country outside of Europe that is extraordinary.
The best known wines come from Malborough: the north of the southern island.
Cloudy Bay is the best known producer of Sauvignon blanc there.

Most grown grapes:
1) Chardonnay
2) Sauvignon blanc
3) Pinot Noir
Following that are Riesling and Gewürtraminer, grapes which do well in the cool climate of the southern island.
But the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and even Malbec and Shiraz are being cultivated as well, especially on the warmer northern island.

Non filtré – French term for unfiltered.

Unfiltered wine has more taste, but the consumer is startled by the sediment in the bottle.
That’s why most wine is filtered.
Novello
Novello – Italian term for young wine.
This wine is bottled shortly after the harvest. Comparable to Beaujolais Primeur.
Available in The Netherlands in early November.

Novello – Italian term for young wine.
This wine is bottled shortly after the harvest. Comparable to Beaujolais Primeur.
Available in The Netherlands in early November.

O

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Oechsle
Measuring unit for the amount of sugar in the must.
Usual in Germany. Comparable with Baumé (France), Brix (America), KMW (Austria).

P

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Palo Cortado - Dry and delicate sherry of high quality.
During the ripening of the sherry, the flor has disappeared in an earlier state then at Amontillado.
Palo Cortado means "broken stick" after the sign that the cellar master puts on the pipes of ripening sherry.

Palomino Fino – White grape in Xerez – Spain.
The only grape for dry sherry’s.

For sweet sherry the Palomino Fino is blended with Moscatel or Pedro Ximenes grapes.

Parelada – white wine grape in northwestern Spain.
One of the grape in the blend for Cava: Spanish sparkling wine,
Made according to the method traditionelle: second fermentation on the bottle.
Parelada in Cava is blended with Macabeo (Viura) and Xarel-lo and sometimes with Chardonnay.
Parelada provides the softness in the wine.

Passito – Italian term for dried grapes.
The grapes are dried before the fermentation, making the tastes in the wine more concentrated.
The wine becomes richer, attains more body and becomes sweeter thanks to the concentrated sugar and higher alcohol percentage.

Pauillac – most famous commune in the Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux.
Nothing but highly priced red wines, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
In Pauillac three of the five Premier Grand Crus are located:
Château Lafite Rothschild
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château La Tour

Pétillant – French term for lightly tingling, carbonated.
Wine with a pressure level of 1 – 2 bar.
Italian term: frizzante.

Petit Champagne – Area of the Cognac.

In Charente Maritime cognac is made, especially out of the Ugni blanc (Trebbiano) grape.

The best soil has the highest amount of lime: Grande Champagne.
Following that, the best ground is Petit Champagne.
The grapes of both regions combined are called Fine Champagne.
Champagne means: limey soil.

Petit Château – wine house in Bordeaux.
Has no classification.

Petit Verdot – black wine grape.
One of the grapes which is allowed to be used in the grape blend of Bordeaux.
Hard to grow, disease sensitive.
Lots of fruity aromas, provides lovely full wines.

Pinot blanc / Weissburgunder / Pinot bianco – white wine grape.
Elzas / Germany / Austria / Italy
Easy grape to cultivate, easy wine to make. High turnout.
In the Elzas the Pinot blanc is not seen as a noble grape which is why it cannot be used for a Grand Cru. The Pinot blanc does appear a lot in the Edelzwicker (blend).
Widely usable culinary wine, often appraised in combination with sea mussels.
In Italy usually a simple mass production wine.

Pinot Gris / Pinot grigio / Grauburgunder
Elzas / Italy / Germany
Neutral flavour, a bit smoked, not a lot of acids.
A bit stouter, more body than the Pinot blanc.

In the Elzas this grape is called “The Sultan”.

Pinot Noir / Pinot nero / Spätburgunder
A grape with a thin peal, the black wine grape for a cool climate:
Bourgogne, New Zeeland, Germany, Chili, Oregon.

Pale colour, high acidity. Cherry aroma. Ages very well.
Fades to orange quite quickly.
Cheap Bourgogne is often unpleasant: parched with high acidity.
But the Pinot Noir is also the base for the most expensive wines in the world: Top Bourgognes:
Wines which turn very delicate and subtle in taste during the aging, often on the brink of change-over.
Bordeaux lovers, which are used to strong wines, call the Bourgogne ‘flabby tea’.
In Germany the Pinot Noir is called Spätburgunder and works fantastic.
In the Ahr, one of the most northern viticulture areas, as well as in Baden, the warmest wine region in Germany.
Highly priced, because the Germans like to drink their own red wines which makes them little known in The Netherlands.
Pinot Noir is planted all over the world, but in warm countries like South Africa and Australia the grape may “pinotate”.
Aromas of burned rubber then appear.

Pinotage – black wine grape, almost exclusively grown in South Africa.
Cross of Pinot Noir and Hermitage (Cinsault)

Lots of acids, firm body, strong flavours, high alcohol percentage.
Can “pinotate” in a hot climate: give off aromas of burned rubber.
Due to its strong taste very suitable to go with barbecued meat, like the African “braai”.

Pipe – English term for a pipe: a large wine barrel.
In Duoro (northern Portugal) used for port.
A pipe has a production size of 550 liters and a shipping size of 534 liters.

Podere – Italian term for a small vineyard.

Pourriture noble – Botrytus Cinerea
A well known mould in the agriculture.
This fungus appears in warm and damp areas and attacks the fruits.
Usually with grapes which are close by a river or a lake.
If Botrytus appears at grapes which are not yet ripe the harvest is lost.
This is called “pourriture gris” in France.
If botrytis appears at ripe grapes it is referred to as “pourriture noble” (French)
Edelrot (German/Dutch) or noble rot (English)

Through botrytis the grapes dry and the flavour concentrates.
Especially sweet and sour, which amplify because of this, but stay in balance.
Out of this the wine-grower creates golden, yellow sweet wines.

Best known examples: Sauternes in the Bordeaux, Tokaij in Hungary, Vin de Constance in South-Africa.

Prädikatt – German quality wine classification.
Dependant on the ripeness of the grapes and the amount of natural sugar.
The categories from low to high:
Kabinett (not in Austria)
Spätlese
Auslese
Beerenauslese
Ausbruch (only in Burgenland, Austria)
Eiswein
Tockenbeerenauslese

Primary aroma - fruity aromas in wine, coming from the grape.
Well known is the primary aroma of the Muscat grape, which is a very tasty table grape because of this as well.
There are also secondary aromas in wine, caused bu the fermentation.
Lastly there are tertiary aromas, caused by the aging of the wine: the bouquet.

Priorat / Priorato – a wine region in Catalonia – northern Spain.
Very highly priced red wines made of the old Grenache grape vines.
The first region in Rioja which is allowed to call itself a DOC.

Produttore – Italian term for (wine) producer.

Propriétaire – French term for owner (of an estate)

Prosecco – sparkling white wine from Veneto, Italy.
Procudtion methods: Second fermentation in the tank or on the bottle.
Grape: The Prosecco. Taste: Very fresh, pure, elegant, light.

Slightly sparkling: frizzante. Sparkling: Spumante.

Pupitre – Double standing wooden rack for bottles of Champaign.
In this bottles of Champaign were stored during the ripening process and for 8 weeks turned over daily by a remeur.
With that the yeast in the bottle was taken to the neck step by step so it could be easily removed.

Nowadays the pupitre is replaced by a gyropalette,
A machine which does the same process much faster: in eight days.
The widow Clicquot, founder of Veuve Clicquot Champaign designed the first pupitre by drilling holes into her oak table.

Puttonyos – level of sweetness of an Hungarian Tokaij wine.
Puttonyos are baskets containing 25 kilograms of by botrytis affected grapes.
These dried grapes are concentrated and very sweet.
The more Puttonyos in a wine, the better. Up to a maximum of 6 puttonyos.

Q

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QBA – Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete.
Quality wine from one of the 13 described German viticulture regions.

Quarts de Chaume – sweet wine from Anjou, an area in the Loire.
Made from the Chenin Blanc grape which underwent botrytis: drying by noble rot which concentrates the flavours.

Quinta – Portuguese term for a farm of an estate.
French: Château or Domaine.

R

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Recioto – sweet wine made out of dried grapes.
In use with Valolicella and Soave – grapes from Veneto, Italy.

Récoltant – French term for someone who cultivates the grapes and harvests them himself.

Remuage – the shifting of the yeast sediment.
In use with Champaign, the depot is moved to the neck of the bottle step by step during 8 weeks, thus making it easier to remove.
This was done by a remeur, which could turn up to 30.000 bottles of wine a day.
Nowadays it is done by a gyropalette, a machine which does the same thing much faster: in 8 days.

Reserve – French term for a wine which has ripened for a long time.
Unfortunately not a protected term.
Italian: Riserva. Spanish : Reserva.

Only in Spain this term is legally protected and stands for a certain period of ripening.
The Spanish system for red wine is:
Joven – no or several months of ripening.
Crianza – 2 years of ripening, of which ½ years on wood.
Reserva – 3 years ripening, of which 1 year on wood.
Gran Reserva – 5 years of ripening, of which 2 years on wood.

Reuilly – Wine region in the Loire, west of Sancerre
Dry white wines of the Sauvignon blanc grape,
Fairly spicy red wines of the Pinot Noir grape.

Rias Baixas – D.O. region in northwestern Spain
A cool area with as much rain as The Netherlands.
Very fresh, juicy dry white wines, made of the Albariño grape.

Ribatejo – wine region in Portugal above Lissabon.
Red and white wines.

Riche – French term for sweet sparkling wine.

Riesling – white wine grape.

Riesling can produce top quality wines, especially in cool to very cool areas in Germany.
Riesling is cultivated everywhere, mainly in Germany, Austria, Elzas, New Zeeland, Australia, Italy and California.
In Dutch wine Riesling can be made into quite a quality wine.
High acidity, aromas of green apple, can develop “petrol”. Delicious juicy wines.
For dry, medium dry, sparkling and sweet wines.
Riesling cannot endure storage on wood. Good quality botrytis wines (noble rot).
First class wines can age for a very long time: tens of years.

Rkatsiteli – white wine grape, very resistant to cold.
Most cultivated grape in Russia: 260.000 hectares!

Rousanne – white wine grape.
Rhône grape, together with the Marsanne.
Full-bodied, high acidity, and fruity aromas.

Ruby Cabernet – black wine grape.
In California cultivated cross between the Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan.
Very well suited for a hot climate.
Also in use in Argentina, Chili, South Africa.
Simple, soft, easy red wines.

Rueda – wine region in Spain, west of Ribera de duero
Fresh white aromatic wines from the Verdejo grape, often blended with Sauvignon blanc, which is very similar.
A nearly forgotten wine, but now very popular again.
Generally medium priced, with a very good quality/price ratio.

Rully – wine region in the Côte Chalonnaise.
White, quiet and sparkling wine of the Chardonnay grape.

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Saignée – French term for “bleeding”.
A rosé wich is made from the escaping juice of black grapes, which haven’t been pressed yet.

Saint Estèphe – most northern wine commune of the Haute Médoc in Bordeaux.
Exclusively highly priced red wines, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Saint-Croix-du-Mont – wine region near Sauternes, Bordeaux.
Sweet white wines of by botrytis affected grapes.

Saint-Joseph – wine region in northern Rhône.
Full, powerful dark wines of 100% Syrah grapes.
Known as good wine with venison.

Saint-Julien – famous wine village in the Haut Médoc – Bordeaux.

Salice Salentino – wine region in Puglia, southern Italy.
Full, warm, fruity wines out of the Negroamaro grape.

Sangiovese (the name means: Blood of Juppiter) – a black wine grape.
Mainly cultivated in Italy, Australia, Argentina.
Firm acids, red fruity aromas, dry classic wines.
For top quality wines in Tuscany, Italy, Chianti, Brunello, Vino Nobele di Montepulciano.

Later on in combination with Cabernet Sauvignon the base for the trendy and very expensive “Super Tuscans”.
The first Super Tuscan was the Tignanello from wine house Antinori.
Another well known Super Tuscan: Sassicaia of Tenuta san Guido.

Sauvignon blanc – white wine grape.
Loire, Bordeaux, Spain, New Zeeland, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Chili, California.
Drifting aromas of gooseberries, asparagus, apple, buxwood, lychee.
High fresh acidity.
Sauvignon blanc grows best in moderate cool climates.
Famous in the Loire, where the spray drifting aromas are ‘tamed’ the most.
Sancerre, Pouilly-fumée and Menetou Salon

In Bordeaux as well, together with Sémillon and Muscadelle.
The figurehead of the wines from New Zeeland in Malborough (southern island), with its pebble stones: big rocks.
That’s where the Sauvignon blanc gets its powerful aromas of tropical fruit.
Best known producer in Malborough: Cloudy Bay.

Savennièrres – wine region in Anjou – Loire.
Dry white wines of the Chenin blanc grape.

Screw cap – the future.
The screw cap or Stelvin is used more and more, also for top quality wines:
The number of wines, worldwide which are corrupted by “corked taste” (TCA) is about 7%.
That’s easily 2 billion bottles a year!
The screw cap is more expensive than cork, because the bottle has to be made more precise, to prevent oxygen by leakage.
The cork which is made out of synthetic material gives off an unwanted taste after about 2 years.

Secondary aromas – aromas in wine created by fermentation.
Typical secondary aromas are banana or dough.

Sémillon / Semillon – white wine grape.
Aromas of apricots, peach, honey.
Very well suited for “pourriture noble”: noble rot, and thus for sweet wines like Sauternes.
Grown a lot in Bordeaux, Australia and California.

Sherry – fortified wine from Xerez, southern Spain.
The only grape for a dry sherry is the white Palomino Fino, a grape with a fairly neutral taste.
There are two types of Sherry: with or without oxidation during the ripening in wooden barrels.

Flor is the mysterious process of a floating layer of yeast on top of the wines, which only occurs spontaneously in several areas in the world.
Because the flor seals the sherry off from the air no oxidation occurs.

Sherry’s with flor, without oxidation are the very pale and very dry Fino and Manzanilla.
These sherry’s have a light, salted taste.
Sherry’s without flor, with oxidation: the oloroso.
This sherry is brown and contains obvious tones of nuts.

An in between form is the amontillado: sherry with a partial flor during the ripening.

For sweet sherry the Palomino fino is blended with Moscatel or Pedro Ximenes grapes.

Smaragd – type of wine in the Wachau, Austria.
Rich , dry wines with a lot of body from ripe, late harvested grapes.

Solera – Spanish system for aging and blending wines in barrels.
Solera means: bottom.
Old wine is constantly replenished with young wine.
Mainly applied with the sherry.
The solera system ripens in a big storage space: The Cathedral.
The last barrel is called solera, the barrel above of that Criadera.

Spumante – Italian term for a sparkling wine.
Sparkling wine has a pressure ranging from 3-6 bar.

Steinfeder - Wachau, Austria.
The lightest quality dry white wine.

Strohwein / Schilfwein – sweet German wine.
Made from grapes which dried on straw or reed.

Super Second – Bordeaux wine of very good quality.
In 1855 it was determined which wines belong to the Grand Cru.
Since then it has only changed for one wine: Mouton Rothschild.

Some wines would score better than the current first Crus if they were judged anew.
They are called Super Second. But which wines belong to that category remains a point of discussion.

Supérieur – French term for wine with 1% more alcohol.
Italian: superiore.

Supertoscan – red wine from Tuscany, made from Cabernet Sauvignon, possibly with Sangiovese. Trendy and very expensive wines.
The first supertoscan was the Tignanello from wine house Antinori.
Another well known Supertoscan: Sassicaia of Tenuta san Guido.

Sur pointe – The sparkling wine is ready for the dégorgement: the removing of the yeast sediment.
The bottle is now positioned upside down, the yeast depot is in the neck.

Syrah / Shiraz – black wine grape.
Powerful wines, deep purple red colour, even during the aging.
Aromas of grapes, pepper and graphite.
Grows best in a hot climate.

In northern Rhône of France used as a mono-cépage: wine made out of a single grape.
The most powerful and darkest wines of France, mainly: hermitage.
In the southern Rhône blended with amongst others CInsault and Grenache.
The first class grape of Australia, used for the famous “Grange”.
Barosso is the number one region for top quality Shiraz in Australia.
Shiraz is planted all over the world and provides for excellent wine in for instance California and South Africa as well.

Szamorodni – Hungarian term, means: “the way it comes”.
Wine from grapes which are is different stages of corruption by Botrytis.
The more Botrytis the grapes contain, the sweeter the wine gets.

Szamorodni – Hungarian term, means: “the way it comes”.
Wine from grapes which are is different stages of corruption by Botrytis.
The more Botrytis the grapes contain, the sweeter the wine gets.

Száraz – Hungarian term for dry wine.

T

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Tannat – black wine grape.

Deep black, very powerful wines with lots of fruit, high acidity and a lot of tannins.
Cahors – France, together with Malbec the “vin noir” is made here: black wine.
Thanks to the “micro brulage” of Michel Roland the Cahors wine has become a lot softer.
Micro brulage is the constant adding of a small dose of oxygen to the ripening wine.

Tannat is the most important quality grape in Uruguay, where the warmth provides for the ripening making the tannins softer and the fruit in the wine more obvious.

Tastevin – a nap with which wine is sampled.
Traditionally in Bourgogne. Also used by: “Les Chevalliers de Tastevin”.

Tavel – wine region in southern Rhône.
Rosé from the Grenache grape.
Dry, spicy wines, comparable to Provence rosé.

Tempranillo : black wine grape.
Lots of colour, medium acidity. Good ripening potential.

In northern Spain the base to the famous Rioja, but to the Pesquara and Vega Sicilia in Riberto de Duero as well.
The most famous Vega Sicilia is the Unico, a wine which ripens on the barrel for many years.
This wine can become extremely old and get better quality during that process.

Tempranillo has many clones and nicknames like Cencibel and Ull de lebre.
One of the names for Tempranillo in Portugal is Tinto Roriz and is a part of the blend of grapes for Port.

Tenuta – Italian term for (wine)estate.

Terrior – French term for a cohesion between soil, climate and grape variety.
The most important argument of France against new wines from outside of Europe:
The centuries old knowledge of soil, climate in the vineyard and grape variety.
Constant point of discussion: to what extent is the terroir made by the winegrower?
New wine countries like California and Australia now use terroir in their presentation because it sells better. But an area of origin like “South Australia” or “Coastal” in California is much to large to be able to speak of a terroir.
There is also a real search for terroir in the New World, mainly towards the aspect of cool climate.
In traditional wine countries the terroir is sometimes expanded too much under the pressure of commerce, resulting in vineyards situated in places which are outside the original terroir.
The new wine countries have now produced first class wine growers and their techniques are now being exportant to the old wine countries.

Tertiary aromas- aromas which occur due to the ripening of the wine.
This is called bouquet.

Toro – wine region in northern Spain.
Bordering Rueda. Fruity, full red wines of the Tempranillo grape.

Touriga National / Touriga Nacional – black wine grape from Portugal.
Suitable for high quality, complex wines which can age for a long time.
Also used in the blend of grapes for Port.

Trebianno / Ugni blanc – a white wine grape.
High profits, neutral wines.
With modern, cool vinification in stainless steel tanks a very agreeable, easy and cheap wine.
Most grown white grape in France and Italy.
Base to cognac-wines.

Tri / plural: tries – French term for the selection of grapes.
The grapes are per tour of inspection during the harvest selected on ripeness.

Trincadeira – black wine grape.
Portugal, soft wines with an aroma of prunes.

Trockenbeerenauslese – very sweet German wine.
Entirely made out of by EdelFâule (botrytis) affected grapes:
A mould, which dries the grapes and through that concentrates the flavours

Tuilé – French term for a wine with the colour of a roof tile: auburn.
A characteristic of old red wines, when the colour fades from purple red via ruby to auburn.

U

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Uva – Italian for grape.

Uvaggio – Italian term for a blend of grapes.

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Vacqueyras – AOC wine region in southern Rhône – France.
Wines of a blend of grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourverdre, Cinsault.

Comparable in style to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

VDN – Vin doux Naturel – sweet wines, fortified with wine alcohol.
Mainly in Roussilllon and southern Rhône.
Best known: Muscat de Rivesaltes, out of the Muscat grape.

Vecchio – Italian term for old wine.
A name which is protected by wine legislation.

Vendange – French term for the harvest of wine.
Italian: Vendemmia. German: Ernten. English: Harvest.

If the label of a bottle of wine contains a year, it is always the year of harvest.
Sometimes you run into a bottle containing 2 numbers, meaning the year of harvest and the year of bottling.

Vendange á la main – French term for harvesting by hand.

Vendange tardive – French term for late harvested, ripe grapes or grapes which are too ripened.
English: late harvest German: Spätlese.
Usually for sweet wines.

Verdejo – a white wine grape.
Rueda – Spain. Popular, rediscovered grape.
Here the wine is called Verdejo, after the grape.
Aromas: fresh, spray, containing prunes and pears.
Bears quite a resemblance to Sauvignon blanc and is often blended with it.
Juicy, tasty and gently priced wines.

Verdelho – white wine grape.
Portugal, Madeira. For fruity dry and sweet wines.

Verdicchio – white wine grape.
Similar named wines in Marche – eastern Italy.
Lots of acids, easy, fresh wines with a tiny tingling.
Best known wine: Verdicchio dei Casteli di Jesi.
In original Amphora bottle or Bordeaux model.

Vernaccia – white wine grape.
Lots of acids. White wine from Tuscany.

Vieilles Vignes – French term for old grape vines.
Usually grape vines over 50 years old. Not a protected name.
Because of their age these grape vines give fewer and smaller grapes, making the flavour of the wine more concentrated.

Viejo – Spanish term for old wine.

Vigna / vingeto – Italian term for vineyard.

Vignoble – French term for vineyard.

Vin de Garde – French term for a wine which is meant to be stored.
A wine with a high storing potential, usually because of high acidity and a lot of tannins.

Vin de paille – French term for straw wine.
Wine made out of grapes which were dried on straw.
Because of the drying process the flavours are concentrated.

Sweet wines from the Jura – France.

Viña – Spanish term for vineyard.
Portuegese: Vinha.

Vinification – French term for the making of wine.

Vino Generoso – Spanish term for wine which is fortified with alcohol.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano – Italian wine from Tuscany.
Montepulciano is a region in Tuscany where wine is made from the Sangiovese grape.
Often very nice quality, comparable to Chianti.

Viognier – a white wine grape.
Aromas of peach and apricots, medium acidity.
Grows well in a warm climate.
A grape variety which was nearly extinct, a few parcels exempted: in Condrieu, northern Rhône.
Because the steep slopes in Condrieu are very hard to work on this grape was nearly given up on.
Rediscovered in the Beaujolais and now very popular in the new wine countries: Australia, Argentina, California, South Africa.

Viticoltore – Italian term for wine grower, grape grower.

Vitigno – Italian term for grape variety.
Uva is the word for grape in general.

Vitis vinifera – the name of a grape family for the viticulture.
Only the European grape varieties are suitable for good wines.
There are about 6000 known grape varieties suited to make wine from.
It is not allowed to call liquor made from other grape varieties “wine”.
Also it isn’t allowed to use hybrids for wine: crosses between European and American grapes.
There are a few exemptions:
Vidal, a hybrid from the French Ugni blanc and the American Seibel grapes, used for Canadian Ice Wine.
Baco 22A, used for Argagnac and the only allowed hybrid grape in France.

Viura / Macabeo – white wine grape.
Used for white Rioja and sparkling Cava in Spain.

Vivace – Italian term for “lively” – slightly sparkling.

Volatile acid – acetic acid, caused by the vinegar bacteria.
The first stadium in the decomposition of the wine.
This process is quickened by the contact of the wine with oxygen.

Volnay – wine region in the Côtes de Beaune – Bourgogne, France.
Known for its red wines of the Pinot Noir.

VOS / VORS – indications for old sherry.
Vignum Optimum Rare Signatum.
VOS is 20 year of age sherry, VORS is 30 years of age.

Vosne-Romanée – wine region in the Côte de Nuits – Bourgogne, France.
Red wine of the Pinot Noir. Very valuable Romanée-Conti Grand Cru.

Vougeot – wine region in Côte de Nuits – Bourgogne. France.
Red wine of the Pinot Noir.
Embodies Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru. This vineyard has over 60 owners!

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The biggest internationally recognized wine educator of the world is WSET:
Wine and Spirits Education Trust.

Yearly WSET serves 22.000 students in 35 countries.
The courses are held on several levels:
Elementary (Intermediate), Advanced, and the highest level in The Netherlands: Diploma Course.
After that a follow-up is possible to MA: Master of Wine.

In Holland organized by Frank Smulders MA.
www.wijneducatie.nl of: wijnstudio.nl

In England:
www.wset.co.uk

Wine making – red, rosé, white.
The colour of red wine is in the peel of black grapes.
By fermentating it with the wine that colour comes into the wine.
Rosé is made by shortly fermenting it with the wine (1 hour up to a maximum of 24 hours):
As soon as tannins are released into the wine we speak of red wine.

White wine comes from green grapes, or by not fermenting the peel of the black grapes with the wine.
If the peel is not fermented along with the rest, you have to press first, then ferment.
Because pressing is nothing other than separating the solid parts from the juice.

Wine production - the world wine production is 30 billion liters every year.
Of that, 1/5th is overproduction, which is distilled into brandy.
Almost all overproductions comes from the EU, because the wine production there is subsidized.

Winzer Genossenschaft – German term for wine cooperation.

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Xarel-lo - grape which is used in the blend for Cava:
Spanish sparkling wine, made according to the méthode traditionelle: second fermentation on the bottle.
Xarel-lo is the quality grape, which provides for strength and aroma.

Xinomavro – black wine grape from Greece.
Lots of acids and tannins, powerful aromas of tobacco, tomato and liquorice.
Is compared to the Italian Nebbiolo.

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Yecla – DO wine region in southeastern Spain, northwest of Alicante.
Deep red wines of the Monastrell grape.

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Zinfandel – black wine grape.
Related to the Italian Primitivo and the Croatian Plavac Mali.
Best known grape of California for dry to semisweet wine.
Has an explicit aroma of fruit: strawberries, raspberries.
Made in many styles: from faintly sweet to light red or jam like wine to beautiful full fruity wines.