WINE GLOSSARIES (H-I-J-K-L)

HALBFÜDER (Ger.) An oval cask with a capacity of 500 liters (132 gallons), more prevalent in Mosel areas than in those of the Rhine. HALBSTÜCK (Ger.) An oval cask with a capacity of 600 liters (159 gallons). HARD Indicates a certain severity, often due to excess tannin and acidity. HARSH A more derogatory term than coarse. HEALTH BENEFITS OF WINE Wine consumed in moderation flushes out the cholesterol and fatty substances that can build up inside the body’s artery walls. It does this through the powerful antioxidant properties of various chemical compounds found naturally in wine (through contact with grapeskins), the most important of which are polyphenols such as procyanidins and rytoalexins such as reservatol. Most chloresterol in the body is carried around the body on LDLs (low density lipoproteins), which clog up the arteries. By contrast, HDLs (high density lipoproteins) do not clog the arteries, but take the cholesterol straight to the liver, where it is processed out of the system. The antioxidants convert LDL into HDL, literally flushing away the cholesterol and other fatty substances. Together with alcohol itself, these antioxidants also act as an anticoagulant on the blood, diminishing its clotting ability, which reduces the chances of a stroke by 50 percent in contrast with nondrinkers. (However, I would be equally as dishonest as the neoprohibitionists who make phoney health-danger claims if I did not point out the one true health danger of moderate drinking that has recently come to light. In 2002, the British Journal of Cancer published a study demonstrating that a woman’s risk of contracting breast cancer increases by 6 percent if she consumes just one drink per day, and this rises to 32 percent if she has three or four drinks per day. The report concludes that 4 percent of all breast cancers are attributable to alcohol. It is, however, not cut-and-dried. In a summary of this report, Dr. Isabel dos Santos Silva of the International Agency for Research on Cancer wrote “Alcohol intake… is likely to account, at present, for a small proportion of breast cancer cases in developed countries, but for women who drink moderately, its lifetime cardioprotective effects probably outweigh its health hazards.” And as Dr. Philip Norrie pointed out, 10 times the number of women die from vascular disease as from breast cancer.) HEAT SUMMATION A system of measuring the growth potential of vines in a specific area in terms of the environmental temperature, expressed in degree-days. A vine’s vegetative cycle is activated only above a temperature of 50°F (10°C). The time during which these temperatures persist equates to the vine’s growing season. To calculate the number of degree-days, the proportion of the daily mean temperature significant to the vine’s growth—the daily mean minus the inactive 50°F (10°C)—is multiplied by the number of days of the growing season. For example, a growing season of 200 days with a daily mean temperature of 59°F (15°C) gives a heat summation of 1,800 degree-days Fahrenheit (1,000 degree-days Celsius) based on the following calculation: (59 – 50) x 200 = 1,800 HERBACEOUS A green-leaf or white-currant characteristic that is usually associated with too much vigor in the vine’s canopy, which can cause underripeness. A herbaceous quality can also be the result of aggressive extraction techniques employed for red wines fermented in stainless steel. HERBAL, HERBAL-OAK These terms apply to wines matured in cask, but unlike vanilla-oak, creamyoak, smoky-oak, and spicy-oak, their origin is unknown. A herbal character devoid of oak is usually derived from the varietal character of a grape and is common to many varieties. HERBICIDE A weedkiller that is usually, but not necessarily, a highly toxic concoction of chemicals. HIGH-DENSITY VINES Vines planted close together compete with each other to yield higher-quality fruit, but less of it per vine, than vines planted farther apart. Initial planting costs are higher and more labor is required for pruning, but if the vineyard is in balance, the greater number of vines should produce the same overall volume per acre, even though the output per vine is reduced. Quantity can therefore be maintained while significantly raising quality, although there is a threshold density that vineyards must reach before real benefits appear. For example, more than half the vineyards in the New World are planted at less than 800 per acre (2,000 vines per hectare) and 500 to 600 (1,200 to 1,500 per hectare) is very common, whereas in Champagne, 2,666 vines per acre (6,666 per hectare) is the minimum allowed by law, 2,800 to 3,200 the average (7,000 to 8,000), and 4,400 (11,000) possible. In pre-Phylloxera times, it was something like 10,000 vines per acre (25,000 per hectare). Indeed, before California’s vineyards were mechanized, the average density of vines was twice what it is now because every other row has been ripped up to allow for tractors. When Joseph Drouhin planted his vineyard in Oregon, he planted 2,980 vines per acre (7,450 per hectare) and brought over French tractors that straddled the rows of vines, rather than went between them. All of a sudden, high-density vineyards entered the American vocabulary, although Drouhin did not consider them to be high density—merely a matter of course. HIGH-TONE A term used in this book to describe elements of the bouquet that aspire to elegance, but that can become too exaggerated and be slightly reminiscent of vermouth. HOGSHEAD A barrel with a capacity of between 300 and 315 liters (79 and 83 gallons), commonly found in Australia and New Zealand. HOLLOW A wine that lacks any real flavor in the mouth compared to the promise shown on the nose. Usually due to a lack of body, fruit, or acidity. HONEST Applied to any wine, but usually to one of a fairly basic quality, honest implies it is true in character and typical of its type and origin. It also implies that the wine does not give any indication of being souped-up in any unlawful way. The use of the word honest is, however, a way of damning with faint praise, for it does not suggest a wine of any special or truly memorable quality.

ICON A marketing term for a quality category; INDICAÇÃO DE PROVENIÊNCIA REGULAMENTADA (Port.). INKY Can refer either to a wine’s opacity of color or to an inkiness of character indicating a deep flavor with plenty of supple tannin. IPR (Port.) Short for Indicação de Proveniência Regulamentada, a Portuguese quality designation that falls between DOC and VR. IRON This is found as a trace element in fresh grapes that have been grown in soils in which relatively substantial ferrous deposits are located. Wines from such sites may naturally contain a tiny amount of iron, which is barely perceptible on the palate. If there is too much iron, the flavor becomes medicinal. Above seven milligrams per liter for white and 10 milligrams per liter for red, there is a danger of the wine going cloudy. But wines of such high iron levels should have been blue-fined prior to bottling. ISINGLASS A gelatinous fining agent obtained from the swim-bladder of freshwater fish and used to clear hazy, low-tannin wines. JAMMY Commonly used to describe a fat and eminently drinkable red wine rich in fruit, if perhaps a bit contrived and lacking elegance. JUG WINE California’s mass-produced vin de table, synonymous with carafe wine. KABINETT (Ger.) The first rung of predication in Germany’s QmP range, one below Spätlese, and often drier than a QbA. KIESELGUHR A form of diatomaceous earth. LACTIC ACID The acid that develops in sour milk, and which is also created in wine during the malolactic fermentation. LAGAR (Port.) A rectangular concrete receptacle in which people tread grapes. LAID-BACK A term that has come into use since the arrival of California wines on the international scene in the early 1980s. It usually implies that a wine is very relaxed, easy to drink, and confident of its own quality. LANDWEIN (Ger.) German equivalent of vin de pays. LATE DISGORGED. LD A sparkling-wine term that stands for “late disgorged” and, paradoxically, means the same as “recently disgorged.” The use of LD implies that the wine in question is of a mature vintage that has been kept on its yeast deposit for an extended period. LEACHING A term that may be used to refer to the deliberate removal of tannin from new oak by steaming—or when discussing certain aspects of soil, such as pH, that can be affected when carbonates are leached (removed) by rainwater. LEES Sediment that accumulates in the bottom of a vat during the fermentation of a wine. LEMONY Many dry and medium-sweet wines have a tangy, fruity acidity that is suggestive of lemons. LENGTH A wine that has length is one whose flavor lingers in the mouth a long time after swallowing. If two wines taste the same, yet you definitely prefer one, but do not understand why, it is probably because the one you prefer has a greater length. LIE (Fr.) The French for lees: sur lie refers to a wine kept in contact with its lees. LIEU-DIT (Fr.) A named site (plural: lieux-dits). This term is commonly used for wines of specific growths that do not have Grand Cru status. LIGHT VINTAGE A light vintage or year produces relatively light wines. Not a great vintage, but not necessarily a bad one either. HONEYED Many wines develop a honeyed character through bottle-age, particularly sweet wines and more especially those with some botrytis character. However, some dry wines can also become honeyed, a mature Riesling being the classic example. HORIZONTAL TASTING A tasting of different wines of the same style or vintage, as opposed to a vertical tasting (different vintages of the same wine). HOT Synonym for baked. HOUSE CLARET An unpretentious, and not too expensive, everyday-drinking red Bordeaux. HYBRID A cross between two or more grape varieties from more than one species. HYDROGEN SULFIDE When hydrogen combines with sulfur dioxide (SO2), the result is a smell of bad eggs. If this occurs prior to bottling and is dealt with immediately, it can be rectified. If allowed to progress, the hydrogen sulfide can develop into mercaptans and ruin the wine. LIME This is the classic character shared by both the Sémillon and Riesling grape varieties when grown in many areas of Australia, which explains why Sémillon from the Hunter Valley used to be sold as Hunter Riesling. LINALOOL A compound found in some grapes, particularly the Muscat and Riesling varieties. It contributes to the peachy-flowery fragrance that is characteristic of Muscat wines. LINGERING Normally applied to the finish of a wine—an aftertaste that literally lingers. LIQUEUR DE TIRAGE (Fr.) Bottling liqueur: the mix of wine, yeast, and sugar added to still Champagne to induce the mousse. LIQUOREUX (Fr.) Literally “liqueurlike,” this term is often applied to dessert wines of an unctuous quality. (Sometimes also “liquorous.”) LIQUORICE A quality often detected in Monbazillac, but may be found in any rich sweet wine. The term refers to the concentration of flavors from heat-shriveled, rather than botrytized, grapes. LIVELINESS A term that usually implies a certain youthful freshness of fruit due to good acidity and a touch of carbonic gas. LONGEVITY Potentially long-lived wines may owe their longevity to a significant content of tannin, acidity, alcohol, and/or sugar. LUSCIOUS, LUSCIOUSNESS Almost synonymous with voluptuous, although more frequently used to describe an unctuous, sweet white wine than a succulently rich red.