Glossary of Wine Terms

The tannin or acid that supports the wine is referred to as the backbone of the wine.

Descriptor of wine that remains youthful after significant aging.

A term used by tasters to describe wine with displeasing, undefined odors and/or flavors.

A term used to describe wines that are not dominated by any one characteristic. i.e.: acid balances sweet.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red and sparkling wines, originating in the Burgundy region of France.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Catalonia region of Spain.

Pronounced bah-nyuhls. An exceptional French red dessert wine produced in the appellation of Banyuls in the Pyrenees region of Southwestern France.

Pronounced bahr bah ress koh. A D.O.C.G. regional red wine produced in the Piedmont region of Italy, specifically in the towns Barbaresco, Neive, and Treiso d’Alba.

Pronounced bar-BEHR-uh. A grape varietal, used in the production red wine, originating in the Piedmont Region of Italy.

The Barbera varietal is used as a blending agent to produce Barbera d'Asti. The Barbera varietal is used in the production red wine, originating in the Piedmont Region of Italy.

Pronounced bar doe lee no. Regional red wine from from the Bardolino village along Lake Garda in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy.

Pronounced Bah-ROH-lo. A regional red wine from the town of Barolo, in the Piedmont region of Italy.

The maturation of wine in a wood or stainless steel barrel. The type of barrel, size of barrel, where the barrel originated, and the age of the barrel all have an effect on the flavor and clarity of the wine being aged.

A measuring system for unfermented sugar in grape juice/wine. 1º Baumé = 1% alcohol when whine has fully fermented.

Term used to describe the size of the bubbles that appear in a glass of sparkling wine and champagne.

Pronounced bo-jo-lay. A regional wine from the town of Beaujolais in the Burgundy region of France.

Pronounced bo-jo-lay. A regional wine from the town of Beaujolais in the Burgundy region of France.

A grape varietal used in the production of white and sparkling wine. Where the Beaunois varietal originated has not been verified, but it has definitely earned a reputation and a home in France’s Burgundy region.

A grape varietal most notably known as the Pinot Blanc varietal, used in the production of white wine, originating in the Alsace region of France.

A grape varietal used in the production of white wine. Originating in the Rhône region of France, the varietal is also grown in the Tuscany region of Italy, the Languedoc, the Rousillon, and (most recently) California in the United States.

Broad descriptive term for full bodied wine with powerful flavor and aroma.

A grape varietal used in the production of hearty red wine. Originating in the Bordeaux region of France, the grape is also grown in the United States, Chile, Italy, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Descriptive term for wine sharp in acid and tannin components.

Characteristic of wine considered a fault if the bitterness dominates the aroma and/or taste of the wine.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wines, originating in the Cariñena District of Spain.

French for white.

A white wine made with white grapes.

White wine made with red and/or black grapes.

A grape varietal used in the production of white wine. Thought to have originated in the Loire and Bordeaux regions of France, it is also grown in the United States (primarily California), Italy, Australia, South America, Argentina, and Chile.

A 2000 year old grape varietal believed to have originated in the southwest area of Turkey and the islands between Turkey and Greece (around the Aegean Sea), it is used in the production of white wine.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red and sparkling wines, originating in the Burgundy region of France.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in Austria. The Blauer Zweigelt varietal is a cross between Blaufränkisch (Blauer Limberger) and St.

Term used to describe the process of blending two or more wine varieties, wine types, wine lots, or wine vintages with the goal of creating one balanced and complex wine.

The tasting of wine with, typically, no knowledge of the identity of the wine. At times, the tasters will know the type but not the winery they originate from.

Descriptor of wines that are robust and typically high in alcohol, lacking in aroma, and short on the palate.

Describes the impression of structure, density, fullness, thickness, or weight in your mouth after wine tasting.

A mold or fungus that attacks grapes. When controlled (referred to as noble rot) it causes concentrated sugar in grapes resulting in delightfully sweet wines.

The process of maturing wine in a bottle rather than a storage vessel.

Also known as Methode Champenoise. Secondary fermentation that occurs naturally within a bottle of wine.

An unpleasant "nose", similar to the odor of rotten eggs, that presents itself when a bottle of wine is opened.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Loire Region of France.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Loire Region of France.

A term used to describe various fragrances evident from the processing and/or ageing of wine.

A white grape varietal grown in the Rhône region of France. Bourboulenc is one of thirteen grape varietals allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Beaujolais region of France.

Taste descriptor for primarily young full bodied red wines high in tannin and alcohol.

Term used when describing wines of the highest quality that were made from the best grape varieties (“Noble Grapes”).

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Loire Region of France.

A grape varietal, used in the production of red wine, originating in the Loire Region of France.

Descriptor of wine with a metallic, farmyard, mousy smell that occurs in a wine that has been contaminated by species of Brettanomyces funges.