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A
A light wine—a wine that does not leave a lingering taste or aroma in the mouth
A long-finish wine – a wine that leaves a lingering sensation of its flavour and aroma in the mouth
A wine tasting is a guided, sensory evaluation of wine, the aim of which is to analyse the quality, properties, maturity and distinctive characteristics of a given sample.
Abboccato (it.) – off-dry (possibly on the borderline between off-dry and medium-sweet – sugar content usually ranges between 8 and 15 g/l, up to a maximum of 20 g/l)
Acidic wine—wine with a higher acidity level
Acidity—the natural acidity of wine contained in the grapes (0.5–0.7%). Low acidity makes the wine taste unfermented, while higher acidity makes it taste sour.
Aftertaste—the sensation of a wine's flavor and aroma lingering in the mouth after tasting
Aggressive wine – a wine with a higher tannin content, astringent and acidic
Aging (engl.) – the process of wine aging (maturation)
Alcohol content—the percentage of alcohol (ethanol) in wine. In most white wines, the alcohol content ranges from 9 to 14 percent; in most red wines, it ranges from 11 to 14 percent.
Amabile (Italian) – semi-sweet wine
American Viticultural Areas (AVA) (English) – American wine-growing regions. The system for regulating wine-growing regions in the USA.
Ampelography – the science of grape varieties
ANNATA (It) – year of harvest
Appellation d’Origine - Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure (AO VDQS) (French) The highest level of wine classification in France by region.
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) is the French system of protected designation of origin.
Archive wine – an official wine category in the Czech Republic for quality wine that is released onto the market at least three years after the grape harvest.
Aroma – Natural-origin aromatic and flavour compounds found in wine
Assemblage (French) – blending (English: blend), i.e. the mixing of different finished wines
Auslese (German) – a term for a quality wine with a special designation, produced from late-harvest, hand-sorted, fully ripened grapes.
B
Barrique (French) – a specific type of oak cask with a capacity of 225 litres, used for ageing wine
Beerenauslese (German) – a prestigious German and Austrian wine classification for exclusive sweet dessert wines
Bianco (Italian), Blanc (French), Blanco (Spanish) – white wine
Biodynamic wine – wine produced from grapes in accordance with additional requirements set out within the framework of the organic farming philosophy developed by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner.
Bitterness—depends on the amount of tannins in the wine
Blanc de blancs (French) – (literally translated from French as ‘white from whites’) is a wine term referring to a white sparkling wine made exclusively from white grape varieties.
Blanc de noirs (French) – a white wine made from red grapes
Blend/coupage - a wine produced by blending
Blush (US) – a term used in the US to refer to rosé wine
Bodega (Spanish) – wine cellar; may also refer to a wine company or wine producer
Bouquet – a complex of grape or wine aromas
C
Cantina (Italian) – wine cellar
Carbonic maceration—the process of fermenting whole grapes in vats in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide. It is used to produce wines that are highly perishable.
Cava (Spanish) – the name of a Spanish sparkling wine
Cellar (English) – wine cellar
Cépage (French) – a wine made exclusively from a single grape variety
Cerasuo (Italian) – rosé wine
Cinquiemes Cru – a fifth-growth wine from the Bordeaux region
Classico (Italian) – a wine produced in the central part of a historic wine-growing region
Climat (French) – the name given to vineyards in Burgundy (France) with clearly defined boundaries
Coat - wine-colored
Colheita (Portuguese) – vintage year
Collectible wines (investment wines) are a specific category of premium wines that have the potential to age in the bottle for decades and increase in both financial and taste value as they age.
Collerette (French) – a wine label affixed to the base of the bottle’s neck
Complex aroma—an aroma containing several nuances
Cosecha (Spanish) – year of harvest
Crémant (French) – the French term for quality sparkling wine produced using the traditional method outside the Champagne region itself.
Crianza (Spanish) – a Spanish wine from the Rioja region, aged for one year in oak barrels and one year in the bottle
Cru (French) – a French term referring to a vineyard with clearly defined boundaries, where high-quality wine is produced
Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel is the highest quality tier within the official Crus Bourgeois du Médoc classification in the Bordeaux region of France.
Crus du Beaujolais is a group of the 10 most prestigious wine-growing areas (appellations) in the northern part of the Beaujolais region in France.
Cuvée (French) – a wine produced by blending several different components.
Character—the overall impression left by a wine after tasting it
Château (French) - a farmstead in the Bordeaux region that includes vineyards and wine storage facilities
D
Decanter – a vessel (jug, carafe) used for decanting red wine
Decanting (from the French ‘decant’) – the process of transferring red wine from a bottle into a glass carafe in order to oxygenate the wine and to separate it from any sediment
Degorger (French) – Degorgement. The removal of sediment deposited in the neck of the bottle during the traditional production of sparkling wines
Delicate wine – a light wine with a subtle flavour
Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) (Portuguese) – a quality designation for Portuguese wines
Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC) (Spanish) – a quality designation for Spanish wines
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) (Italian) – a quality designation for Italian wines
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) (Italian) – the highest classification for Italian wines
Dessert (liqueur) wines – Dessert or liqueur wines are a specific category of wine with a higher alcohol content (usually 15–22% vol.) and often a high residual sugar content.
Deuxièmes Crus – represents the second-highest possible category for red wines from the Médoc region in Bordeaux, just below the elite Premiers Crus.
Disharmonious—a simple aroma, lacking any distinct bouquet
Doce (Portuguese), Dolce (Italian), Dulce (Spanish), Doux (French) – a sweet wine containing more than 45 grams of sugar per litre
Domaine (French) – the same as Château, but refers to a wine-growing estate in Burgundy
Dry (US) – dry wine
E
Einzellage (German) – single vineyard
Eiswein (meaning ‘ice wine’ in Czech) is an exclusive type of sweet dessert wine produced from grapes harvested and pressed whilst still frozen.
Embotellado de/en Origen (Spanish) – bottled at the winery
Emgarrafado na Origen (Portuguese) – bottled at the winery
En primerur (French) – wine that is sold before it is bottled. Particularly common in Bordeaux
Enoteca – wine shop, wine collection
Erzengerabfullung (German) – bottled at the winery
Espumante (Portuguese) – Portuguese sparkling wine
Espumoso (Spanish) – sparkling wine
Estate bottled (English) – bottled at the winery
F
Fattoria (Italian) – winery, wine cellar
Fermentation – the process of fermenting pressed grapes
Flat wine—a wine with a simple aroma and not very much acidity
Flat, lifeless—a wine that has lost its color, aroma, and flavor
Fortified wine – wine to which alcohol is added before the fermentation process is complete, so that sugar remains in the wine
Frizzante (Italian) - a lightly sparkling wine
Full-bodied wine—a wine with a higher alcohol content, a distinct bouquet, and strong flavor notes
Fullness—the overall impression of a wine’s sweetness, acidity, and astringency. Fullness characterizes a wine’s “body,” which can be light, medium, or full. Terms such as “strong” or “firm” body are also used.
G
Garrafeira (Port.) - Premium Portuguese Wines
Gran reserva (Spanish) - a Spanish red wine made from the vineyard's finest harvest, aged for at least 2 years in oak barrels and 3 years in bottles
Grand Cru Bourgeois—the second-highest quality designation in the Bordeaux region, after Grand Cru
Grand Cru Classé—is one of the most prestigious and globally recognized designations for top-quality wines
Grand Cru—a French term denoting a product of the highest quality and prestige
Grand Crus — "great origin." This term characterizes all categories of vineyards in the Bordeaux region
Grande marque (French) - refers to wines from prominent Champagne houses
Grape juice—juice obtained by pressing fresh grapes
H
Halbtrocken (German) - German semi-dry wine
Harmonious wine (rich) — a balanced interplay of color, bouquet, and flavor that reflects the variety and age of the wine
Harmonious—all the important elements come together to form a single, harmonious whole
Hectoliter - 100 liters
House wine (English) – “house wine,” wine served by the glass in restaurants and cafes. Usually of relatively low quality; table wine
I
Imbottigliato All’Origine (Italian) - bottled at the winery
Indicacão de Proveniẽncia Regulamentada (IPR) (Portuguese) — the highest category of quality designation for Portuguese wines
Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) (Italian) - the second quality category for Italian wine
J
Jahrgang (German) - vintage year
Jug wine (English) - A California table wine produced in large quantities. The name comes from the fact that it was sold in typical jugs.
K
Kabinett (German) - a German wine, late harvest. Made from overripe grapes, but without a special selection of grapes. Usually a semi-dry wine.
KASS - wine with sediment
L
Landwein (German) - regional wine. Wine produced exclusively from local grapes harvested in a vineyard designated for quality wine in that region or from approved grape varieties.
Legs—drops that look like long streaks left by wine on the sides of a glass as it flows down to the bottom of the glass
Light wines—characterized by a lower alcohol content (usually up to 11.5–12%), fresh acidity, a delicate fruit profile, and minimal tannins
M
Maceration—a winemaking process in which the grape skins are present, meaning that both the skins and the pulp undergo fermentation
Magnum (English) - a 1.5-liter bottle
Marc - the remains of peels, pits, and stems left over after pressing
Medium - for red table wines and fortified wines
Mellow—not too strong, with a harmonious aroma
Millesime (French) - vintage wine
Moelleux (French) - sweet white wine
Muselet - a wire cage that holds the cork in place on a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine
N
Negociant (French) - a merchant who buys grapes from winemakers for the purpose of storing them and then reselling them
Noble rot—as the grapes dry and shrink, a process caused in some cases by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, the juice and sugar become concentrated, resulting in the production of certain sweet wines
Noble, Honey-Flavored - High-Quality Dessert Wines
Non-vintage (English) - wine without a specified harvest year
Nose—an assessment of a wine’s level of aroma. “Short nose” refers to a wine with a faint aroma; “long nose” refers to a wine with a strong aroma.
Nouveau (Fr.) - a young French wine. A wine is considered “young” until the next harvest (August 31).
Novello (Italian) - young wine
O
Oenology – the science of winemaking
Off-dry (English) - semi-dry wine
Organic (bio) grapes/grapevines—grapes grown in accordance with organic farming standards, in compliance with the standards and requirements set forth in EU regulatory documents.
P
Pajarete (Spanish) - a Spanish semi-sweet wine
Passito (Italian) - an Italian sweet wine made from hand-picked, moderately dried grapes
Petillant (French) - a French lightly sparkling wine
Podere (Italian) - winery
Predicato (Italian) – a quality Tuscan wine (Italy) with its own distinctive characteristics
Premeur (French) — a French early-release wine, harvested starting November 21 and sold starting January 31 of the following year
Premier Cru Supérieur—is the highest possible classification for sweet white wines in the Sauternes and Barsac regions of Bordeaux
Premier Cru—represents the second-highest level of vineyard classification in the French wine hierarchy.
Premier Grand Cru Classé (French) — represents the absolute pinnacle of quality and prestige in the Bordeaux region
Q
QbA - Basic quality classifications for wines in Germany and Austria.
Qualitatswein mit Prädikat (QmP) (German) - “Premium wine with a designation.” The highest category of German quality wine
Quality wine—wine with a shelf life of about 1 year
Quatrièmes Cru - a fourth-category wine from the Bordeaux region
Quinta (Port.) - a traditional Portuguese term for a vineyard estate, manor, or large farm
R
Recioto (Italian) - a sweet Italian wine made from semi-dried (Passito) grapes
Remuage (French), riddling (English) — a method in which bottles of aging champagne are stored upright and rotated so that the sediment formed during fermentation settles in the neck of the bottle, from where it is later removed
Reserva/Riserva (Spanish, Italian) — this term is used in Spain, Portugal, and Italy on the labels of wine bottles that have been aged for the required number of years.
Reserve (English) — this term is sometimes used in the U.S. to refer to wines of higher quality than usual
Rich, full-bodied – a balanced, strong aroma with a distinct, dominant scent and a long finish
Riserva speciale (Italian) - a high-quality wine from a particularly good vintage
Rosado (Spanish), Rosato (Italian), Rose (French) — rosé wine
Rosso (Italian), Rotwein (German), Red (English) - red wine
S
Sec (French), Seco (Spanish and Portuguese), Secco (Italian) - dry wine
Sekt (German) - German sparkling wine
Semidolce (Italian) - semi-sweet wine
Semisecco (Italian) - semi-dry wine
Sfursat (Italian) — a unique, exceptionally full-bodied, and complex Italian red wine from the Alpine region of Valtellina
Simple—a subtle aroma, characteristic of classic table wines
Sommelier (French) - wine specialist
Spätlese (German) - a German wine made from late-harvest grapes. A dry or semi-dry wine
Spumante (Italian) - Italian sparkling wine
Sulfides in wine (sulfites) are sulfur compounds that play a crucial role in the production, stabilization, and preservation of wine
Superiore (Italian) - an Italian wine with a higher alcohol content or aged longer than standard DOC wines.
Sweet and Spicy—Wines with High Sugar Content
Sweet, overly sweet—simple dessert wines
T
Table wine—unlike fortified wine—contains 9–14% alcohol. It can be dry, semi-dry, or semi-sweet, depending on its sugar content (0.3–8%)
Tafelwein (German) - German table wine
Tannic — for wines with high tannin content
Tannins—plant-based polyphenols with a tart, astringent, or bitter taste that cause proteins to coagulate. They are found in red wine, where they contribute to its tartness.
Tears—droplet-shaped streaks left by wine on the sides of a glass as it flows down to the bottom of the glass
Tenuta (Italian) - winery
Terroir (French) — a term describing the specific soil and climatic conditions that influence the growth and quality of grapevines, and thus the grapes themselves.
Tinto (Spanish and Portuguese) - red wine
Trocken (German) - dry wine
Trockenbeerenauslese - TBA (German): a wine made from specially selected overripe grapes. A very sweet wine.
Troisièmes Crus—third-growth wines in the Bordeaux region
V
Vendemmia (Italian) - harvest year
Vibrant wine—a wine with intense color, aroma, and flavor
Vigna, vigneto (Italian) - vineyard
Vin de Pays (French) - regional wine
Vin de Table (French) - table wine
Viña (Spanish) - vineyard
Vinho (Portuguese) - wine
Vinho de la Terra (Spanish) - regional wine
Vinho de Mesa (Portuguese) - table wine
Vinho Regional (Portuguese) - regional wine
Vinification—this term refers to the entire process of wine production
Vino da Tavola (Italian) - table wine
Vino da Tavola (Italian) - table wine
Vintage (English) - Vintage, harvest
W
Watery wine—a very light wine made from grapes with a higher moisture content
Wein (German) - wine
Weingut (German) - vineyard
Wine cooler – a special container used to chill wine before serving
Wine fining—also known as clarification—is a method in which suspended turbidity-causing substances and impurities are gently removed from the wine. The turbidity-causing compounds suspended in wine are primarily aromatic and extractive substances, for wh
Wine List - a list of wines at a restaurant or wine bar
Wine sediment—a deposit that forms at the bottom of a wine bottle in the form of small crystals. It is potassium tartrate and is not considered a defect.
Y
