Guide to Wine Verbage

Wine Glossary Aroma The smell of a wine. Aroma wheel Diagram listing characteristic aromas of different wine types. Austere A wine displaying firm structure but little fruit. Balance A harmonious marriage of all a wine's elements. Barrel fermentation When fermentation occurs in wood barrels rather than stainless steel tanks. Berrylike Smelling and tasting of berries. Body The weight and texture of a wine. Bouquet Aromas that develop in a wine with aging. Brix Measurement of sugar content in wine grapes. Brut A dry sparkling wine. Carbonic maceration Whole cluster fermentation in a sealed, oxygen-free tank. Clone Genetic variant of a grape variety. Complex Possessing an interlocking set of distinctive aromas and flavors. Crush Mechanical process to extract grape juice. Dirty An unpleasant, earthy aroma. Dumb A wine in a backward stage not revealing all its qualities. Elegant An understated wine of finesse rather than power. Ethyl Acetate Spoilage organism manifesting as a nail polish aroma. Fermentation Process of converting sugar to alcohol. Hot A wine that is harshly alcoholic. Jammy A wine displaying a jam-like fruit aroma. Labrusca Wine grape species native to North America. Methode Champenoise Sparkling wines that undergo a secondary fermentation in bottle. Nose The smell of a wine. Nouveau Fresh red wines released soon after harvest for early consumption. Oaky Wines with predominant flavor of the oak barrels they were aged in. Oxidation Overexposure to air, causing spoilage or premature aging. pH The acid profile of a wine. Phenolic Chemical compound in grape skins functioning as wine preservative. Phylloxera Root louse which attacks grapevines. Pomace Residue of skins, pulp and seeds remaining after grapes are pressed. Private Reserve/Proprietor's Reserve Usually a designation of a limited-production wine of special quality. Puckery Drying flavor sensation caused by excessive grape or wood tannins. Solera System for maintaining a stock of multi-vintage, uniformly blended wines. Structure The composition and impression of a wine's constituent elements. Tannin Acid in grape skins, seeds and stems bolstering wine structure and longevity. Tart Character of a wine high in acidity. Vitis Vinifera Species of grapevines to which all major varieties belong.