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MACERATION A term that is usually applied to the
period during the vinification process when the
fermenting juice is in contact with its skins. This
process is traditionally used in red-winemaking,
but it is on the increase for white wines utilizing
prefermentation maceration techniques.
MACÉRATION CARBONIQUE (Fr.) A generic term
covering several methods of vinifying wine under
the pressure of carbonic gas. Such wines, Beaujolais
Nouveau being the archetypal example, are
characterized by amylic aromas (peardrops, bubblegum,
nail-polish). If this method is used for just a
small part of a blend, however, it can lift the fruit
and soften a wine without leaving such telltale
aromas.
MADERIZED All Madeiras are maderized by the
estufagem, in which the wines are slowly heated
in specially constructed ovens, and then by
cooling them. This is undesirable in all wines
except for certain Mediterranean wines that are
deliberately made in a rancio style. Any ordinary,
light, table wine that is maderized will often be
erroneously diagnosed as oxidized, but there is a
significant difference in the symptoms: maderized
wines have a duller nose, have rarely any hint of
the sherrylike character of acetaldehyde, and are
flatter on the palate. All colors and styles of wine
are capable of maderizing and the likely cause is
storage in bright sunlight or too much warmth.
MAILLARD REACTIONS Chemical interactions
between amino acids created during autolysis
and residual sugar added by dosage, which are
responsible for many of the mellow, complex
post-disgorgement aromas adored by drinkers of
mature Champagne. Maillard Reactions also play
an important role in the raisining of grapes.
MALIC A tasting term that describes the green
apple aroma and flavor found in some young
wines due to the presence of malic acid, the
dominant acid found in apples.
MALIC ACID A very strong-tasting acid that
diminishes during the fruit’s ripening process, but
still persists in ripe grapes and, although reduced by
fermentation, in wine too. The quantity of malic acid
present in a wine may sometimes be considered too
much, particularly in a red wine, and the smoothing
effect of replacing it with just two-thirds the quantity
of the much weaker lactic acid is often desirable.
MALOLACTIC The malolactic fermentation is often
termed a secondary fermentation, but is actually a
biochemical process that converts the hard malic acid
of unripe grapes into soft lactic acid and carbonic
gas.
MANURE A very extreme form of farmyardy.
MANNOPROTEIN Nitrogenous matter secreted
from yeast during autolysis.
MARC 1. The residue of skins, seeds, and stalks
after pressing. 2. The name given to a four-ton
load of grapes in Champagne. 3. A rough brandy
made from the residue of skins, seeds, and stalks
after pressing.
MARQUE A brand or make.
MATURE,MATURITY Refers to a wine’s
development in bottle, as opposed to ripe, which
describes the maturity of the grape itself.
MEAN An extreme qualification of ungenerous.
MEATY This term suggests a wine so rich in body
and extract that the drinker feels almost able to
chew it. Wines with a high tannin content are
often meaty.
MELLOW Describes a wine that is round and
nearing its peak of maturity.
MEMBRANE FILTRATION Use of a thin screen of
biologically inert material, perforated with
microsized pores that occupy 80 percent of the
membrane, to filter wine. Anything larger than
these holes is denied passage when the wine is
pumped through during filtration.
MERCAPTANS Methyl and ethyl alcohols can react
with hydrogen sulphide to form mercaptans, foulsmelling
compounds that are often impossible to
remove and can ruin a wine. Mercaptans can smell
of garlic, onion, burnt rubber, or stale cabbage.
MÉTHODE CHAMPENOISE (Fr.) The process in
which an effervescence is produced through a
secondary fermentation in the same bottle in which
the wine is sold (in other words, not transvasage).
This procedure is used for Champagne and other
good-quality sparkling wines. In Europe, the term
is forbidden on the label of any wine other than
Champagne, which never uses it itself.
MÉTHODE GAILLAÇOISE (Fr.) A variant of
Méthode Rurale involving disgorgement.
MÉTHODE RURALE (Fr.) The precursor of Méthode
Champenoise, this method involves no secondary
fermentation. The wine is bottled before the first
alcoholic fermentation has finished, and carbonic gas
is produced during the continuation of fermentation
in the bottle. There is also no disgorgement.
METODO CHAMPENOIS (It.) Italian for Méthode
Champenoise.
MICROCLIMATE Due to a combination of shelter,
exposure, proximity to mountains and/or water
mass, and other topographical features unique to
a given area, a vineyard can enjoy (or be prone
to) a specific microclimate that differs from the
standard climate of the region as a whole.
MICROPOROUS FILTRATION Synonymous with
membrane filtration.
MICROVINIFICATION This technique involves
fermentation in small, specialized vats, which
are seldom bigger than a washing machine. The
process is often used to make experimental
wines. There are certain dynamics involved in
fermentation that determine a minimum optimum
size of vat, which is why home-brewers seldom
make a polished product and why most wines
made in research stations are dull.
MID-PALATE 1. The center-top of your tongue.
2. A subjective term to describe the middle of the
taste sensation when taking a mouthful of wine. It
may be hollow if the wine is thin and lacking, or
full if it is rich and satisfying.
MILLERANDAGE (Fr.) A physiological disorder of
the vine that occurs after cold or wet weather at
the time of the flowering. This makes fertilization
very difficult, and consequently many berries fail
to develop, remaining small and seedless even
when the rest of the bunch is full-sized and ripe.
MINERAL Some wines have a minerally aftertaste
that can be unpleasant. Vinho Verde has an
attractive, almost tinny aftertaste when made
from certain grape varieties.
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MISTELLE (Fr.) Fresh grape juice that has been
muted with alcohol before any fermentation can
take place.
MOELLEUX (Fr.) Literally soft or smooth, this term
implies a rich, medium-sweet style in most areas
of France. In the Loire, however, it is used to
indicate a truly rich, sweet botrytis wine, thereby
distinguishing it from demi-sec.
MONOPOLE (Fr.) Single ownership of a vineyard.
MOUSSE (Fr.) The effervescence of a sparkling
wine, which is best judged in the mouth because
a wine may appear to be flat in one glass and
vigorous in another due to the different surfaces.
The bubbles of a good mousse should be small
and persistent; the strength of effervescence
depends on the style of wine.
MOUSSEUX (Fr.) Literally “sparkling.”
MOUTH-FILL Literally meaning a wine that easily
fills the mouth with a satisfying flavor. There is no
holding back, but it does not quite imply anything
too upfront or obvious.
MUID (Fr.) A large oval barrel with a capacity of
600 liters (159 gallons).
MUST Unfermented or partly fermenting grape
juice.
MUST WEIGHT The amount of sugar in ripe grapes
or grape must.
MUTAGE (Fr.) The addition of pure alcohol to
a wine or to fresh grape juice either before
fermentation can take place, as in the case of a
vin de liqueur, or during fermentation,
as in the
case of a vin doux naturel.
NÉGOCIANT (Fr.) Trader or merchant. The
name is derived from the traditional practice of
negotiating with growers (to buy wine) and
wholesalers or customers (to sell it).
NÉGOCIANT-ÉLEVEUR (Fr.) A wine firm that buys in
ready-made wines for éleveur. The wines are then
blended and bottled under the négociant’s label.
NERVY, NERVOUS A subjective term usually
applied to a dry white wine that is firm and
vigorous, but not quite settled down.
NEUTRAL GRAPE VARIETIES Such grapes include
virtually all the minor, nondescript varieties that
produce bland tasting, low-quality wines, but also
encompass better known varieties such as the
Melon de Bourgogne, Aligoté, Pinot Blanc, Pinot
Meunier, and even classics such as Chardonnay
and Sémillon. The opposite of aromatic grapes,
these varieties are ideal for oak-maturation,
bottling sur lie, and turning into fine sparkling
wines because their characteristics are enhanced
rather than hidden by these processes.
NOBLE ROT A condition caused by the fungus
Botrytis cinerea under certain conditions.
NOSE The smell or odor of a wine, encompassing
both aroma and bouquet.
OAK Many wines are fermented or aged in wooden
casks and the most commonly used wood is oak.
OECHSLE LEVEL (Ger.) A system of measuring the
sugar content in grapes for wine categories in
Germany and Austria.
OENOLOGIST, OENOLOGY Pronounced “enologist”
and “enology” (and usually spelled this way in the
US), oenology is the scientific study of wine. It is
a branch of chemistry, but with practical
consequences, hands-on production experience,
and an understanding of viticulture.
OFF VINTAGE An off vintage or year is one in
which many poor wines are produced due to
adverse climatic conditions, such as very little
sunshine during the summer, which can result
in unripe grapes, and rain or humid heat at the
harvest, which can result in rot. Generally an off
vintage is a vintage to be avoided, but approach
any opportunity to taste the wines with an open
mind because there are always good wines made
in every vintage, and they have to be sold at
bargain prices if a vintage has a bad reputation.
OIDIUM A fungal disease of the vine that turns
leaves powdery grey and dehydrates grapes.
OILY A subjective term meaning fat and viscous,
and often also flat and flabby.
OLOROSO (Sp.) A sherry style, naturally dry but
usually sweetened for export markets.
OPEN-KNIT An open and enjoyable nose or palate,
usually found in a modest wine that is not capable
of much development.
OPULENT Suggestive of a rather luxurious varietal
aroma; very rich, but not quite blowzy.
ORGANIC WINES A generic term for wines made
using the minimum amount of SO2 (sulfur
dioxide), from grapes grown without the use of
chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
ORGANOLEPTIC Affecting a bodily organ or sense,
usually that of taste or smell.
OSMOTIC PRESSURE When two solutions are
separated by a semipermeable membrane, water
will leave the weaker solution for the more
concentrated one in an endeavor to equalize the
differing solution strengths. In winemaking, this is
most commonly seen when yeast cells are put to
work in grape juice with an exceptionally high sugar
content. Since water accounts for 65 percent of
a yeast cell, osmotic pressure causes the water to
escape through the semipermeable cell membrane.
The cell caves in (a phenomenon called plasmolysis),
and the yeast dries up and eventually dies.
OVERTONE A dominating element of nose and
palate; often one that is not directly attributable to
the grape or wine.
OXIDATION,OXIDIZED These terms are
ambiguous; as soon as grapes are pressed or
crushed, oxidation sets in and the juice or wine
will become oxidized to a certain and increasing
extent. Oxidation is also an unavoidable part of
fermentation and essential to the maturation
process. In this case, however, in order not to
mislead it is best to speak of a “mature” or, at the
extreme, “oxidative” wine. This is because when the
word oxidized is used, even among experts, it will
invariably be in an extremely derogatory manner,
to highlight the sherrylike odor of a wine that is in
a prematurely advanced stage of oxidation.
OXIDATIVE A wine that openly shows the character
of maturation on the nose or palate. This can range
from buttery, biscuity, and spicy characteristics
through to a hint of nuttiness.
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Sunday, September 20, 2015
WINE GLOSSARIES (H-I-J-K-L)
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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.
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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.
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