Acidity:The amount of acid in the must, liquor, or finished wine. Insufficient acidity in the must will result in a poor fermentation and a slightly medicinal and flat taste. Too much acid will give the wine an unpleasant sourness or tartness. Some acid is necessary for fermentation, and up to one-fourth of the initial acid […]
Archives pour la catégorie «Glossary»
Aerobic Fermentation:A fermentation conducted in the presence of fresh air, as in a crock, vat, tank, or polyethylene pail. Aerobic conditions are necessary for yeast to rapidly reproduce to a density conducive to the fast production of alcohol.
Aftertaste:The lingering taste, odors and mouth-feel that remain after a wine is swallowed. Also known as Finish, although this word has other meanings associated with wine. In wine judging and evaluation, where the wine is spit out to prevent intoxication and impairment of the judges or evaluators, aftertaste is not judged.
Aging:The process by which wine matures, in bulk or in bottles or both, to achieve smoothness (in acidity), mellowness (in tannins and other phenols) and unique character and complexity. The major activities in this process are the chemical reduction of certain compounds into others, primarily by hydrolysis or oxidation, and the joining together of short […]
Alcohol:Shorthand term for ethyl alcohol or ethanol, a product of yeast fermentation. The volumetric amount of alcohol in wine is usually between 9 and 14%. Beverages with less than 9% abv (alcohol by volume) are vulnerable to spoilage bacteria and require refrigeration for preservation. Beverages with more than 14% abv may technically be wine, but […]
Anthocyanins:In grapes, the pigments that contribute the red and purple colors to their wines. In most other fruit, the bright reds, purples, blues, and indigos.
Antioxidant:Additives such as ascorbic acid and sulfur dioxide which, when added in the right quantities, limit the oxidizing effect of oxygen contact with wine during various processes such as racking, filtering, and bottling.
AOC:Stand for Appellation d’Origine Controlée and a suggested translation would be “regulated wine of origin”. AOC is the higher nationwide wine grade. Those wines are of higher quality. They are strictly ruled. Those rules cover methods of growing and producing, grape-variety, minimum contents of alcohol, yielding, wines must be produced from grapes grown within a […]
Aperitif:A type of wine, usually 14% or more abv, to which a blend of herbs or spices have been added and which is served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. The best know aperitif is vermouth.
Appellation: Legally defined wine-growing region under French law, appellation refers to the place where the grapes are grown. Many appellations have official status, which delimits and regulates usage in order to assure both quality and authenticity.An appellation may be as large as an entire region, encompassing hundreds of thousands of hectares or acres and many […]
Aroma:The natural fragrance of a wine that originates from the fermented fruit upon which the wine is based. Aroma should not be confused with bouquet, which is created during aging.
Assemblage:French term for "assembling," or blending of wines. In acuality, it is the art of judging the various wines available, which can be considerable, to determine which, when blended appropriately, can compliment or reinforce each others’ strengths and overcome corresponding weaknesses.
Astringency:Both a taste and tactile quality noted for constricting or contracting the inner mouth, as an unripe persimmon would, but caused in wine primarily by tannins absorbed from the skins and seeds of the base from which the wine was made. An excessively astringent wine is said to be "rough" or "harsh" or "tannic." Astringency […]
The equinoxal rains makes the scrubland green again, the second spring announces figs, mushrooms, grapes and game, which accompany red wines so well.
The country is hurrying on harvesting the grapes.
All Mediterranean becomes yellow and red during the last days of the Indian summer.
Mistral starts to tear off foliage of plane trees […]
Balance:The pleasurable, proportional correctness of a wine’s many aromatic and taste components in harmony, but especially sugar, alcohol, acidity, sugar, and tannin. The taste or aroma of the base ingredient (fruit, flower, or other botanical component), or its absence, may also be said to contribute to balance, although this is a minor consideration and should […]
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