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Descriptor of wine that has bubbles. The bubbles are created by carbon dioxide gas that has occurred naturally or through secondary fermentation or has been added intentionally.

Wine made from basically one variety of grape. The wine is labeled for the single grape variety or the most prominent grape variety used to produce the wine.

Wine made from grapes that were harvested in a specific year. The date is denoted on the label of the wine.

Any wine that is fermented for a second time, thus carbonated, is a sparkling wine.

White wine produced from grapes that are kept on the vine until the first deep frost. Grapes are then typically pressed while still frozen.

A dry white sparkling wine that was originally produced in the Champagne region of France, but is now produced in other wine producing regions.

Pronounced Frahn shah KOR tah. Italy's premier bottle-fermented sparkling wine. Franciacorta is also the region of the production of this sparkling wine, a D.O.C.

The term used to describe the foam that forms after a sparkling wine or champagne has been poured out of the bottle.

Term used on a wine label indicating a sparkling wine or champagne is not-quite dry. Extra dry is synonymous of semi dry.

Pronounced spoo-mahn-tay. Italian term for sparkling wine, in contrast to the term frizzante which refers to those wines that are slightly sparkling.

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.

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

In reference to wine, a "dosage" is a mixture of sugar and wine that is added to sparkling wine and champagne.

non vintage,

An alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of fruits and vegetables. Grapes account for the largest segment of wine making.

Sparkling wine originating in Spain produced by traditional methods. Cava is made using the Méthode Champenoise.

An Italian sparkling wine that provides a delicate but crisp flavor with a light effervescence. Named for the Prosecco variety of grape used to produce this wine, Prosecco is a white wine that is slightly lighter and somewhat fruiter tasting than Champagne, offering a hint of pear, apple and peach overtones as its consumed, rather than a complex mixture of flavors and aromas.

The tasting of wine with the purpose of analyzing the quality of the wine. The serious wine taster follows strict guidelines in terms of proper equipment (white table cloths, decanters, etc.

A wine that has been blended with brandy or other spirits. Fortified wines contain 15% to 24% alcohol when compared to most other wines containing up to 15% alcohol.

Winemakers often supplement wines during winemaking by adding small amounts of sulfur dioxide to protect fruit quality and prevent oxidation, allowing wine to age well.