November 24th – 30th
November 24th – 30th
Acidity is one of the terms used to describe the taste of wine. Acidity occurs naturally in grapes and in whites adds a refreshing tang. However too much acidity is bad!
Ageing refers to the time that it takes for a wine to mature. This process is essential for fine wines and many everyday ones. It may take place in the barrel or bottle and may last months or indeed many years.
This is a French Official designation guaranteeing that a French wine is made in a specific region/varietal/method and is seen a sign of quality assurance, or at least provenance.
A term used to refer to the maturation of wine in wooden barrels, mainly oak. New oak normally adds a more pronounced, but less subtle flavour then old.
An Australian classification system used by wine companies to identify wine batches.
The process of allowing wine to mature in the bottle, rather than in the barrel.
The term for ‘Dry’ mainly used in Champagne and in sparkling wines.
A Spanish term for sparkling wine, made using using the traditional method as used in Champagne
A French term for a grape variety or varietal.
A wine producing estate, especially in Bordeaux and applied to all sizes of property.
Wine corks are stoppers created from the bark of a cork oak tree. They expand within the wine bottleneck, creating a seal. Cork seals have been used since the early 1700s. There are also synthetic corks, which are created with plant-based polymers and plastics.
A French term for a walled vineyard, mainly used in Burgundy.
A French term for slopes or hillside where vineyards are established. The direction of the slope, i.e South facing, can have a significant effect on the wine and it is generally considered that such areas often produce better wine.
The French term for varietal growth, normally used to describe a wine from a single vineyard
A term usually meaning a blend of grapes or wines
A term used for sparkling wine & Champagne meaning medium to medium sweet rather than dry.
Another French term meaning a wine estate, especially in Burgundy.
Indicates that the wine has been made from grapes grown on a specific estate and bottle there, rather than being shipped/bulk bottled..
A wine, such as Sherry that is higher in alcohol, normally 17-20˚ and which has had grape spirit, normally brandy added.
A Spanish term indicating a top quality mature Spanish wine from a good vintage.
The top, quality classification for wine vintages in Burgundy, Alsace and Champagne, as well as Bordeaux, in which it is further sub-divided.
Again a French term mainly used in Bordeaux to describe a producers top wine.
Secondary fermentation, where sharp malic acid is changed to riper lactic acid, it helps soften reds.
The method of making Champagne by inducing a second fermentation in the bottle. Champagne can only originate from the Champagne region of France!
A similar method of making sparkling wine by inducing a second fermentation in the bottle, however this applies to wines produced outside of the Champagne region such as Crémant or Cava!
A French term used to describe sparkling wine not made in the traditional method.
A general and now fashionable term mainly used to describe wines from Australia/New Zealand, the US, South America and South Africa.
A beneficial fungus based rot which attacks grapes and which naturally helps to increase the sugar levels
Simply meaning a young wine or one that is made to be drunk within a year of bottling!
A term used to describe new and unmatured wines.
The most common wood for wine barrels, it adds tannin and vanilla to wines, with new barrels imparting more ‘up front’ flavour than old.
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