Wine Glossary

A selection of words used in connection with wine production and tasting. Some may be included in the description of wines and production processes on our vineyard lists whilst others are used to describe smells and flavours.

	Acidity	Natural acids that help to keep the wine fresh.
	Ageing	The process of allowing the wine time to mature and fully develop, either in the bottle (Champagne), cuve or barrel.
	Aroma	The smell from a young wine, usually during tasting
	Assemblage	Blend of the juices from more than one grape type
	Attack	The first impression of the wine as it hits the taste buds in the centre of the mouth.
	Barrique	Barrel
	Battonage	Using a baton (pole) to stir yeast in the barrel.
	Bio-dynamic	Agricultural practice using natural processes and materials which complement nature and the environment.
	Bouquet	The smell emitted from a mature wine, usually during tasting
	Breath	Allowing a wine to 'breath' means exposing it to the air which helps reduce tannins and generally 'softens' the wine.
	Brilliant	Clear, un-cloudy wine.
	Brioche	Similar to grilled toast.
	Brut	Dry Champagne or Sparkling wine.
	Buttery	Similar to grilled toast but a lot lighter.
	Cap	Crust formed on top of the fermenting grapes.
	Cellarmaster	The manager of the cellar.
	Cepage	Grape variety.
	Chai	A ground floor winery, usually in areas where underground cellars are not possible.
	Clarification / Débourbage	Filtering the wine to remove any deposits. Can be carried out during the wine making process or just before bottling.
	Collage	An action of clarification of the wine.
	Crémant	Semi/lightly sparkling wine.
	Cru	The French word for Vineyard. Premier Cru and Grand Cru signify vineyards producing higher quality grapes.
	Cuvasion	Time the juice is in the cuve.
	Cuve	Large tank in which wine is fermented. Typically made from stainless steel or concrete coated with epoxy resin.
	Cuvée	Should mean the wine from one vat but often used to signify a selected wine that could be used to produced several wines.
	Débourbage / Clarification	Filtering the wine to remove any deposits. Can be carried out during the wine making process or just before bottling.
	Decant	The transfer of wine from the bottle to another container. Sometimes to avoid disturbing sediment in old wines but more often used to allow a newer wine to 'breath'.
	Degorgement (Disgorgement)	The removal of sediments from the neck of bottle after fermentation prior to topping up and fitting the cork.
	Demi-Sec	Sweet Champagne or Sparkling wine.
	Depth	Intensity of colour and flavour.
	Destemming	Cutting away the stems and stalks on the grapes before pressing.
	Domaine	Estate or property.
	Dosage	Small quantity of wine used to replace that lost after Degorgement. Determines if the wine will be dry, sweet or semi-sweet.
	Elegant	Well balanced, tasteful and refined.
	et Fils	'and son', as in a business name.
	Elévage	Ageing or period of maturity before the bottling process.
	Fermentation	The action of yeasts turning grape sugars into alcohol and producing wine.
	Filtration	Filtering the wine to remove any deposits
	Fining	The addition of a coagulant such as egg white or isinglass to assist in the filtering out of sediments and particles. (Isinglass is a form of gelatin obtained from fish).
	Finish	The aftertaste that remains in the mouth after the wine has been drunk or tasted.
	Flinty	Taste and smell of sparks from a struck flint.
	Floral	A delicate and attractive bouquet.
	Flowery	The same as floral.
	Fute	A small barrel, often made from new oak.
	Gouleyant	Drinkable
	Grilled Toast	Self explanatory, but coming from oak barrels where the inside has been lightly charred by fire.
	Gris	A very pale rosé from the Loire Valley.
	Guard ('to guard')	To lay down or keep.
	Harmonious	Having harmony without any one element detracting or overpowering.
	Lees	Sediment resulting from the natural action of yeasts as a wine matures. Can be formed in the barrel or the bottle.
	Lie (Sur lie)	White wine which has been allowed to remain in the vat or barrel along with dead yeast cells and deposits or 'lees'. Used to impart flavours.
	Lively	Usually a young, fresh 'drinkable' wine.
	Liqueur de tirage	An amount of yeast, sugar and old wine added to wine which allows it to ferment in the bottle creating the champagne sparkle.
	Longevity	The length of time that the taste stays on the palate.
	Lutte integrée	The application of natural and bio-dynamic cultivation techniques.
	Lutte raisonnée	The application of natural and bio-dynamic cultivation techniques.
	Maceration	Part of the fermentation process when the grape skins and pips are still present.
	Malolactic	Secondary part of the fermentation process when malic acid converts to lactic acid and carbon dioxide through the natural action of lactic bacteria. Helps make red wines less acid and softens the character of whites.
	Méthode Traditionelle	The method used to create sparkling wines by fermenting in the bottle, similar to the Champagne process and applied to wines which are not produced in the Champagne region.
	Mousseux	A sparkling wine.
	Must	The juice from the grapes after pressing.
	Noble Rot	A 'mould' caused by Botrytis cineria on grapes used to make the finest sweet white wine.
	Oenologist	A professional and trained wine maker or taster.
	Oenology	The study of wine.
	Oenophile	A connoisseur of wine.
	Perlant	A sparkling wine.
	Perlé	A sparkling wine.
	Petillant	Slightly sparkling wine with fine bubbles.
	Phylloxera	A plant-louse which infested French vineyards during the latter half of the 19th Century destroying vines. Vines are now grafted onto disease resistant root stock.
	Pigeage	Manually pushing down the 'cap' or crust formed on top of the fermenting grapes.
	Pneumatic press	Device used to extract the juice from the grapes.
	Pupitres	The racks used for storing bottles of fermenting wine (champagne). The bottles are held at an angle and gently rotated by hand every day so any sediments collect in the bottle neck.
	Recolte	Harvest
	Red Fruits	Of raspberry, blackcurrant, redcurrant, strawberry and cherry.
	Remontage	Where the juice is pumped over the 'cap' or crust which is formed on the fermenting grapes.
	Remueur	The craftsman who rotates each bottle of champagne every day as it matures in the Pupitres.
	Round	The fullness of the flavour without the harshness of the acidity and tannins - a mellowing.
	Saigne	Bleeding off of the juice.
	Sec	Dry for still wine.
	Sec (Champagne)	Slightly sweet.
	Silicious	Silicon dioxide found in sandstone and other rocks.
	Smoky	From the inside of the oak barrels where they have been lightly charred by fire.
	Spicy	Light peppers and spices.
	Supple	An equal mix of round and harmonious.
	Tannins	Occurring from the maceration process. When the wine is young, tannins are quite noticeable in there roughness. As the wine ages, they lessen their impact and the wine becomes softer.
	Terra-Vitis	Organisation dedicated to using eco-friendly methods of growing and treating vines.
	Terroir	The area or region of land where the grapes are grown.
	Tuffeau	Type of stone found in the Loire region, usually very white in colour.
	Tyflo	Organisation dedicated to using eco-friendly methods of growing and treating vines.
	Undergrowth	Freshly turned soil and slightly stronger than 'woody'.
	Vendange	Grape harvest
	Vat	Large tank in which wine is fermented
	Vanilla	Taste or smell of the wine when aged in new oak barrels.
	Vegetal	Will enhance the character of the wine if light and delicate, but not desirable if too strong.
	Vigneron	A person who makes wine.
	Vinification	The processes involved in turning grapes into wine.
	Vintage	The year of the grape harvest. Can appear on the label of certain wines made from grapes of that year.
	Woody	Due to the ageing in oak barrels.