Go to content

Wine

Guide to:

Apertif - An alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite, usually dry.

Asti - A town in the peidmont region of Italy famed for sweet, sparkling Spumante.

Acidity - Provides a sense of freshness and balance to a wine.  Too much provides a sharp or sour taste, too little a flat character.

Balance - The proportion of various elements: acid versus sweetness, fruit flavors versus wood, tanic alcohol versus acid and flavor.

Beaujolais - An early maturing red wine made from the Gamay grape from the southern Burgandy district in France.  It is light, fruity and easy to drink.  George Duboeuf promoted it and controls a large amount of production.

Bianco - Italian for white wine.

Blanc - French for white wine

Blanc de Blancs
- A white wine, either table or sparkling, made from white Chardonnay grapes.

Blanc de Noir - A white wine made from black (red) grapes.

Bianco - Spanish for white wine.

Blush - Skins and husks left in the juice long enough to add color, then seperated.

Bristol Cream - Olorosa sherry bottled in Bristol England.

Brut - Very dry, drier than Extra Dry.

Bordeaux - An important seaport city in southwestern France, the heart of the Bordeux wine growing region.

Burgandy - Region in eastern France.  The term applies to wine from the region or generically to many red wines.

Cabernet Sauvignon - Premium red grapes durable and adaptable to many climates.   It is mellow, mild, hearty and rich deep red in color.  It goes well with beef, lamb and goose.

Chablis - A small town in the north of the Burgandy region that produces fine, rare white wine.  The term generically refers to lessor white wines.  It comes from the Chardonnay grape and goes well with seafood and poultry.

Champagne - Sparkling wine from a small region in eastern France.  Monk Dom Perignon invented it by accident.  It should be served in a long, narrow flute glass so as not to lose it's flavor and bubbles.  Brut is the driest and standard. Extra Dry is less dry, Sec Sweet or Demi Sweet is even sweeter.   U.S. sparkling wines use the same term.

Chardonnay - White wine grapes easy to grow throughout the world.  It produces a high yield and makes consistently excellent, rich and complex wine with a variety of flavors.  California chards are noticeably oaky.  It is the number one white "king of the whites" and is not  a rich man's wine.  It is usually dry and goes well with poultry, seafood or light red meat.  It is also used to make champagne.  

Chateau - French for "castle".  Refers to a French wine estate or the wine itself.  Plural is chateaux.

Chenin Blanc - A native of the Loire Valley, it's the basis for Vouvray and is used as a great blending grape around the world.  It is a white, crisp grape that ages well and is dry to semi-dry.  It goes with chicken and seafood and is also used to fortify wine and spirits.

Chianti - A red wine of the Tuscany region.  It is strong and bold and goes well with seasoned foods.

Claret - A generic term used by the English to denote light red wines in the Bordeaux style.

Dom Perignon - A monk at Reims who developed the process for making Champagne in the early 18th century.

Fermentation - The complex process of converting sugar into alcohol, usually by the action of yeast enzymes on the juice of fruit such as grapes.

Fortified - A wine to which alcohol is added to raise the alcohol content to 15-20%.

French Colombard - The king of jug wine white grapes, it's the second most widely planted white varietal in California. It produces an abundant crop and makes clean simple wines with firm acidity.

Fume Blanc - Another name for Sauvignon Blanc given by Robert Mondavi in the 1970's to revitalize the wine.

Gamay - A Beaujolais fruity red low in alcohol and high in acidity.

Gamay Beujolais - A red wine close to Pinor Noir.

Gewurztraminer - Sweet white wine grape grown in Germany, France and elsewhere.  It means "spicy Traminer".  There are also dry versions.

Graves - District in France's Bordeaux region that's a source of superb red wines.  The name means "gravel" after the soil type.

Grenache - A sweet pink grape originated in France.  It is used as a blend in France, Spain and California.  It is the second most planted grape in the world.  Grenache Blanc is a white version.

Lambrusca - Grape species in North America, semi-sweet and non-expensive.

Liebfraumilch - Literally, "Milk of the Blessed Virgin".   A trade name for a blend of white wines.

Lillit - A light and dry French apertif that comes in white and red and is becoming increasingly popular.

Magnum - A large bottle of wine equivalent to two standard bottles.

Malbec - Red wine grape grown exclusively in Bordeaux France.

Merlot - Red grape grown in France and elsewhere.  Not well suited for long aging and used mostly for blending until recently.  It is not as harsh as other reds and goes well with beef, rich red pasta, chicken and chocolate.

Mead - Honey wine believed to be the first alcoholic beverage ever created.  It was known to Greeks and Romans. Drinking for 1 month after a wedding was believed to produce a baby "Honeymoon".  It is light and fruity and a good dessert wine.

Mourvedre - A warm weather wine with medium weight that ages well and has spicy cherry and berry flavors.

Muscat - Marked by a strong spice and floral notes, it is used primarily for blending.  It is used in Asti Spumante.

Petite Sirah - Rich, red with raspberry, blackberry and blueberry flavors.  Goes with stronger meats such as game, lamb and spicy sauces.

Pinot Blanc - The white variant of Pinot Noir, it is similar to Chardonnay.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio - Grigio in Italy and California, Gris in Oregan and France, it is a mutation of Pinot Noir.  It is dry and light with a mineral taste and may have a lemon, citrus or peach flavor.

Pinot Noir - A light red grape that is difficult to grow and make into wine.  Color ranges from cherry red to purple red and flavors can be earthy, raspberry, strawberry or plum.  It goes well with pasta with red sauce and light beef.

Pouilly Fuisse - Finest dry white wine of the southern Burgandy region.  It is made from chardonnay grapes and has flavors of honey and almonds.

Riesling - Germany's most distinguished grape, the best wines are made with the Johannisberg Riesling grape.  It is a white wine lighter and sweeter than chardonnay, it has a fruity or flowery taste.  It is never oaked and goes well with oriental dishes and seafood and is a good dessert wine.

Rose' - French for pink, applies to wines lightly colored.

Rosso - Italian for red.

Rouse - French for red wine.

Sake - The traditional drink of Japan, it is a bit on the sweet side.  It resembles wine in taste and appearance, but it is fermented from rice and malted barley like beer not grapes.  It is usually served warm as heat brings out its superior bouquet.

Sangria - Red wine punch consisting of red wine, fruits, brandy and soda water.

Sauvignon Blanc - A dry white wine with pronounced flavors of herbal variety.  It is sweet to semi-dry, but typically light.  It is also called Fume Blanc in the U.S. which was coined by Robert Mondavi.

Sherry - Fortified wine with grape brandy.

Shiraz/Syrah - Shiraz in Australia (their most planted and finest red grape), Syrah in the U.S. and France.  It suggests roasted peppers, blackberry, plum, smoked meat and goes good with hearty food such as beef, Indian and Mexican.

Semillon - White wine grape grown around the world.

Spumante - Italian sparkling wines.

Spatlese - In Germany, a wine made from fully ripe grapes.

Tannin - An astringent acid, derived from the skins, seeds and wooden casks that causes a puckering sensation in the mouth. It is essential preservative for quality wines.  A moderate puckering sensation adds pleasure to red wines.

Vermouth - A wine based apertif (not a wine).  Though mostly made in Italy and France, the word comes from the German Vermutein meaning wormwood wine.  It is a highly sophisticated product of over a hundred botanical flavorings.  The French make it dry, the Italian (sweet) is red, richer in flavor and more syrupy.

Vouvray - White wine of the Loire Valley, it has flavors of lemon, fruit, apples and pears.

Vin - French for wine.

Vino - Italian for wine.

Zinfandel (Red) - An American classic grown mostly in California, it may have originated in Italy.  It is deep red, spicy, peppery with a hint of berries.  It goes well with pizza and burgers.

Zindandel (White) - Pale rose and sweet, it is a relative newcomer to the world of wine becoming popular in the 1980's. New wine drinkers often enter with white zinfandel, but many "real" wine drinkers look down on it.  It goes well with a variety of dishes including cream based pasta, fish, pork and lighter meats.






Back to content