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GLOSSARY

Wine terminology can be confusing, daunting, and overwhelming to everyone at times. With the help of our glossary, even a novice can begin to understand the basics of wine vocabulary—making their next wine drinking experience educational, easy, and most importantly, enjoyable.

Make your wine tasting experience one to remember by surrounding yourself with friends and family as you share what you’ve learned and never be afraid to take the wine road less traveled.

Not finding a word about which you're wondering? Ask Marcus.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

	BACKWARD
	Tasting term used to describe a wine that is young or undeveloped for its age, like my cousin Gene.

	BALANCE
	A quality in wine in which no element of taste stands above another. When the presence of acid, alcohol, sugar, and tannins exist harmoniously, a wine is regarded as balanced. Balance is considered one of the most essential traits of exceptional wine.

	BALTHAZAR
	A Champagne bottle that is equal in volume to 16 standard bottles (12 Liters)

	BARNYARD
	A mucky place where farm animals stand around. A scent that allows comparison to an animal farm, or a barnyard. Barnyardy wines are often the result of unclean or contaminated winemaking facilities. There are those old farm boys, like me, who find this attractive in small doses.

	BARRIQUE
	A wooden barrel with a capacity of 225 liters that was designed in Bordeaux, France. This is the most common size barrel for aging wine. Because of its small capacity it influences the wine more quickly and dramatically imparting its character upon the wine rather than simply allowing the oxidative function of the barrel to soften the wine.

	BATONNAGE
	Term for the stirring of the lees; a heavy sediment that adds flavor and body to a wine.

	BAUME
	A system that measures the sugar density and thus the alcohol content of certain musts and sweet wines. After a wine is fermented, 1° Baume is the rough equivalent of 1% alcohol.

	BEAD
	An adjective used to describe the effervescence in champagne or sparkling wine. The size of the bead can be a determinant of quality. Smaller and more continuous beads means a more exceptional wine.

	BEEFY
	Term used for big, strapping, red-blooded red wine.

	BEERENAUSLESE
	A German term for a sweet wine made entirely from nobly rotten grapes that have been harvested individually. Nobly rotten refers to botrytis cinerea, a fungus that forms on the grape skins, puncturing them so as to foster evaporation of water thus concentrating the juices and sugars.

	BENTONITE
	A clay used in the process of fining, which is to clarify the wine by adding something which settles to the bottom taking suspended particles with it. Egg whites and, less frequently, dried fish bladders can also fine wines.

	BERRYLIKE
	Tasting term that parallels the fruity, ripe, and sweet qualities of red wine with those of raspberries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, or mulberries. Often used when discussing the taste and aroma of Zinfandel.

BIANCO

White

	BIG
	Describes a very powerful, rich, or full-bodied wine. The intensity of big wines is not necessarily an eloquent characteristic.

BIODYNAMIC VITICULTURE

Like biodynamic agriculture in general, biodynamic grape-growing stems from the ideas and suggestions of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), which predate most of the organic movement. The principles and practices of biodynamics are based on his spiritual/practical philosophy which includes understanding the ecological, the energetic, and the spiritual in nature.

As a practical method of farming, biodynamics embodies the ideal of ever-increasing ecological self-sufficiency just as with modern agroecology, but arrives at this goal via ethical-spiritual considerations. Intention, focus on detail, inner attitude and so on, are valued as part and parcel of mastering excellence in grape growing and wine making.

	BITTER
	An intense harshness in wine detectable by the tongue. Bitterness is taken on by wines commonly made from grapes picked before they have reached their phyenolic ripeness. It may also result from heavy pressing of the grapes. Bitterness is usually considered a fault in wine.

	BLACK ROT
	A fungal disease found in grape vines resulting in hard, small berries. Black rot is common in North America.

	BLACKCURRANT
	Term describing the sweet and sharp aroma of blackcurrant fruit often associated with some Rhone or Bordeaux wines. Blackcurrant intensity can vary from gentle and light to full-toned and rich.

	BLANC
	French for white,as in wine.

	BLANC de BLANCS
	Champagne made entirely from the Chardonnay grape. This distinction is important because Champagne is often made with both white and black grapes. Exclusive use of the Chardonnay grape gives Blanc de Blancs champagne a distinct and one of a kind flavor; a delicacy and precision much admired.

	BLANC de NOIRS
	Champagne made entirely from the black grapes Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir; two of the three legal Champagne grapes. This gives the wine more weight and body as well as a bolder flavor. Because the pigments of these grapes are in the skin, if you quickly remove the juice from contact with those skins you can still make a white wine.

	BLANCO
	Spanish for white as in white wine

	BLIND TASTING
	A tasting at which the participants do not know what wines they are judging. This is an opportunity to discern a wine's quality without being prejudiced by its identity. Blind tasting are typically used to eliminate taster prejudices as they relate to price, reputation, geographic origin, or other fundamental features.

	BODEGA
	Spanish term for winery but it can also be used in reference to a company that produces wine.

	BODY
	The weight and fullness of wine as perceived on one's palate. Wine can be described as being light, medium, or full bodied and is normally relative to the amount of alcohol present. For example, a high-alcohol wine will commonly be referred to as full bodied. On the other hand, a wine's body should never be mistaken for its intensity of flavor.

BOTRYTIS CINEREA

This is the work horse of the world's exotic sweet wines, such as Sauternes and Tokaji Aszu. A fungus that assaults grapes found commonly in climates with alternating moist and sunny weather. The grape skins are penetrated allowing the dehydration of the grapes and concentration of sugars. Botrytis Cinerea, when controlled is referred to as noble rot, and is an important element in the production of deliciously enjoyable, sweet wines.

	BOUQUET
	The entirety of a wine's fragrance. This includes the aromas which are specifically related to the grape varietal and are usually the floral and fruit scents. Beyond this are the fragrances which develope during aging and fermentation. As olfactory sense is a decisive determinant in the experience of taste the bouquet is a critical element of quality..

	BRAWNY
	Taste descriptor for hefty, Herculean red wines usually young and full-bodied. The strength of brawny reds does not equate eloquence.

BREATHE/BREATHING

This is something you can't stop, once you pull the cork and especially when you've filled your glass the wine is breathing. Unlike humans a wine can breathe too much but for the most part its a good thing. Exposing wine to air opens the fragrance and begins the dance of the seven veils allowing the wine to evolve and expose its nuances. Remember too much air is a bad thing, the wine will start to go down hill.

	BREED
	Term set aside for wines made from the most superb grape varieties; also known as noble-grapes. These wines exhibit the characteristics of exceptional balance, structure, and aroma.

BRETTANOMYCES

In the wild, the yeast Brettanomyces grows on the skin of grapes. Wineries become contaminated by barrels, fruit flies or unsanitzed equipment. When Brettanomyces grows in wine it produces several compounds that can alter the flavour and fragence. In some peoples' minds at low levels the presence of these compounds has a positive effect on wine, contributing to complexity. It is a sign of spoilage so is considered a fault.

	BRIARY
	Describes young, dry red wines with characteristically pronounced alcohol and tannins. Briary wines are aggressive and peppery or spicy in nature. Young Zinfandel used to be this way with some frequency but not so much anymore.

	BRIGHT
	Wines can be visibly bright, have bright flavors, or bright aromas. In every instance, the wine is regarded as strikingly clear and eloquent.

	BRILLIANT
	Refers to the clarity of wine. A brilliant wine is clear and free of cloudiness or haze. Brilliant wines lack sediment and can be a deficiency of flavor.

	BRIX
	A quantification the amount of sugar in a grape's juice; the common measurement used in the New World. Part of the metricws for deciding when grapes are ready to harvest.

	BROWNING
	Term describing the color changes of red wine from its young, ruby color to its fully matured, ruby with a brown edge color. When a wine reaches the stage where its edges, the point where the wine meets the glass, are browning it will not benefit from further aging. Many people use this term with white wines as well. Here the oxidation has gone beyond beneficial.

BRUT

Term describing a dry, not sweet, Champagne or sparkling wine. Extra Dry is also a term describing the sweetness of Champagne but it is not drier than Brut. Truth be told the range of residual sugar overlap. For your information:

Brut: dry, less than 1.5% sugar
Extra Sec: extra dry, 1.2 to 2% sugar
Sec: medium sweet, 1.7 to 3.5% sugar
Demi-Sec: sweet, 3.3 to 5% sugar (dessert champagne)
Doux: very sweet, over 5% sugar (dessert champagne)

	BUTTERY
	Having the aroma or taste of melted butter. Found most commonly in California chardonnays that have been put through malolactic fermentation. Because lactic acid is milder than malic acid, wines that undergo this process become softer. Diacetyl, a by-product of this process, is the source of the buttery smell.