Wine Glossary

A wine tasting term. It means just what it sounds like, a slight taste of soil. The French use a term "gout de terroir" that is often used to mean the same thing; although it can also mean that the wine has typical tastes for the region.

One of the best known Burgundy Grand Cru vineyards. Situated in the town of Flagey-Echezeaux, but it is grouped by convention with the other Grand Crus of the bordering commune of Vosne-Romanee. Do not confuse with the more expensive and intense vineyard, Grands Echezeaux, which is next door.

Literally "noble rot" in German. This term refers to the mold Botrytis Cinera. The French also call it noble rot (pourriture noble). This mold is responsible for reducing the water ratio in grapes, making them very sweet and useful as dessert wines.

An American Viticultural Area south of San Luis Obispo in California (an area broadly referred to as the Central Coast). One of the few transverse valleys in the US (meaning it points to the sea). This makes the region much cooler than surrounding growing regions and is ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The famous "Bull's Blood of Egri", a red wine from Hungary. Once famous the world over, when Hungary was behind the Iron Curtain most of the versions that you found in stores were thin and uninspiring, but it has once again been on the rise, and is worth seeking out. It is primarily made from Blaufrankisch (the local name is Kekfrankos) with the addition of at least 3 others including Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc, Merlot, or even Pinot Noir and a host of others.

The German term for a single vineyard worthy of being mentioned on a label. Any German wine that carries a vineyard name may be considered a wine of quality. The name of the town usually comes first on the label as in the case of Piesporter Goldtropfchen.

The German word for "ice wine." This is an intense desert wine that has been made from very ripe grapes (without Botrytis) that were frozen on the vine. The frozen water is removed during pressing, leaving a very sweet must.

A dubious wine tasting term. It refers to a well balanced wine that has subtle complexity. I say it is a dubious term because it is anthropomorphic (giving human traits to inanimate objects) and should be avoided. That said, I am guilty of using the word myself.

The Italian region north of Tuscany that is situated around the city of Bologna. Many visitors to Italy ignore this region because of the great deal of industry that is evident. What they do not realize is that this is the center of gastronomy for Italy. Parmesan cheese and Proscuitto Crudo both hale from nearby Parma, and Bologna is the cross roads for food from all over Italy. The most famous wine of the region is Lambrusco, a light, sometimes sparkling wine, that is often overlooked as well, because the overly commercial Riunite is technically a Lambrusco.

The science of wine production.

A wine lover.

An Italian wine bar, sometimes run by the regional wine authority, where you may sample many local wines.

French for "between two seas" and a reference to the Bordeaux wine district situated between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. A huge amount of rather indifferent white wine is made here.

This rather imposing German word is found on labels of wines that have been Estate Bottled.

Other than the name, this is a rather forgetable Italian white wine. The name is an example of marketing that has withstood the ages. The story goes that a German bishop in the 1100s sent a servant ahead to Rome with instructions to chalk Est ("it is" in Latin) on the side of every tavern with decent wine, between the Bishop's home and Rome. That way the Bishop would not have to suffer through poor wine on his trip to visit the Pope. In the town of Montefiacone the servant was so enamoured of the wine that he scrawled the now famous epitaph. The bishop, upon arriving in the town, was said to have agreed with his servant's taste to such an extent, that the bishop never ventured on, living out his life drinking the wine he loved. Perhaps it was a different wine than what is sold today.

Wine that was bottled by the vineyard owner. Many wines are still bottled and produced from grapes that are purchased on the open market, often for the lowest price. This designation assures that the winery had control over the grapes from beginning to end so that they could produce a high quality wine. In the US the vineyard need not belong to the winery, if there is a long term exclusive contract for the grapes of the vineyard (which also must be in the same geographic location as the winery).

A scientific term. It relates to components in wine formed by the combination of acids and alcohol. They contribute the fruity, perfume like smell to wine. In wine the most import esther is ethyl acetate.

A sparkling wine that is slightly sweet. This term often leads to confusion since Dry means without sweetness, but Extra Dry for some reason means slightly sweet.

A scientific term often used in wine tasting. It literally refers to what would be left in a centerfuge once you have removed the liquid. In wine, the term is used to indicate that a wine has a lot of flavor, especially when the wine would indeed be shown in a laboratory to have a greater amount of dry extract. The terms "heavy", "intense", and "big" are related to the amount of extract in the wine.