The Living Wine
Dictionary
"A" |
| Abruzzo |
Italian Wine Region |
| acetic acid |
a sour tasting acid ( vinegar )
that occurs during fermentation of some white wines. It is also what
is created when a wine is exposed to air for a long time ... wines
that have gone bad are often called acetic. |
| acidification |
adding either Citric or tartaric
acid to wines. This is done at times to balance out wines that don't
have enough natural acid and aids in longevity |
| Aeration |
allowing oxygen to mix with the
wine during fermentation ( in a controlled way ), also happens during
some of the barrel aging. This tends to "soften" a wine
a bit. A good example of of this is swirling a wine in a glass to
release the bouquet and flavor components. Also happens as a result
of decanting and can often soften and open up a young or less expensive
wine. |
| Aglianico
del Vulture |
Italian - Appellation of Basilicata |
| Agter Paarl |
South African - Appellation of
the Paarl Region |
| Ahr |
German Wine Region |
| Albana di
Romagna |
Italian - Appellation of Emilia
Romagna |
| Albarino |
grape used in some spanish wines |
| Alcamo |
Italian - Appellation of Sicily |
| Aldehydes |
Ok .. we're not chemists here but
... these are chemical compounds that can contribute to flavors in
wines. Their are many types and they contribute to such things as
a "wood" flavor, the scents of sherries, the grassy herbaceousness
of sauvignon blancs and even some merlots |
| Aleatico
di Gradoli |
Italian - Appellation of Latium |
| Aleatico di Puglia |
Italian - Appellation of Puglia |
|
Alejandro Fernandez( male)
( female )
|
Spanish Winery |
| Alella |
Spanish Wine Region |
| Alentejo |
Portugese Wine Region |
| Alezio |
Italian - Appellation of Puglia |
| Algarve |
Portugese Wine Region |
| Alicante |
Spanish Wine Region |
| Aligote |
White Grape .. Used in burgundy |
| Alion |
Winery - Owned by Vega Scillia |
| Almansa |
Spanish Wine Region |
| Aloxe Corton |
French - Appellation of Burgundy |
| Alsace |
French Wine Region |
| Altenberg
de Bergheim |
French - Appellation of Alsace |
| Alto Adige |
Italian - Appellation of Trentino
Alto Adige |
| Alvarinho |
Portugese Wine Region |
| Amarone |
This Italian wine is made from grapes that have been
dried almost to the point of being raisins. It has a high alcoholic
content, the heat of which is offset by the sweetness that comes
from the noble rot on the grapes. It is generally aged for at least
five years. |
| amelioration |
The adding of water or sugar to a wine to reduce the
acid level of the wine |
| Amontillado |
an aged fino sherry |
| Ampurdan
Costa Brava |
Spanish Wine Region |
| Andalusia |
South African Wine Region |
| Anejo |
Spanish for Aged |
| Angel's share |
a term that describes the wine
that escapes through evaporation during the barrel aging process. |
| Anjou |
French - Appellation of Loire Valley |
| Anjou Coteaux
de la Loire |
French - Appellation of Loire Valley |
| Anjou mousseux |
French - Appellation of Loire Valley |
| Anjou petillant |
French - Appellation of Loire Valley |
| Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario |
Italian - Appellation of Tuscany |
| appellation
d'orgine controlee ( AOC ) |
the designation that a wine comes
from an area that is controlled and specified by the government.
This includes how and where the vines are grown, their yields and
how the wine is made. This is the top category of French wines. (Sometimes
referred to as AC ) |
| Apremont |
One of the top villages of Savoie |
| Aprilia |
Italian - Appellation of Latium |
| Apulia |
Italian Wine Region |
| Aquileia |
Italian - Appellation of Friuli
Venezia Giuli |
| Arbois |
French - Appellation of Jura |
| Arborea |
Italian - Appellation of Sardinia |
| Arien |
grape used in some Spanish Wines |
| Armailhac,
Ch. d' |
French Wine Producer |
| Arnad Montiovet |
Italian - Appellation of Val D'Aosta |
| Arrabida |
Portugese Wine Region |
| Arsac Margaux |
French - Appellation of Bordeaux |
| aspect |
used to describe the lay ( slope
) of the land in a vineyard .. the amount of slope ( i.e. how steep
) .. the aspect of the land has a large influence on the wines produced
on that land. |
| assemblage |
The combining of wines from different
vats, ore even different vintages so that a certain "style" can
be maintained. This is most often done with fine champagnes |
| Asti Spumante |
Italian - Appellation of Piedmont |
| Au Bon Climat |
U.S.A. Wine Producer |
| Ausbruch |
This rank of quality for Austrian
wine requires that grapes hat have been completely affected by noble
rot and have started to shrivel. Harvested grapes have a minimum
must weight of 27° KMW. Freshly pressed most or late harvest wine
from the same vineyard can be added to the grapes before vinification.
Ausbruch wine must have a minimum of 5% alcohol. |
| ausg'steckt
is' |
An Austrian winery's or Buschenschank's
advertisement of a special period of wine tasting. |
| Auslese |
(= Select Picking): Ripeness level
with in the QmP* category, a very high ripeness level of grapes,
achieved only by careful selection of the grapes harvested or in
particularly good years. It means the harvest of selected, very ripe
bunches. Noble wines, intense in bouquet and taste are the result.
It can already be dessert wine like and sweet, but they can still
be dry, medium dry or sweet depending on the decision of the winemaker.
Dry Auslese Wines are similar to Alsacian Grand Cru Rieslings since
all the natural sugar is fermented into alcohol resulting in a heavier
body. |
| Ausstich |
This name is given to the winemakers
favorite barrel of wine and is sometimes bottled and labeled separately. |
| Auxey Duresses |
French - Appellation of Burgundy |
| AVA |
American Vinticulture Area ...
this is a (very) loose demarcation used the the US Government to
define specific wine areas within the United States. It has absolutely
no bearing on quality ( unlike the very controlled AOC regions in
France), but rather simply insures that if a wine say "Napa
Valley" on its label that the grapes did in fact come from that
AVA. |
| Aversa Asprinio |
Italian - Appellation of Campania |
| Aviner |
The term which means getting the
glass ready to receive the next wine without an influence of the
previous one. This is when you are tasting different wines in the
same glass. Prior to tasting the next wine, you swish it out a bit
with that next wine. |
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