ABC
In wine, ABC stands for ‘anything but chardonnay/cabernet.’
In wine, ABC stands for ‘anything but chardonnay/cabernet.’
Acidity in wine is the level of acid that the wine contains. Wines with more acid in them taste more tart or sour.
An aerator is a small device that helps your wine breathe by exposing it to air when pouring.
Aftertaste is the amount of flavor left over in your mouth after drinking a wine.
Aged wines are wines that have been stored away for many years to develop their flavors.
Aging is the process of storing wine away in bottles or barrels for a certain amount of time.
Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is produced by yeasts when they consume the sugars in grape juice.
Alcohol by volume is the percentage of alcohol in a wine based on its volume.
Alsace is a famous wine region in Northeastern France known for its white wines.
Amarone is an Italian wine made from a blend of dehydrated red grapes. It has a higher alcohol percentage and body than most wines.
Anosmia is the medical term for loss of smell. People with anosmia may not taste wine very well.
The term AOC refers to the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, which governs how wines are made and labeled.
An Aperitif is a style of wine or liqueur that’s meant to stimulate the appetite.
An appellation is a small geographical region where high-quality grapes are grown.
Aroma is the term used to describe the smell of a wine.
Astringency is the bitter or chalky texture and feeling in your mouth after drinking some red wines.
AVA is an acronym for American Viticultural Area.
Bacchus was the Greek god of wine and agriculture.
Bacterial spoilage happens when bacteria enter wine and cause foul odors.
Balance is when all the wine’s properties, from tannin to acidity, even out to create a single experience.
A Balthazar is a bottle of wine that holds 12 liters or 16 standard bottles.
Ban de Vendange marks the start of a new vintage and harvest in France.
A barrel is made out of oak and used to store and age wine.
Barrel aging is the process where a wine is aged in an oak barrel.
Barrel fermentation occurs when a winemaker ferments their wine in oak barrels as opposed to steel tanks.
Barrique is the French word for barrel. It is often a barrel made to hold 225 liters.
Baumé is the scale used to measure sugar content in must, or the pressed grape juice.
Beaujolais is a wine made from gamay grapes in the region of Beaujolais, France.
Beaujolais Nouveau is a young wine made from gamay grapes.
Bentonite is a clay-based compound used to clarify some white wines.
A bin is the container or location where wines are stored in a cellar.
A bin number is the number used to identify a batch of wine that has been aging in a bin.
Biodynamic wines are made with very specific holistic winemaking standards.
A wine’s bite is the amount of bitter tannins and acidity.
Bitter is one of the basic tastes, along with sweet, salty, sour.
Blanc de blancs is champagne that’s been made from 100% chardonnay grapes.
Blanc de noirs are white sparkling wines and champagnes made solely from red grapes such as pinot noir.
A blend is a mix of different grape varieties in one wine.
A blind tasting is when people taste a wine without knowing what it is.
A blush wine is a wine that looks pink and is made from red grapes. It is also known as rosé.
A bodega is a Spanish word that means winery.
Body is the feeling of weight a wine has in the mouth.
Bordeaux is a city and region in Western France that produces wines of the same name.
Botrytis cinerea is a helpful mold that turns grapes into sweet raisins.
Bottle age refers to how long the wine has been in its bottle.
Bottle shock is a term to describe a wine that has lost its aromas and flavors while in the bottle.
Bouquet is the sum of the wine’s aromas or sometimes the secondary and tertiary aromas developed when a wine ages or is stored in oak.
The bowl of a wine glass is the hollow part where the wine sits.
Boxed wine is wine that’s stored in a plastic bag and sold in a cardboard box.
Breathing refers to the process of aeration, or when oxygen and air interact with the wine.
Brix is a standard measurement for sugars in grapes and must.
Brut is a term used in France and other countries to describe a dry sparkling wine.
A bunghole is the opening in a barrel where wine is poured and extracted to taste.
Burgundy is a wine region in France and a style of red and white wine.
Burgundy glasses are wine glasses that are made for pinot noir.
Cabernet franc is a red grape that’s originally from Bordeaux, France.
Cabernet sauvignon is a high-quality red grape from Bordeaux, France.
Cane pruning is a popular pruning style for grape vines that leaves one cane for new shoots to grow from.
The canopy of a grapevine is the section visible above ground.
A cantina is a word that often means a winery or wine cellar in Italy.
A cap is the dense section of stems and solids that rises to the top of a tank during maceration in wine making.
The capsule is the thin plastic or metal cover on the bottleneck.
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a gas that is produced as a byproduct of fermentation.
Carbonic maceration is a form of maceration where whole clusters of grapes are fermented in a sealed tank with carbonic gas.
A cask is a wooden barrel used for wine fermentation.
A caudalie is the time, in seconds, that a wine’s finish can be perceived on the palate.
Cava is a popular sparkling wine from Spain.
A cellar is the underground location where wines are aged and stored.
Chablis is a wine region and style of wine from northern Burgundy, France.
Champagne is a sparkling wine that originates from the Champagne region of France. It is renowned for its effervescence, celebratory associations, and distinct taste. Made primarily from three grape varieties—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier—Champagne undergoes a unique production process known as méthode champenoise or traditional method, where secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle, resulting […]
A champagne flute is a type of wine glass that’s used for sparkling wines and champagnes.
Chaptalization is when winemakers add a little sugar into the grape juice to make more body and alcohol.
Chardonnay is one of the most planted and world-famous white grapes.
The Charmant Process is a secondary fermentation process used to make sparkling wines.
Chenin blanc is a white wine grape popular in France, South Africa, and California.
Chianti is a wine-growing region in Central Italy that makes world-class wines from sangiovese grapes.
Claret is an English term for Bordeaux wines.
Clarification is the process where a winemaker removes solid particles from a fermented wine before bottling.
Clarity is the transparency of a wine.
Clos, pronounced ‘cloh,’ is a French word meaning vineyard surrounded by walls.
Closed wines are wines that still need time to develop their aromas and qualities.
Color is one of the most important signs of a wine’s quality, grape type, and age.
A wine that is complex is a wine that has many primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas and flavors.
A cooperative is a group or organization of grape growers who make wine under one label.
Corkage is the fee a customer at a restaurant must pay if they bring their own wine to a restaurant to be served.
A corked wine is a wine that has been spoiled by mold on a cork or bottle.
A corkscrew is a small and practical wine opening device.
Crémant is a French sparkling wine that’s made outside of Champagne.
Crianza is a red wine aged for more than a year in oak barrels in Spain.
Cru is a French term that denotes a wine’s quality.
Cult wines are wines that are highly praised by experts and sought after by collectors.
Cuvaison is the term for wine that’s been macerated in its skins and solids.
Decant, or decanting, is the process of pouring a bottle of wine into a decanter to remove sediment and let the wine’s aromas open up.
A wine decanter is a vessel, typically made of glass or crystal, used to hold and aerate wine before serving. Decanters help to enhance your wine’s flavors and aromas. It serves several purposes, including separating sediment from older wines, enhancing the wine’s aroma and flavor by allowing it to breathe, and presenting the wine in […]
A decanter is a glass or crystal vessel that’s used for decanting wine.
Demi-sec is a French term used to describe half-dry wines.
Denominacion de Origen is the Spanish term for appellation of origin.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata is the Italian appellation system, similar to French AOC.
Dessert wines are wines that have high sugars and acidity that are enjoyed during dessert.
Disgorge is the term for when the solids and particles of a sparkling wine are removed before secondary fermentation.
Dosage is a sweet liquid used at the end of the fermentation process for traditional sparkling wine.
The term dry refers to wines with no residual sugar that taste completely non sweet.
The Duoro is a river valley and wine making region in northern Portugal that makes port and other wines.
Earthy wines are wines that have aromas and flavors that resemble qualities of soil, rocks, and organic material.
Eau de vie is a French term for a distilled spirit made from grapes and other fruit.
En primeur is the French futures market where mostly Bordeaux wines are sold to bidders before bottling.
En Tirage is the French term for the time sparkling wine sits in its lees and extra sugar and yeast during secondary fermentation.
Enology is the science of of making wine.
An Enophile is a person who loves wine.
Entry-level wine is wine that is basic and has easy to appreciate qualities and price point.
Eraflage refers to the process of removing the stems of the grapes.
Ex-cellars is a term that is related to the costs of loading and shipping a wine during en primeur.
Extended maceration refers to the process of leaving the grape juice on the stems and skins of the grapes for longer to extract color and flavor.
Extraction is the term referring to the part of winemaking when tannins, flavors, and color is extracted from the grape skins and grape solids.
Fault is the term that describes when a wine has a quality that is not desirable.
Fermentazione naturale is the Italian term for natural sparkling wine.
Fermented wine is any fruit juice that’s gone through fermentation. The fine wine we drink is made from fermented grape juice.
Fermenter is the term used to describe a vessel where the wine undergoes fermentation.
Fiasco is the term to describe a traditional Italian wine bottle covered in straws.
Fighting varietal is a Californian term used to describe an inexpensive varietal wine.
Filtration or filtering is when wine is clarified before it is bottled to remove any solid particles.
Fine wine is a term to describe the best quality of wine on the market.
Fining is when a winemaker adds a clarifying agent to the wine after fermentation to remove any impurities.
Finish is the term to describe the sensations of taste that stays in the palate after tasting wine.
Flabby is a term to describe a wine that is unbalanced and has little structure.
Flavor is the perception of the wine in your mouth.
Flutes are common styles of sparkling wine glasses.
Flying winemaker is a term used to describe winemakers who travel between wineries.
Fortification is a term used for a wine that has additional alcohol added to it.
Fortified Wine is a wine that has been fortified with neutral spirits.
Foxy is a term used to describe a wine that has certain earthy characteristics that resemble the smell of wild animals.
Free-run juice is a term used to describe the grape juice that is released by the weight of the grapes themselves in a tank.
Fruit wine is a term used to describe a wine that is made from fruits other than grapes.
Fruity is a term used to describe a wine that smells like fresh fruit.
Full-bodied is a term that refers to the heaviness a wine feels in your mouth.
Fumé Blanc is a term used to describe sauvignon blanc.
Gamay is a light-bodied red grape from southwest France.
Gewürztraminer is a high quality white grape.
Globalization of wine is a term that refers to the world-wide popularity of wine.
The term grafting is used to describe the process of attaching a bud-forming section of a vine to another grape vine.
The term grand cru is used in France to describe the best vineyards.
Grand Reserva is a term used in Spain to describe wine that has been aged for over five years.
Granvas is a term used to refer to sparkling wines that underwent secondary fermentation in tanks and not bottles.
The term green is used to describe green flavors in wine that resemble vegetables.
Green harvest is a term used to describe the thinning of green grapes on a cluster to concentrate the flavors in the remaining clusters.
Grenache, or garnacha in Spain, is a high-quality red grape used in many of the world’s best wines.
Grüner Veltliner is a grape that is popular in Austria for creating racy and flavorful white wines.
GSM is a term used to describe a blend of granache, mourvedre, and syrah.
Habillage is the term used to describe the capsule used to protect the cork in a wine bottle.
The term hard is used to describe an unpleasant wine that is too full of tannins.
Harvest is a term used to describe when grape growers pick grapes from the vineyard to be made into wine.
Haut is a French word that is used to describe a wine or dining of the highest quality.
Herbaceous is a term that refers to the herbal flavors and aromas of a wine.
Hogshead is a term used to describe a barrel that is 300 liters.
When a wine is said to be hollow it means that it lacks interesting aspects in the middle palate.
Horizontal wine tasting is a wine tasting that’s done with different wines from the same year.
Horse blanket is a term used to describe the aromas of a wine that has been effected by a wild yeast called Brettanomyces.
In wine, the term hot refers to wine with high levels of alcohol.
A hybrid is a cross between several types of grapes to get a unique grape.
Ice wine is a wine that’s made from frozen grapes.
An imperial bottle is a wine bottle that is 6 liters.
Inoculation is the term used to describe the adding of yeast to a grape must to kick-start fermentation.
International variety wines are made from grapes that are grown around the world.
Jeroboam is a wine bottle that contains 4.5 liters of wine.
Kabinett wines are German wines that are of high quality.
Kosher wine is wine that was made under Jewish rules of making wine.
Labrusca varieties are native to North America.
Late harvest wines are wines that are made from grapes that have been left on the vine for longer.
Lees are the spent yeast cells and grape solids after a grape juice has been fermented.
Lees Aging
Legs are the streaks of liquid that clings to the wine glass after it’s swirled.
Length is the term used to refer to how long a wine’s flavor stays in the mouth after being swallowed.
Lightstruck is a wine term that describes a wine that has been exposed to sunlight.
Liqueur d’expedition is a French term referring to a sugar solution that is added to a sparkling wine after fermentation to make it sweeter.
Liqueur de tirage is a term used in France to refer to the extra sugar and yeast solution added to create secondary fermentations in sparkling wine.
Loire is a French winemaking region in western France.
Maceration is the wine term used to describe the process of leaving the grape juice in contact with the skins, seeds, and stalks of the grape cluster.
Madeira is a fortified wine that is made on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Maderized is the term for wine that has been oxidized in a warm environment.
Magnum bottles are wine bottles that have 1.5 liters.
Malbec is a wine grape native to western France.
Malic acid is one of the most common acids in wine.
Malolactic bacteria are bacteria that winemakers add to a wine to create a secondary malolactic fermentation.
Malolactic Fermentation
Manipulant is a term used to describe wine maker who grows their grapes as well.
Marc is the pressed leftovers from wine that is often distilled into a spirit.
Maturation is the process of aging a wine after it has been fermented.
Mature wines are wines that have undergone maturation.
May wine is a light wine with the addition of sweet fruit.
Mead is a fermented beverage made from water, honey, and yeast.
Meritage wines are New World wines made from Bordeaux style blends.
Merlot is a noble grape from Bordeaux, France that’s used in some of the finest bordeaux blends.
A Methuselah bottle is a wine bottle that holds 6 liters.
Micro oxygenation is a term to describe the addition of oxygen in the wine during winemaking.
Mid-palate is the perception of flavor in the mouth between first tasting and swallowing.
Mourvedre is a high-quality grape that’s used in a GSM blend from the Rhone Valley in France.
Mousse is the French term for the bubbles that come to the surface in a sparkling wine.
Mousseux is the French term for a sparkling wine.
Mouth-feel is how a wine feels when you have it in your mouth.
Mulled wine is a style of spiced wine that is heated.
Must is the grape juice, skins, seeds, and pulp of a grape before fermentation.
Must weight is the level of sugar in a grape must that shows the winemaker the approximate alcohol concentration after fermentation.
Natural wine is wine that’s made with no artificial ingredients.
Nebbiolo is an Italian grape that makes high-quality wines.
A negociant is a company or person who buys wine from an estate or winemaker and puts it under their label.
New world wine is wine that is made in the Americas, Africa, or Australia.
Noble rot is a term used to describe botrytis, a type of mold that forms raisins and turns the grapes sweeter.
Nose is the term for the aroma of a wine.
Oak chips are a cost-effective alternative to barrel aging and give a wine similar oak properties as a barrel.
Oaky is a descriptor used to describe the aromas that develop in a wine during oak aging and maturation.
Off-dry wines are wines that are slightly sweet.
Old vine is a wine made from old vines.
Old world wine is a wine that’s made in Europe.
Open wine is a wine that’s ready to drink, with aromas that are fully developed.
Organic wine is wine that’s made without the use of pesticides or artificial ingredients.
Organoleptic refers to the affects of smell, sight, and taste a wine gives off.
Oxidation is a term used to describe the process of oxygen interacting with a wine.
Oxidized wine is a wine that has been exposed to enough oxygen to turn color and lose its flavors.
PH refers to the acidity of a wine.
Phenolics
Phylloxera is an insect from North America that eats the roots of a grape vine.
Piedmont is a region in northern Italy known for its powerful red wines and aromatic whites.
Pinot refers to any grape in the pinot family.
Pinot blanc is a clone of pinot gris and is a light skinned mutation of pinot noir.
Pinot gris is another white grape in the pinot family and is closely related to pinot noir and pinot blanc.
Pinot noir is a high-quality grape that makes world-renowned red wines.
Pinotage is a South African hybrid grape that’s a blend of pinot noir and cinsault.
Pip is a term referring to grape seeds.
Plonk is a British slang term for cheap wine.
Pomace is the combination of grape skins, seeds, and organic material left over from pressing wine.
Port is a Portuguese fortified wine.
Potassium sorbate is a stabilizer and preservative for wine.
Premier Cru wines are wines made from grapes grown in a high quality vineyard.
Premium wines are high quality wines.
Pressing is the process of pressing the grape juice out of a collection of grapes.
Primary aromas are the aromas of a wine that come from the grapes.
Primeur is a French term for wine that is still in the barrels
Pruning is the process of removing extra stalks and leaves on a grape vine.
Punching down is the process where winemakers push the cap of grape solids down into the must.
Punt is the term for the indentation on the bottom of a bottle of wine.
Racking is when a winemaker moves wine from one container to another to remove sediment.
Recioto is a sweet Italian red wine.
Red wine is a wine that’s made from red or dark grapes.
Reduced wine occurs when there isn’t enough oxygen during fermentation. This harmless process causes some wines to smell like rotten eggs or match sticks.
Reductive winemaking is when a winemaker limits the amount of oxygen a wine is exposed to.
Reserva wines are Spanish red wines that have been aged for at least three years.
Residual sugar is the amount of sugar left in the wine after fermentation.
Riddling is when champagne bottles are turned so that their sediments rise to the cork.
Riesling is a high-quality white grape popular in France and Germany.
Rim is the part of the wine glass where your mouth touches during a tasting.
Rioja is a wine growing region in Spain and a wine of the same name.
Rosé is a pink colored wine made from red grapes.
Rough is a term used to describe wine qualities such as bitter or acidic.
Roussanne is a high-quality white grape from France.
Sangiovese is a high-quality red grape from Italy.
Sauternes is a sweet white wine from Bordeaux, France.
Sauvignon blanc is a high-quality white grape from France.
Sec is the French term for dry wines.
Secondary fermentation is the process in making traditional sparkling wine when the wine is fermented a second time.
Semillon is a high-quality white grape from France.
Sherry is Spanish fortified wine.
Shiraz is another name for the grape syrah.
Silky is a term for wines that have smooth qualities on the palate.
Small lot is a term used to mean limited amount of wine produced.
Solera is a term used to describe the Spanish process of blending wines of a different age.
Sommelier is a term for a certified wine expert.
Sparge is the term for removing oxygen from a wine.
Sparkling wine is any wine with trapped CO2 bubbles. These wines include Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava.
Sparkling wine is a wine that has carbonation and bubbles.
Spicy is a wine tasting term for wines that have intense spice notes on the palate.
Split is the term for a small wine bottle that holds 175 milliliters.
Stainless steel fermentation is the process of fermenting wine in a stainless steel container.
Steely is a wine tasting term used to describe wines that taste acidic.
The stem of a wine glass is the skinny section you hold.
Stemmy is a term used to describe green flavors in a wine.
Sulfites are natural compounds that preserve a wine.
Super Tuscan wines are high-quality Italian red wines.
Supple is a wine tasting term that describes balanced wines.
Sur lie is wine that has been aged on its spent yeast cells.
Sweet is a wine tasting term for wines that have residual sugar and taste sweet.
Syrah is a high-quality red grape from France.
Table wine is wine that is made for everyday drinking with a meal.
Tannins are compounds in grapes that give grapes their color.
Tannin management is the process of measuring and controlling the tannins in a wine.
Tartaric acid is an acid found in grapes.
Tempranillo is a high-quality red grape from Spain.
Terroir is the French term used to describe factors such as climate and soil that effect a wine’s taste.
Tokay is a Hungarian dessert wine.
Trocken is the German term for dry wine.
Ullage is a term used to describe the empty space left after wine evaporates.
Varietal is the term for a wine that has been made from a single variety of grape and named after it.
Vegetal is a wine tasting term used to describe a wine that has vegetable-like aromas flavors.
Veneto is a wine region in Northern Italy.
Vin Santo is a sweet dessert wine from Tuscany.
Viniculture is the term used to describe the process of growing grapes for winemaking.
Vinification is the process of making wine.
Vinology is the science of winemaking and wines.
Vintage is the year a batch of wine grapes was harvested and made into wine.
Vintage variation is a term meaning the difference a wine tastes and smells based on the year.
Viognier is a high-quality white grape from France.