WINE GLOSSARIES (D-E)

DEFINITION A wine with good definition is one that is not just clean with a correct balance, but that also has a positive expression of its grape variety or origin.. DÉLESTAGE (Fr.) Commonly known to anglophile winemakers as “rack and return.” Délestage is a process designed to produce softer red wines by reducing harsh tannins from the grape seeds, and is particularly successful in areas where unripe seeds are common due to uneven ripening. The basic délestage procedure starts after a cold soak of juice and skins. The juice is drawn off into a separate tank, allowing the cap to fall to the bottom of the first tank, where it is left to drain for several hours. During this time, many seeds are loosened from the pulp and can be caught by a filter that allows free passage to the draining juice, which also goes to the second tank. Once the cap has drained out, the drain is closed off, and the juice from the second tank is pumped back into the first tank, where it is mixed with cap. This process is repeated daily until all the seeds and their harsh tannins are removed. DELICATE Describes the quieter characteristics of quality that give a wine charm. DEMI-MUID (Fr.) A large oval barrel with a capacity of 300 liters/80 gallons (600 liters/160 gallons in Champagne). DEMI-SEC (Fr.) This literally means “semidry” but such wines actually taste quite sweet. DENDOMETER A very accurate device that measures the minute swelling and shrinkage of the vine trunk in response to water use. It can be used to control the amount of irrigation water taken up by the vine, rather than the amount that goes into the ground. DÉPARTEMENT (Fr.) A French geopolitical division, similar to a state in the US and a county in the UK. DEPTH This refers primarily to a wine’s depth of flavor and secondarily to its depth of interest. DEPTH FILTRATION The separation of solids from a liquid solely inside a filtration medium such as kieselguhr A Rotary Drum Vacuum or Plate and Frame filter is commonly used. DIATOMACEOUS EARTH Also known as kieselguhr, this is a fine, powdered, silaceous earth evolved from decomposed deep-sea algae called diatoms. Ceramic filtration, and Polishing. DIRTY This applies to any wine with an unpleasant off-taste or off-smell, and is probably the result of poor vinification or bad bottling. DISGORGEMENT This is part of the process of making a bottle-fermented sparkling wine such as Champagne. After fermentation, the yeast forms a deposit, which must be removed. To allow for this removal, the bottles are inverted in a freezing brine for just long enough for the sediment to form a semifrozen slush that adheres to the neck of the bottle. This enables the bottle to be reinverted without disturbing the wine. The temporary cap used to seal the bottle is removed and the internal pressure is sufficient to eject or “disgorge” the slush of sediment without losing very much wine at all. The wine is then topped off and a traditional Champagne cork is used to seal the bottle. DISTINCTIVE Describes a wine with a positive character. All fine wines are distinctive to some degree or other, but not all distinctive wines are necessarily fine. DIURNAL DIFFERENCE In viticulture, any reference to a diurnal or daily difference will invariably be a reference to temperature, comparing the highest daytime temperature with the lowest nighttime temperature—the greater the difference, the better the grapes’ acidity retention. There can be a wide diurnal difference in relatively cool wine areas, such as Champagne, as well as in essentially hot ones, such as Idaho. DO (Sp.) This stands for Spain’s Denominación de Origen, which is theoretically the equivalent of the French AOC. DOBLE PASTA (Sp.) Red wines macerated with double the normal proportion of grape skins to juice during fermentation. DOC (It., Port.) Short for Italy’s Denominazione di Origine Controllata and Portugal’s Denominação de Origem Controlada, which are theoretically the equivalent of the French AOC. DOCa (Sp.) Abbreviation for Spain’s Denominación de Origen Calificada, which is the equivalent of the Italian DOCG. DOCG (It.) Italy’s Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita is theoretically one step above the French AOC. Ideally it should be similar to, say, a Premier or Grand Cru in Burgundy or a Cru Classé in Bordeaux, but in reality, it is almost as big a sop as Italy’s Denominazione di Origine Controllata itself. DOPPELSTÜCK (Ger.) A very large oval cask with a capacity of 2,400 liters (635 gallons). DOSAGE (Fr.) Sugar added to a sparkling wine after disgorgement, the amounts of which are controlled by the terminology used on the label—brut, demisec, and so on. DOUX (Fr.) Sweet, as applied to wines. DRIP IRRIGATION Various forms exist, but at its most sophisticated, this is a computer-controlled watering system programmed with the vine’s general water requirement and constantly amended by a continuous flow of data from soil sensors. The water is supplied literally drip-by-drip through a complex system of pipes with metered valves. .DRYING UP Describes a wine that has dried up and lost some of its freshness and fruit through aging in the bottle. It may still be enjoyable, but remaining bottles should not be kept long. DUPLEX SOILS So-called when two contrasting soil textures are found layered, with a sharp divide between the two. Duplex soils usually consist

of a coarse soil over a fine-grained soil, and are commonly found in Western Australia, where they are invariably sand over clay. They are categorized by color (red, yellow, brown, dark, and gray duplex soils) based on the color of the subsoil, not the topsoil. DUSTY Akin to “peppery” in a red wine; a blurring of varietal definition in a white wine EARTH FILTRATION This term can be synonymous with depth filtration. EARTHY Describes a drying impression in the mouth. Some wines can be enjoyably earthy, but the finest-quality wines should be as clean as a whistle. When a wine is very earthy, it is usually due to a preponderance of geosmin, which can occur naturally in grapes, but in excess can give a wine a corked taste. EASY This term is to a certain extent synonymous with accessible, but probably implies a cheaper, value-for-money wine, whereas “accessible” often applies to finer wines. EAU-DE-VIE (Fr.) Literally, “water of life”; specifically, a grape-derived spirit. EDELFÄULE (Ger.) The German term for noble rot; EDELKEUR (S. Afr.) The South African term for noble rot. EDGE Almost, but not quite, synonymous with grip; wine can have an edge of bitterness or tannin. Edge usually implies that a wine has the capacity to develop, while grip may be applied to a wine in various stages of development, including fully mature wine. EDGY Synonymous with nervy or “nervous.” EGG WHITE A traditional fining agent that fines out negatively charged matter. EINZELLAGE (Ger.) A single-vineyard wine area; the smallest geographical unit allowed under German wine law. EISWEIN (Ger.) Originally a German concept but now used in the New World as well, this rare wine resulted from the tradition of leaving grapes on the vine in the hope of attracting Botrytis cinerea. The grapes are then frozen by frost or snow, harvested, and pressed while frozen. They are pressed while still frozen because the frozen ice rises to the top of the vat and it can be scraped off to leave a concentrated juice that produces a wine with a unique balance of sweetness, acidity, and extract. ELEGANT A subjective term applied to wines that may also be termed “stylish” or “possessing finesse.” ELEVATED FRUIT Synonymous with VA lift. ÉLEVÉ EN FÛTS DE CHÊNE Aged in oak barrels. ELEVEUR, ÉLEVAGE (Fr.) Literally “bringing up” or “raising” the wine. Both terms refer to the traditional function of a négociant: namely to buy ready-made wines after the harvest and take care of them until they are ready to be bottled and sold. The task involves racking the wines and blending them into a marketable product as each house sees fit. EMBRYO BUNCHES In spring, the vine develops little clusters of miniature green berries that will form a bloom a few weeks later. If a berry successfully flowers, it is capable of developing into a grape. The embryo bunch is thus an indication of the potential size of the crop. EN PRIMEUR (Fr.) Classic wines such as Bordeaux are offered for sale en primeur, which is to say within a year of the harvest, before the final blending and bottling has taken place. For experienced buyers given the opportunity to taste, this is a calculated risk and the price should reflect this element of chance. ENCÉPAGEMENT (Fr.) The relative proportions of the grape varieties in a blend. ENOLOGIST, ENOLOGY (Am.) Spelling of oenologist, oenology often used in the US. ENTRY-LEVEL WINE From the producer’s point of view, this will be his cheapest, most basic quality of wine. From a critic’s point of view, this will be the cheapest wine worth buying. ENZYME A protein produced by living organisms (anything from yeast cells to human beings) that functions as a biochemical catalyst. ESTERS Sweet-smelling compounds, formed during fermentation and throughout maturation, that contribute to a wine’s aroma and bouquet. ESTUFAGEM (Port.) The process whereby Madeira is heated in ovens called estufas, then cooled. ETHANOIC ACID Synonymous with acetic acid. ETHANOL Synonymous with ethyl alcohol. ETHYL ALCOHOL This main alcohol in wine is so important in quantitative terms that to speak of a wine’s alcohol is to refer purely to its ethyl alcohol content. EU LOT NUMBER Proposed by an EC directive in 1989 and implemented by all member states of the Community by 1992, this Lot Number must be indicated on every bottle of wine produced in or sold to the EU. Should a wine have to be removed from general distribution for any reason, this code can save unnecessary waste by pinpointing the shipment involved. EVERYDAY WINES These are inexpensive, easydrinking wines. EX-CELLARS Wines offered en primeur are usually purchased “ex-cellars”; the cost of shipping the wine to the importer’s cellars is extra, on top of which any duty and taxes will be added. EXPANSIVE Describes a wine that is big, but open and accessible. EXPRESSIVE A wine that is expressive is true to its grape variety and area of origin. EXTRACT Sugar-free soluble solids that give body to a wine. The term covers everything from proteins and vitamins to tannins, calcium, and Iron.