We all want to learn more about wine, right? A tasting note offers clues to finding a bottle of wine that may be our new favorite – it’s meant to help, not hinder. But reading an in-depth article about a specific wine or a brief (or not so brief) tasting note may seem confusing, if not challenging. Don’t we just want to know if the wine tastes good before we buy it? Of course! The problem is found in the words: what do they actually mean?
Because more than a few readers have asked me to explain these aforementioned words, I decided to list below those that we see frequently. (I haven’t included words describing aromas or flavors, but if you’re curious, see “Discover the Aromas and Flavors in Wine” cheat-sheet in the Grape Experiences Free Research Library for Subscribers.) Further, the definitions and explanations of the words below aren’t meant to be comprehensive; if you need more clarity, you may want to deep-dive into the entries found in The Oxford Companion to Wine (see link at the end of the post).
Consider this article, with information gleaned from my research at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust site and elsewhere, a simple guide to understanding a few words in order to discover the wine behind those fascinating tasting notes.
Alcoholic fermentation: The conversion of sugar to alcohol by yeast operating in anaerobic conditions.
Battonage: Stirring of the lees (see “lees” below)
Botrytis: Fungus that attacks the grape berry and other green parts of the vine. It certain circumstances, it will form unwanted grey rot. In others, desirable noble rot (see “noble rot” below) is formed.
Brix: A system of measuring must weight and thereby potential alcohol. (see “must” below)
Cépage: Grape variety
Chaptalisation: Must enrichment specifically using beet or cane sugar and named after Comte Chaptal, the Napoleonic minister who advocated its use.
Charmat Method: Sparkling wine production process in which the secondary fermentation takes place under pressure in a sealed tank. It’s also called the “tank method”.
Climat: A vineyard site
Cuvée: The juice resulting from the first pressing in Champagne OR a blend.
Dosage: Adjustment of the sugar level in sparkling wines by the addition of liqueur d’expédition after degorgement. (see “liqueur d’expédition” below)
Fermentation: A chemical reaction brought about by the action of yeast or bacteria. In wine production, the most important are the alcoholic fermentation (see “alcoholic fermentation above”) and the malolactic fermentation (see “malolactic fermentation” below).
Filtration: The process pf physically removing particles from wine. There are different grades of filters that can remove particles ranging in size from large grape fragments to individual yeast cells.
Fining: Removal of matter in suspension in a wine by the addition of a fining agent such as bentonite that acts as a coagulant.
Lees: The sediment of dead yeast cells that gathers at the bottom of the tank or cask once fermentation is completed.
Lees Stirring: A process of mixing the lees with the wine, usually in cask, to help extract components that will give the wine extra flavor and body.
Liqueur d’Expédition: Mix of wine and sugar used to make the final adjustment to the sweetness of sparkling wine prior to corking.
Malolactic fermentation (MLF): Conversion of harsh malic acid into softer lactic acid by the action of lactic acid bacteria.
Méthode Traditionelle: Sparkling wine process where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle.
Must: Unfermented grape juice, destined to become wine.
Noble Rot: Form of Botrytis Cinereal that concentrates the sugars of ripe grapes, facilitating the production of the finest sweet wines.
Racking: Drawing off clear wine from a cask or vat and moving it to another , leaving the sediment behind.
Residual Sugar: Unfermented sugar remaining in the wine after bottling. Even dry wines will contain a small amount.
Sur Lie: Wine that’s aged on its lees (see “lees” above).
Tannin: Chemical compound present in the skins, stalks, and pips of grapes that is extracted during red wine vinification. Tannin is detected as a drying sensation on the gums and gives structure to a wine as well as acting as a preservative.
Terroir: A sense of place expressed in a wine, which may include the effects of overall climate, site climate, soils, aspect, slope, and even local grape varieties, yeast cultures, and winemaking practices.
Vinification: Winemaking
Yeast: Generic term for a number of single-celled micro-organisms which, under anaerobic conditions, are able to convert sugar into alcohol.
Cheers! ~ Cindy
For more “cheat sheets” about wine, subscribe to Grape Experiences!
