Wine Glossary: A

Abboccato

A term for a medium-sweet and full-bodied Italian wine.

Read Our Guide To Sweet Wine

Abfüllung

German term meaning "bottled by".

ABV

Alcohol by volume, the accepted measure of alcoholic strength in wine.

Acetic Acid

This volatile acid (CH₃COOH) is present in small quantities in all wines. However, it is more commonly known as the acidic component of vinegar. The alcohol in the wine can oxidise into acetic acid, which is, in essence, the process by which wine becomes vinegar. Acidity Detectable as a sharpness in the mouth, acidity is an essential constituent in all wines, where it provides the necessary balance in red wines and a zingy freshness in white wines. Too much acidity and the wine becomes undrinkable, whilst insufficient acidity makes it dull and flabby.

There are a plethora of acids in a wine, but the major ones are Acetic, Malic, Tartric, Lactic, Citric and Carbonic.

Aeration

Aeration or "letting the wine breathe" softens the tannins and opens up the wine aiding the release of the bouquet and flavours. This is done either by swirling the wine in the glass or by decanting the bottle. Young, red wines benefit most from aeration.

Alcohol

Whilst there are many different alcohols, in the wine industry this refers to ethanol (C₂H₅OH). A by-product of fermentation, the alcoholic strength of a wine is the measurement of its concentration of ethanol. While you cannot normally taste alcohol, in higher strength wines it can give a warming sensation towards the back of the mouth and throat. The role of alcohol in a wine is to provide balance and, as a general principle, should be in harmony with structure of the wine. Therefore, a full-flavoured Australian Shiraz will support a higher alcoholic content than a delicate Riesling.

Alcoholic Fermentation

The conversion of the sugar contained within the grapes into alcohol, due to the action of yeast. Fermentation can be started naturally through the action of wild yeast that lives on the grapes, however controlled yeast is often also added. Fermentation will cease naturally when all the sugar has been converted into alcohol, or when the yeast is killed by the increasing alcohol. It can also be halted by the addition of spirit (in fortification) or sulphur.

Amtliche Prüfnummer

(German)A unique code assigned to a bottling of quality wine by a specific winemaker. Also known as the AP number.

La Part des Anges

(France) When aging in barrel, this is the poetic term for the wine that is lost to evaporation. If the humidity is low, then this loss will be primarily water, whilst a higher humidity will result in more alcohol than water evaporating, thereby reducing the alcoholic strength of the wine.

Appellation

(France) This is the French administrative unit at the village level, akin to the British parish. Appellations are based on communes, so that Puligny-Montrachet for example comprises the village-level appellation for its normal wines (AC Puligny-Montrachet), together with its Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards.

Assemblage

(France) The 'building' of a Bordeaux wine through selective blending of different components. Most Châteaux grow more than one grape variety and often will have plots of superior and inferior vines. These elements give a number of options and one of the most important quality decisions in the vintage calendar is determining the correct proportion for the Grand Vin and other cuvées.

Auctions

Auction Houses are the traditional route to disposing of mature fine wines. Anonymity of the seller is assured and the Houses will have access to a wide and appropriate market, particularly necessary for niche brands. The expanding Fine Wine market has seen the emergence of online traders, with a global reach. Auctioneers charge both a commission (to the vendor) and a premium (to the buyer) on each sale.

Auslese

(Germany, Austria) A designation for sweet wines, based on must weight prior to the wine being made and bottled. The required level differs between individual regions.

Wine Glossary: B

Balance

A tasting term, indicating a harmonious combination of acidity, tannins and body.

Balthazar

A large format bottle. Please see our bottle size guide for more detail.

Barrique

(France)A wooden barrel, with a capacity of 225 litres. Originating in Bordeaux, it is now used worldwide for the ageing of fine wines.

Battonage

The stirring of the lees, which gives the resultant wine additional body and flavour.

Baumé

A scale used for measuring must-weight, through determining its sugar-content and, therefore, its potential alcohol.

Bead

A tasting term, describing the nature of the bubbles in a glass of sparkling wine.

Beerenauslese

(Germany, Austria) A designation for sweet wines. Beerenauslese is made from grapes affected with botrytis.

Bentonite

A clay used for the fining of wines.

Biodynamic Wine

In recent years we have seen a growing move towards biodynamic viticulture. Broadly speaking, biodynamism aims to ensure the healthy balance between plant life, the soil and the environment and to reduce the detrimental effect which monoculture may have on the soil. A ‘moon or astro calendar’ is used to divide the month into days best suited for work on the leaves, flower, root or fruit and much effort goes into the production of organic treatments to strengthen the vine’s resistance to parasites.

Blanc de Blancs

A white wine, usually sparkling, made exclusively from the juice of white grapes. For most wines the term is something of a truism, however it carries importance in the sparkling wine sector where many white wines are in fact blended from the (white) juice of both white and red grapes. A Blanc de Blancs Champagne is made exclusively from Chardonnay.

Blanc de Noirs

A white wine, usually sparkling, made from the white juice of red grapes (for the most part the red colour in red wines is imparted from the grape skins).

Bodega

(Spain) Winery.

Bonded Warehouse

A commercial warehouse for storing wine on which duty has yet to be paid. See our guide to buying En Primeur and In Bond.

Body

A tasting term. Tannins, extract, alcohol and flavour can all contribute to the body of a wine. A red wine, with high tannins and a rich, concentrated fruit flavour might be described as full-bodied.

Botrytis

Botrytis Cinerea is an airborne fungus which affects many fruits causing rot. In special circumstances, where a number of conditions are met simultaneously (e.g. morning mist, afternoon sun, fully ripe grapes), botrytis can transform the grape in a desireable way, concentrating the sweetness of the juice and imparting complex aromas and flavours. This conversion is referred to as Noble Rot, and is a feature of many of the world's great dessert wines such as Sauternes, Sélection des Grains Nobles, Tokaji and Trockenbeerenauslesen.

Brettanomyces

A fungal contamination, which originates in the winery, where the fungus can live on floors, walls and barrels. Brettanomyces (or, colloquially, brett) can give the wines a telling farmyard character. There is some debate as to whether brett is a fault in, or a characteristic of, certain wines. Brett contamination is harmless.

Broking

The practice by merchants of selling fine wines that belong to private individuals, who would find it difficult to sell the wines directly. Merchants draw on their customer bases to match buyer to seller and earn a commission on the transaction.

Brut

A term used to describe a dry wine, usually Champagne or Sparkling Wine. Please see our sweetness guide for more detail.

Wine Glossary: C

Canopy Management

A term denoting work undertaken in the vineyard regarding the leaf canopy, specifically pruning and leaf thinning. This action can alter the microclimate of individual vines, increasing their exposure to the sun and aiding photosynthesis, or protecting against rot.

Cap

The skins, pips and additional solid material that rises to the surface of a wine during fermentation. Pigeage is used to mix this matter back in with the wine itself.

Carbonic Maceration

A method of vinification by which whole, uncrushed bunches of grapes are fermented, producing a wine with fresh fruit characters, but little tannin. Primarily used in the production of some Beaujolais.

Cellarage

The provision by a merchant or specialist company of long-term storage for fine wines as they mature. To ensure the wine's correct evolution whilst cellared, the environment has to meet rigorous requirements regarding temperature, humidity, light and stability, in addition to security. A per case, per period charge is usually made covering rent, handling and insurance. See our guide to buying En Primeur and In Bond.

Chaptalisation

The addition of sugar to a fermenting wine. This additional sugar is converted into alcohol by the yeast, raising the final alcohol level

Claret

A traditional name for Red Bordeaux, still widely used in Britain. Derived from Clairet, the light red wine, which was imported from the region in the 17th Century.

Classico

(Italy) A term used in some Italian wine regions to indicate the heartland of the denomination where the best quality is found, hence Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico, etc.

Clos

(France) A traditional term to describe a walled vineyard.

Closed

A tasting term. This describes a wine in which little by way of aroma or flavour is discernible. Often wines may "close down" during a period of their maturation and will eventually "open out" again in time.

Cold Stabilisation

The process of chilling wine prior to bottling. This causes the tartaric acid to crystallise, allowing it to be removed, avoiding the formation of tartrate crystals in the bottle at a later date.

Commune

(France) Referring to a village and its surrounding vineyards. Pauillac, St-Estèphe and Margaux are all communes of the left bank of Bordeaux.

Co-operative

A winery owned and managed by a group of winemakers.

A tasting term, describing wine contaminated by TCA. It can cause a wine to display certain characteristics, such as mustiness, cardboard, mushroom and unclean aromas. Alternatively it can cause a wine to seem closed or lacking in fruit.

Côte

(France) A slope or hillside. Famous Côtes include Côte-Rotie (Northern Rhône) and the Côte d'Or (Burgundy).

Coteau

(France) A slope or hillside.

Coulure

A term for poor fruit-set (the development of the fruit after flowering). This can be caused by cold and wet weather during the Spring.

Crémant

A term used in Champagne to define wines with less pressure than the norm, 5 bars instead of 6, offering a marginally less aggressive mousse. Also used to denote certain defined sparkling wines of other French regions, eg Burgundy and Alsace.

Crianza

(Spain) A term describing the ageing a wine has undergone. Crianza denotes a wine that has been aged for two years, with at least six months in barrel. See also, Reserva and Gran Reserva.

Cru Bourgeois

(France) Bordeaux Châteaux classified below Cru Classé.

Cru Classé

(France) A term most associated with the top wines of Bordeaux, where a number of classifications are currently employed, some historic (such as the 1855 Classification) and others formalised in law (Graves, Saint-Emilion). The French term is Cru Classé. For further detail, please see our comprehensive guide to Bordeaux classification.

Cult wines

Wines produced in very small quantities, which attract extreme buyer interest (and a substantial premium, due to the resultant scarcity) - usually on account of glowing reviews by influential critics.

Cuvée

(France) An elective blend made from available wines in tank or barrel. A producer may offer a number of different cuvées, indicative of different quality levels (eg, special cuvée, normal cuvée) or of different styles. The concept originated in Champagne, where blending from a wide range of different base wines is intrinsic to production. It is also an important feature in Bordeaux, where different varieties are grown within a single estate. Decisions over blending proportions (see assemblage) are made every year, leading to a number of cuvées, typically the Grand Vin and Second Wine

Wine Glossary: D

Decanting

The process of pouring wine from the bottle into a decanter before serving, to remove unwanted sediments and to allow the wine to breathe.

Dégorgement

Part of the process of making sparkling wine. After the second fermentation in bottle, the neck of the bottle is frozen. When it is opened, a plug of frozen wine and dead yeast can be removed.

Demi

A small format bottle. Please see our bottle size guide for more detail.

Demi-sec

(France)A term for medium-dry. Please see our sweetness guide for more detail.

DO (Spain)

Denominación de Origen - high quality level for Spanish wine, equivalent to French AC

DOC (Italy)

Denominazione di Origine Controllata - high quality level for Italian wine, equivalent to French AC

DOC (Portugal)

Denominação de Origem Controlada - high quality level for Portuguese wine, equivalent to French AC

DOC (Spain)

Denominación de Origen Calificada - highest quality level for Spanish wine

DOCG (Italy)

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita - highest quality level for Italian wine.

Dolce

(Italy)A term for sweet. Please see our sweetness guide for more detail.

Domaine

(France)A term for a wine estate.

Dosage

Part of the process of making sparkling wine. After dégorgement, the wine is be topped up with sugar and wine to achieve a desired sweetness and character.

Doux

(France) A term for sweet. Please see our sweetness guide for more detail.

Dry

A tasting term. Please see our sweetness guide for more detail.

Dulce

(Spain) A term for sweet. Please see our sweetness guide for more detail.

Duty

A levy imposed on alcoholic beverages by HM Revenue & Customs whether imported or nationally produced. The duty on wine is based on volume rather than strength for wines up to 15% alcohol by volume and for sparkling wines and fortifieds. See our guide to buying En Primeur and In Bond.