German wine glossary
Abfüllung
Bottling
Acescence
Tasting term used to denote the taste characteristic given to wine by the presence of acetic acid (vinegar) in small amounts. As little as 0.1 percent acetic acid in most table wines will render the wine undrinkable or, at least, unsaleble. Typical judging procedures around the world call for removal of points off the score of any wine found to have noticeable excessive asescence.
Acetic Acid
Chemical name for the major component of vinegar. Acetic acid is produced in wine from alcohol by acetic acid bacteria in the presence of air. Acetic acid is the major volatile acid that occurs in foods, and its presence is usually considered to be evidence of bacterial spoilage. The taste and flavour is quite fruity and, to be fair, it must be admitted that small amounts of acetic acid and its esters are natural flavour components of a great many fruits and fruit juices.
Acetaldehyde
Primary flavour component of Flor Sherry. A particularly mean, chemical-smelling, fruity liquid found on the shelves of organic chemistry laboratories, and never to be opened. Pure acetaldehyde has a sickening-sweetish-perfume odour that is better left under the cap. One smell gives me an instant headache just behind my right eye that doesn't go away for hours.
Acidity
The sour or tart taste in wine and other food. The primary natural acid in grapes and wine is Tartaric acid; the second most abundant is Malic acid. Acidity contributes to the keeping ability of fine wine.
Aftertaste
The "shadow taste" remaining in your mouth just after swallowing a sip of wine. Important in wine tasting because it can reveal an extra attribute or fault which might not otherwise be obvious.
Aging
Term describing the storing of wine under certain specific conditions for the purpose of improving the wine. Aging of wines (usually red wines) for long periods in oak barrels adds oak-flavour and makes the wine more complex. Aging of wines (either red or white) in bottles develops a pleasing taste and odour characteristic called "bottle bouquet."
Ahr
Wine region in north-western Germany, not famous for its wine quality in particular, but rather because the vineyards are the most northern in the world! The region is small, but very old as European wine regions go. Wine records there have been found dating from the third century, A.D. In recent centuries, the wines were mostly Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir originally brought from Burgundy) but, in this century, white varieties bred for cold resistance and the ability to ripen crops in short summers have become more important.For further information
Albalonga
(white Grape) that is a cross between Riesling and a Sylvaner clone and created in Wurzburg . Limited growths in Rheinhessen region. Used to create good "Auslese" style white wines in better years, as it is susceptible to botrytis.
Albumin
Egg White.
Alleinbesitz
A vineyard which is owned by only one owner (monopole in France)
Acalon
(red grape) this is a crossing of Dornfelder and Lemberger developed at Weinsberg/Wurttemberg Research Station, Baden, Germany in November 1999. Has synonym name WE 71-816-102. Cross. Variety is early ripening and has good yield, producing red juice with deep colour and pleasant tannin content.
Alcohol
Many different compounds exist in nature which are classed as "alcohols" chemically. In wine only one exists in significant amounts
ethyl alcohol, or "ethanol." Other alcohols, if present, occur only in minute amounts and are usually thought of as flavour components. Ethyl alcohol adds a hot, sweetish taste to wines if present in too high a concentration. Conversely, if its alcohol content is too low, a wine may be thin, unbalanced and lacking in body.
Amtliche Prüfung number
On each Quality wine label there will be a number called the amliche Prüfung number. This number is an Official Quality testing number given to wines that have passed ridged testing and tasting examinations.The number can be deciphered and the wine traced back to its origins.If a bottle is found to be not up the standard it is supposed to be, it can be traced back to the original tasting panel and a spare bottle kept of each sample.The number is broken down into five parts: 2 596 401 5 03
The AP number contains the following information: 2 596 401 5 03 - The first digit, 2, represents the village testing station in which the wine was tasted. 2 in this case designates the village of Bernkastel. The following three digits, 596, represent the village where the estate is located, in this case 596 designates the village of Piesport. The third set of digits, 401, represent the grower identification number, grower's id number is 429 (this number is directly linked to the village number). The second to last digit, 5, is simply a number representing the order in which the estate presented its wine to the tasting panel. The last group of digits, 03, represent what year the wine was presented for approval, in this case 2003.
The testing stations are
1 Koblenz
2 Bernkastel
3 Trier
4 Alzey
5 Neustadt
6 Bad Kreuznach
7 Bad Kreuznach
Ampelography
A book which describes the structural characteristics of various varieties of grape vines. Used for identification of vines in the field.
Amphora
An ancient wine jar, made of clay, with two handles on opposite sides near the top. Amphorae are periodically discovered at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, where they have lain for centuries, since the shipwrecks that left them there.
Anbaugebiet
A wine region in Germany ,for example the Rheingau is an Anbaugebiet
Andre
(red grape) a small amount planted in the Saale Unstrut area, it is a crossing between St Laurent and the Blaufrankisch and originated in the Czech republic
Aperitif wine
Any wine served before a meal. Traditionally, aperitifs were vermouths or other similar wines flavoured with herbs and spices.
Apfelsaure
Malic acidity (apple sour)
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Appearance
A term used in sensory evaluation of wine to describe whether a wine is crystal clear (brilliant), cloudy, or contains sediment. It has nothing to do with the colour of a wine.
Armillaria
A soil fungus, hArbored by oak roots which is particularly devastating to grape vines. If a grower plants new vineyard in a field which had previously held oak trees, he must fumigate the soil prior to planting, lest the residual Armillaria (Oakroot Fungus) kill his new vines within a year or two!
Aroma
Smell or fragrance from wine which has its origin in the grape -- as opposed to "bouquet," which has its origin in the processing or aging methods.
Assemblage
The blending together of component wine lots to form a final composite intended for bottling, for aging, for sparkling wine production or for some other use by the winemaker. Also the name given to formal membership conclaves of the wine fraternity "Knights of the Vine."
Astringency
Sensation of taste, caused by tannins in wine, which is best described as mouth-drying, bitter, or puckery.
Atmosphere
Unit of measure for pressure inside a bottle of sparking wine or Champagne. One atmosphere equals 14.7 pounds per square inch, the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level in the world. Commercial sparkling wines commonly contain 4 to 6 atmospheres of CO2 pressure at room temperature.
Auslese
German word meaning "selection "or selected harvest. In German wine law, auslese has a specific meaning which requires that the wine be made only from selected bunches of grapes, riper than those others which were discarded.
Auxerrois
(white grape) This is an Alsatian grape variety that is related to the pinot Blanc. It is grown in the Kraichgau region of Baden.
Austria
Austria produces mostly white wines that are often of good quality. The red wines have no special features and are not often exported out of their area of production. Nevertheless, there is one supple and fragrant red wine that deserves to be mentioned: it is produced from the Pinot Saint-Laurent variety grown in Lower Austria in the Vöslau region. As for white wines, the principal varieties are first of all Grüner Veltlinger, which represents over 30% of the total vine population. It gives a fruity and smooth pale green wine, that should be drunk young and which is highly sought after by the Viennese. It is called 'Heurigen' when still new, and is served in open-air cafes by those wine-makers who produce it, especially in Grinzing, Nussdorf or Sievering, a suburb of Vienna. The other two main grape varieties are Müller-Thurgau and Welschriesling, which is the most interesting. It is grown in Burgenland, Southeast of Vienna, and around Falkenstein to the north of Vienna near the Czechoslovakian border. It either gives a light and fruity wine, slightly sparkling; or a highly enjoyed heady, sweet and rich wine in late vintages. Two local varieties - Rotgipfler and Zierfandler - which are somewhat rare, are blended in the making of Gumpoldskirchener, a heady wine bearing the name of the locality where the vines are grown, to the south of Vienna. The main wine-producing regions are located in eastern Austria. Around Vienna one can find, to the west the region of Wachau encompassing Krems and Dürnstein along the Danube and the Kamp valley, of which Langenlois is the center. To the north of Vienna, not far from the Czechoslovakian border, one can find Weinviertel (literally: the wine district). Close to Vienna and until one reaches the suburbs, one can drink all local wines. This is also where Gumpoldskirchener is produced. To the south-east is Burgenland, near the Hungarian border and Neusiedl lake, where one can among others, taste a late vintage wine: Ruster-Ausbruch. The last wine-producing region is Styria, between Graz, the capital, and Radkersburg on the Mur River at the Yugoslavian border.
Axil
see leaf axil.
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Bacchus
Roman god of wine. Not to be confused (though it often is) with Dionysus, who was the Greek god of wine before the age of Rome.
Bacchus
(white grape) This is a cross between a Silvaner × Riesling hybrid with Müller-Thurgau. It is important in the Franconian district (12% of plantings) and on Lake of Constance . Bacchus musts have more sugar than those of Müller-Thurgau but lower acidity. The wines are fruity and have a distinct Muscat bouquet sometimes similar to Scheurebe. Dr Husfeld of Geilweilerhof created it in 1959. There are now 3,200 ha planted. Tends to be low in acidity and so is mainly vinified to be a sweet wine with Muscat-like or occasional delicate Sylvaner flavours because of its ability to reach "Auslese" style or even higher sugar levels in good years. Commonly blended with lesser grape wines in the Rheinhessen region of Germany to create "QBA" type village wines. Its popularity is only exceeded by the Kerner or Ehrenfelser varieties. Not to be confused with a currently rare early 19th century American hybrid that also bears the Bacchus name but is not related in any way to the above variety.
Baden
Baden is the southernmost of Germany 's wine regions. It is primarily a long, slim strip of vineyards nestled between the hills of the Black Forest and the Rhine River ; it extends some 400 km from north to south. It runs parallel with Alsace on the other side of the Rhine . The area is the home to made co-operatives and the flatter land is easier for mechanical harvesting. Comprised of nine districts, Baden has many soil types and grape varieties.For further information
Bacterial
A tasting term often used by wine judges to describe wines with unpleasant, but ill-defined off odors or flavours.
Baking
In wine this term refers to the process of producing "Sherry" by deliberately oxidizing the wine through heating and aerating it for a period of several weeks. It is not uncommon for the process to take place over a 4 to 7 week time period at 135 degrees F (57 degrees C)!
Balance
A subjective term used in wine evaluation. A wine in which the tastes of acid, sugar, tannin, alcohol and flavour are in harmony is said to be "in balance."
Balling
A density scale, named for its developer, used for measuring sugar content in water based solutions. Since grape juice is primarily sugar and water, the balling scale was used for a quick and easy "sugar analysis" of juice. The Balling scale contained a slight inaccuracy however, and this was later corrected by Dr. Brix. Today the Brix scale is in actual use, but the terms Balling and Brix often are used interchangeably. The Balling (Brix) scale is simplicity itself: Each degree on the scale is equivalent to 1 percent of sugar in the juice. For example, grape juice which measures 15.5 degrees on the Balling or Brix scale contains about 15.5% sugar
Barrel fermenting
The act of fermenting white grape juice in barrels instead of using the more usual stainless steel tanks. Red wines are never fermented in barrels because of the necessity to ferment red wines in contact with their grape skins. It is virtually impossible to move grape skins in and out of a barrel through the small bung hole.
Barreling down
The act of placing a wine into barrels for aging.
Baume
A system for measuring the sugar content of grape juice by its density. It is not easy to use because the numbers aren't easy to handle
Each degree Baume is equal to approximately 1.75% sugar in the juice.
Beerenauslese
Literally, "berry selection" in German. Beerenauslese wines are made from grapes that are picked individually rather than as whole bunches. All grapes on a given cluster or "bunch" do not normally ripen at exactly the same rates. Berry selection allows the winemaker to make superb wine by insuring that every grape berry is picked at optimum ripeness.
Bench Graft
A method of grafting grape vines in which the fruitwood cutting is notched at the lower end. The rootstock cutting is also notched, but at the upper end and, most importantly, with a notch design which will allow the fruitwood piece to fit into the rootstock piece like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. After the two are pressed together in a way which causes the cambium layers to remain in tight contact, the couplet is stored on its side in a warm, moist condition for several weeks until a callous forms around the union, sealing it. Each of these calloused benchgrafts is then "planted" into a milk carton sized container filled with a porous soil substitute. The cartons are held in a warm greenhouse for a few weeks until green growth appears at the upper (fruit variety) end and roots appear in the soil at the rootstock end. Presto, you now have a "rooted benchgraft" ready to be carefully nurtured into a new grapevine, with a Phylloxera-resistant root at the bottom and the fruiting variety you desire on top.
Bentonite
A clay which, in very pure form, is used to fine wines, especially white wines for the purpose of correcting heat instability. When stirred into a wine, the bentonite absorbs excessive yeast protein from the wine and holds it tightly. Under some conditions, this protein could later cause a cloud, haze or sediment to form in the wine if not removed. After allowing the bentonite to contact the wine, it is racked or filtered off, taking the protein with it and ridding the wine of the future problem. The wine is said to have been "bentonite fined."
Bereich
The German word for "region." Under the German wine laws established in 1971, a Bereich is a district or subregion within an anbaugebiet (quality-wine growing region). There are forty-three Bereiche throughout the thirteen Anbaugebiete. Within a Bereich there are grosslagen (general sites) and einzellagen (individual sites or vineyards).
Bernkaster Doktor
The most famous vineyard on the mosel 3.2 ha
Big
Subjective tasting term which refers to a heavily flavoured, often tannic and alcoholic wine.
Biologische Sãureabbau
Malolactic fermentation
Bitter
Subjective tasting term. Bitterness usually refers to tannin in wine and is sensed by taste buds along the sides of the tongue near the extreme back of the tongue.
Black rot
Fungus disease of grape vines.
Black Riesling
(red grape) Alias name for Pinot Meunier. (See below).
Blauburgunder
(red grape) This is a clone of Pinot Noir widely grown in Germany and Austria . Also known as Spatburgunder meaning late Burgundy .
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Blaufrankish
(red grape) Once thought to be a Gamay type clone variety but now regarded as a separate variety grown in Austria and used to produce dry, fruity red wines. Has synonym name Gamé where grown in Bulgaria . The grape is also grown in Germany under the name Limberger. Also known as the Kékfrankos grape in Hungary and currently the main ingredient partly replacing Kadarka in the red wine blend once famous as "Egri Bikaver". According to a recent database search this variety has over 40 synonym names in countries spread over Eastern/Central Europe .
Blau Portugieser
(red grape) (a.k.a Portugieser, see below.)
Blending
Combining two or more wine varieties, wine types or wine lots for the purpose of correcting (or covering up) some deficiency in one of them. Also, to improve the final blend by a harmonious addition of some other wine which can add a desirable feature to the combination. Blended wines are often more complex than similar wines made from a single grape variety.
Bleichert
German term for a rose wine (Bled)
Bloom
The greyish, powdery film which occurs on grapes in the field, and which contains traces of waxes, wild yeasts and dust.
Blue fining
Fining a wine by adding a solution of potassium ferrocyanide, to remove excessive iron or copper from the wine. Because it is possible to create a toxicity if the fining isn't done exactly right, the practice is no longer permitted in the U.S., France, or in most other countries.
Body
A tasting term referring to viscosity, thickness, consistency, or texture. A wine with body often has higher alcohol or sugar content than others.
Bocksbeutal
Flagon shaped bottle in which Franken wines are bottled. (same shape as a mateus rose bottle)
Bonded cellar
A wine cellar or specified portion of a winery in which non-taxpaid wines are stored. After payment of the tax, the wine is no longer "in bond" and must be moved from any bonded cellar or warehouse.
Botrytis cinerea
Fungus which grows on the skins of certain grapes as they ripen on the vine under specific weather conditions. Called "noble rot" because it can turn ordinary grapes into precursors of great dessert wines. See Edelfaule, Pourriture noble.
Bottle sickness
The state of showing unusually odd or poor quality which is sometimes apparent when a newly bottled wine is tasted. Bottle sickness goes away after a few days or weeks and never reappears in that wine. The exact cause for bottle sickness is not known, but it appears to be related to the abrupt changes in oxidation-reduction balance when an oxygen-starved wine in the tank gets bottled (and oxygenated temporarily). After the cork again seals oxygen out, the wine recovers, settles down and the sickness is over. It then tastes as it did in the tank prior to bottling.
Bukett
Smell or fragrance in wine which has its origins in the wine production or aging methods (as opposed to originating in the fruit itself).
Buntsandstein
A type of red sandstone.
Bunte Mergel
Heavy clay loam soil
Bouvier
Native grape grown in Austria . Produces soft, fragrant white sweet wine called "Sturm" that is drunk very young in the manner of Beaujolais neuveau
Brandy
The alcoholic liquid obtained from distillation of wine.
Breathing
Letting a bottle of wine stand for several minutes to several hours after pulling the cork but before serving it. It is believed that wines which exhibit off odors or tastes when first opened may be improved by air exposure prior to serving. Experienced tasters report that very old red wines are often improved by opening the bottle and decanting an hour or so prior to serving, but young wines rarely need air contact before drinking.
Brenner
A fungal disease of vines mostly found in Germany.
Brilliant
Sensory evaluation term to describe a wine which is crystal clear and absolutely free from sediment or cloudiness.
Brix
(pronounced bricks) The unit of measurment for soluble solids (sugar) in ripening grapes. A reading of one degree brix equals one percent sugar in the juice. See Balling.
Bud break
The action of buds swelling and beginning new growth in spring.
Bud
Small swelling on a shoot or cane from which a new shoot develops.
Bulk
Wine sold by the tank from one winery to another and hauled to the purchasing winery by tank truck. Small wineries often sell their excess, sometimes lesser quality, wines to larger wineries which use it in Generic wine blends. These are usually bottled and sold at low, everyday prices.
Bung
Stopper for barrels. Bungs are normally made of hardwood (but softer than the oak used for barrel staves to avoid damaging the bunghole when opening and closing the barrel). Recent wine barrel bungs are made of silicone rubber.
Bunghole
The hole in the side of a wine barrel through which the barrel is filled and emptied.
Bung Stave
The stave in which the bunghole is located. It is always one of the widest wood staves in a wooden barrel.
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Cabernet Sauvignon
(red grape) small amounts of this grape are now grown in Germany but are mainly used in blends.
Cabernet Cubin
(red grape) synonym name WE 70-281-35. Developed and subsequently released in November 1999, this Vitis.vinifera cross is reported as derived from Cabernet Sauvignon x Lemberger parentage by the Weinsberg/Württemberg Research Station, Baden , Germany . Red wine is rich in fruit aromas and requiring oak cask aging/vinification.
Cabernet Dorio
(red grape) synonym name WE 71-817-89, developed and subsequently released in November, 1999 by the Weinsberg/Württemberg Research Station, Baden , Germany . Derived from a Cabernet Sauvignon x Dornfelder cross. Red wine with fruitiness with velvety, distinctive taste.
Cabernet Dorsa
(red grape) Vitis.vinifera variety, having synonym name WE 71-817-92 reported as developed and subsequently released in November, 1999 by the Weinsberg/Württemberg Research Station, Baden, Germany as another Dornfelder x Cabernet Sauvignon cross.
Cabernet Mitos
(red grape) synonym name WE 70-77-4F. Reported as derived from a Cabernet Sauvignon x Lemberger cross by the Weinsberg/Württemberg Research Station, Baden , Germany , this Vitis.vinifera variety was released in November, 1999.
Cambium
Layer of living tissue under the bark and phloem tissue of a grape vine or other plant. New wood cells (xylem) form at the inside of cambium as it grows; new phloem and bark cells form at the outside edge. The net effect is to increase the diameter of the vine trunk a little every year.
Cane
The mature (tan or brown, but not green) shoot of a vine.
Cap stem
The small length of stem which connects each individual grape berry to its bunch.
Cap
A tiny green cover which loosens, then falls off exposing the pinhead-size ovary and releasing the pollinating anthers of an individual grape flower. When the cap falls off and anthers extend, the flower is said to be in bloom.
Cap
The floating solids (skins and bits of stem) in a tank of fermenting red wine. It binds together forming a thick mat which must be wetted at least daily during fermentation in order to extract the colour and flavour.
Capacity
The quantity, as opposed to quality, of grapevine growth and total crop produced and ripened. See also vigor, which is used in contrast with capacity to express the state of health of the vine.
Carbohydrate
Class of compounds used for energy by vines. Sugar is the soluble (mobile) form and starch is the insoluble (storage) form.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
A gas that occurs naturally in air. It gives carbonated drinks their bubbles and, as dry ice (frozen CO2), it is used to keep things very cold. Vine leaves produce sugar from CO2, sunlight and water. This sugar is the ultimate source of energy used by the vine for growth and grape production.
Carbonic Maceration
A process where wine grapes are not crushed but fermented whole. The process is used to make wines which are particularly light and fruity, drinkable very early, but which do not improve with bottle aging. This is the process commonly used to produce "nouveau" wines of the Beaujolais region of France.
Cask
Any wooden container used for wine aging or storage. The term includes barrels, puncheons, butts, pipes, etc.
Casse
A cloudiness or precipitate which sometimes appears in certain wines because of some natural imbalance. Copper casse and iron casse are two that have plagued the wine industry off and on for decades. Both were identified as coming from traces of copper and/or iron picked up by the wine from brass fittings or steel pumps and tanks during processing. Both problems have been almost completely cured by the use of stainless steel tanks and equipment.
Cepages noble
French term for the group of "greatest grape varieties" used in winemaking.
Chaptalization
The act of adding sugar to grape juice or must early in the fermentation to correct for natural deficiencies. These happen in poor vintages when grape ripening has been slow or incomplete. Illegal in California, chaptalization is permitted elsewhere by U.S. law and by other nations of the world. Winemakers who are forced by adverse climate to chaptalize NEVER volunteer the fact as it carries with it a "substandard quality" stigma. Ask a French winemaker whether his winery uses chaptalization and the answer is invariably a loud "only the minimum."
Character
A wine tasting term referring to the style of taste.
Chardonnay
this grape variety has been allowed since the early 1990's. There are about 600 ha of this variety planted mostly in Baden , but Pinot Blanc has proved more popular.
Charmat Process
A process for producing sparkling wine or champagne cheaply and in large quantities by conducting the secondary fermentation in large tanks rather than individual bottles. Eugene Charmat, a Frenchman, developed the process in 1910. It is widely used all over the world.
Chloroplasts
Oval, chlorophyll-bearing structures inside the cells of leaves which act as tiny factories to produce sugar for plant growth from CO2 (in the air) and water. The energy used for this conversion is sunlight, captured by the chlorophyll.
CO2
see Carbon dioxide.
Clarification
Removing suspended solids, or their precursors, from wines by fining, racking and/or filtration.
Clarity
In wine evaluation, a subjective term for the absence of cloudiness or sediment in a wine.
Clevener
(white grape) see Gewürztraminer
Climatic Regions
A system for identifying the suitability of an area for grape growing and winemaking by the amount of heat received from the sun during the growing season. The heat units are summed up as average "degree-days," then used in comparison with degree day summations from the known wine regions of the world. Five major regions are used:
Region I receives up to 2,500 degree days of heat each year.
Region II receives from 2,501 to 3,000 degree days per year.
Region III receives from 3,001 to 3,500 degree days per year.
Region IV receives from 3,501 to 4,000 degree days per year.
Region V receives above 4,000 degree days of heat per year Most of the world's best table wines come from regions I, II and III. However, any given variety usually is found to prefer only one narrow range of heat summation for optimum wine quality. For example, the best sparkling wines are grown in the coolest of climates (region I), Cabernet Sauvignon produces its best wines when the grapes are grown in Region II vineyards but high alcohol dessert wines are best in the warmer climates of Regions III and IV. Table grapes are often best in Regions IV and V. Each local vineyard or wine organization can tell you their area's average heat summation.
Clone
A vineyard or group of vines, all descended from the same individual vine. One vine, found to have especially desirable characteristics, may be propagated by grafting or budding to produce a whole vineyard which is identical to the original vine.
Closed-top tanks
Fermentation tanks with permanent tops. These always have doors or vents in the top to facilitate cleaning and for monitoring fermentations.
Cloud
Haze or cloudiness in a wine which keeps it from appearing crystal clear. In extreme cases, a cloud may continue to coallesce and form a precipitate.
Cloying
A tasting term meaning the wine is difficult to enjoy because of excessive sweetness or other feeling which "stays in your mouth too long" after the wine is gone.
Cluster
A "bunch" of grapes.
Coarse
A wine tasting term referring to an unfinished, rough or crude wine which is difficult to enjoy.
Cold Climate
No widely accepted criteria exist. However, viticulturists attending cold climate seminars seem to fall into one of two categories; either their region has:
1) A summertime climate which averages less than 2,000 degree days of heat summation, or
2) A wintertime climate which is cold enough to cause serious freeze injury to grapevines in most years. Either of these situations is truly cold by any standard, and marginal for viticulture. See Cool Climate.
Cold stable
A wine which can be kept in a refrigerator without forming a sediment or crystals is said to be cold stable.
Compound bud
The normal type of bud which appears at each node along a vine shoot or cane. It contains not one but three separate, partially developed shoots with rudimentary leaves in greatly condensed form. Usually, only the middle one grows when the bud pushes out in the spring. The others break dormancy only if the primary shoot is damaged or some other abnormality occurs.
Cool Climate
A viticultural climate in which the heat summation averages less than 2,500 degree days per year. This defines Region I, the coolest of the existing wine regions. See Cold Climate.
Cooper
One who makes barrels, casks or wooden tanks. Also the act of repairing barrels, casks or wooden tanks.
Cooperage
Common term in general use to describe any container used for aging and storing wine. Cooperage includes barrels and tanks of all sizes.
Cork
Cylinder-shaped piece cut from the thick bark of a cork-oak tree and used as a stopper in wine bottles. Cork is especially well suited for this purpose because of its waxy composition and springiness.
Corkage
A fee charged by restaurants for opening and serving a bottle of wine that the customer brings into the restaurant.
Corked
Tasting term meaning that the wine in question has an off-smell or off-taste that is recognized as having come from a defective (moldy) cork in the bottle. Moldy corks look exactly the same as good corks, both at the time of bottling and when the bottle is opened several months or years later. Their defect is discovered only when the wine is smelled or tasted. This is the reason (the ONLY reason) that the wine steward pours a small sample for tasting by the diner to approve prior to pouring the wine for the other guests around the table. If the taster finds the wine to be "corked," the steward should also smell the glass of wine to confirm the corky defect -- then bring the diner a replacement bottle. Spoiled bottles of wine due to moldy corks are not uncommon, often about 1 percent of a given winery's bottling. The off taste is hard to describe, but easy to recognize once the taster knows what it is. I describe it as "sour-moldy." Some tasters are not sensitive to the off flavour and might not even notice it. Others risk throwing up by continuing to taste.
Corky
A "corky" or "corked" wine has an unpleasant odor and flavour of moldy cork. There is no known way to recover a so-called "corked" wine. Throw it away and open another, especially if you're at a restaurant where they recognize the off flavour and will replace it free. See Corked.
Coulure
A vineyard situation in which new flower clusters fail to set a full crop. It is usually caused by adverse weather at the time of bloom. See Shatter.
Cream of Tartar
A natural component of grape juice and wine. The chemical name is potassium bi-tartrate. Removed from wine as a by-product, cream of tartar is used in cooking and as a component of baking powder.
Crisp
Tasting term to describe good acidity and pleasant taste without excessive sweetness.
Crush tank
Wine tank which receives the newly crushed must -- pumped directly from the crusher.
Crush
The process of crushing and destemming wine grapes just prior to fermentation. "The crush" refers to the autumn season when grapes ripen and are fermented.
Crust
The sediment, often crystalline, which forms inside wine bottles during long bottle aging. It is often brittle and can break into pieces as the wine is being poured.
Cultivar
A current "in" word to mean cultivated variety. But, since it can be misleading and is superfluous, recent texts on viticulture do not use the term. Nevertheless, you still hear it spoken with an impressive voice and downcast, knowing eyes in the highest circles.
Cultured Yeast
A pure culture, containing no yeast other than known strains which have been selected for their abilities to conduct wine fermentations promptly, reliably and to completion, without producing off flavours in the wine. Most wild strains fail at least one of these criteria. See Yeast, Wild Yeast.
Cutting
A piece of grape vine, usually 10 to 20 inches long, cut from a dormant vine in wintertime for use in propagating new vines in spring. Cuttings are always taken from last year's growth and are a convenient way to store and handle the vine buds. It is the buds on the cutting which have the ability to begin new vine growth next year.
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Decant
Pouring wine carefully from a bottle in which loose sediment would otherwise become stirred up. After decanting, (carefully pouring off the clear wine until only the sediment remains behind), the sediment can be washed out of the bottle. Then the decanted wine can be returned to the clean bottle for serving. Decanting is most often done within 1 hour of serving, and usually for old wines only. Bottled wine rarely throws a sediment until well aged and young wines therefore do not need to be decanted.
Decanter
Any glass or crystal flask designed to hold decanted wine and to be used as a server. In decanting, the wine is carefully poured from the original bottle into the decanter and from the decanter into the glasses on the table. Dessert wines (but never table wines) are often stored in decanters for many days or weeks at room temperature. These dessert wines will keep because of their high alcohol content and oxygen-resistant flavours and can be served directly from the decanter on the living room shelf more or less at will.
Deckrot
(red grape) Developed at the Freiburg Research Institute, Germany , this is a red-fleshed teinturier cultivars derived from a Pinot Gris and Teinturier cross.
Degorgement (disgorging)
Act of removing the frozen plug of ice (containing spent yeast) from a champagne bottle after the riddling. Degorgement takes place on the bottling line just prior to adding dosage and the the final corking of the finished bottle of champagne. See Dosage.
Densimeter
see Hydrometer.
Dessert wine
Any of a class of sweet wines, usually fortified to higher alcohol content, which are served with desserts or as after dinner drinks. Common dessert wines are Ports, Sherries, Muscatel, Madeira, Tokay and Angelica.
Dionysus
Greek god of wine and revelry. See Bacchus.
Disgorging
See Degorgement.
Distillation
The process of removing alcohol and other volatile substances (especially flavours) from wine to make brandy. Wine is boiled in a closed apparatus in which the alcohol vapor, steam and other volatiles are channeled into a cooling tube, condensing them into a high alcohol content, highly flavoured brandy. After removal or the alcohol and flavour, the residue of cooked wine is discarded.
Domaine
Term used on both German and French labels meaning "a wine estate." Now, also used in the U.S. as part of the names for some wineries.
Domina
(red grape) Variety developed by the Geilweilerhof Research Institute of Germany from a Portugieser x Spätburgunder cross. Has synonym name Geilweilerhof 4-25-7 . Grown in the Franken region. The wine is deep coloured, as the berries are small. It can achieve higher ripens levels than the Portugieser.
Dornfelder
(red grape) Recent vine cross (1956) gaining wide popularity in Germany . Mainly grown in the Rheinhessen and Pfalz regions, it is increasingly being planted and produces wines with aging potential. It is a crossing between Helfensteiner (Fr üburgunder X Trollinger) and Heroldrebe (Portugieser X Lemberger) it has large berries and there gives a large amount of juice. It gives a wine with deep colour, but low acidity, synonym name Weinsberg S 341.
Dosage
The few ounces of wine, often sweetened, which is added to each bottle of Champagne after disgorging to make up for the liquid volume lost by disgorging.
Downy mildew
Fungal disease of grape vines which kills the affected tissue. The disease is native to eastern North America but has spread to Europe and most other regions of the world. It does not occur in California because of the low humidity and lack of summer rains.
Drain hopper
A crush tank fitted with a screen to make free run juice separate quickly from the skins and stems in freshly crushed white grape must. By closing the drain valve for a specified time, the winemaker can "macerate" or allow contact between juice and solids for some varieties, if desired.
Drained pomace
In a crush tank, the solids left over after the juice has been drained off. This pomace is primarily skins with a small amount of stem bits.
Dry
Whether in a fermentation tank or in a wine glass, dry means the complete absence of sugar in the wine.
Dry pomace
In a red fermenter, the solids left over from draining the new wine off after fermentation.
Duftig
Fragrant
Dumb
Tasting term used to describe a wine which, although always expected to improve, simply never seems to do so. When a wine is described as dumb it means the taster is getting tired of waiting for it to come around and you can probably buy it from him for real cheap. Then, again, why would you want to?
Dunkelfelder
(red grape) Developed at the Freiburg Research Institute, Germany , this is a red-fleshed Teinturier cultivars derived from the Portugieser and Färbertraube varieties.
Durchgegoren
The sugar is fully fermented so the wine is fermented to dryness.
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Early Harvest
Not what you would guess; the German equivalent is trocken or halbtroken: wines are produced in the coolest years when grape ripeness doesn't achieve full maturity. The wines are low in alcohol, light and easy to drink despite having high natural acidity. Don't expect these wines to age well for more than a few years.
Earthy
Sensory evaluation term for wine with a taste or smell reminiscent of soil, mushrooms or mustiness.
Ebulliometer
Laboratory apparatus used to determine the alcohol content of a wine. It measures the precise boiling point of the wine; then, taking into consideration the atmospheric pressure at the time, the analyst determines the alcohol content from the relative boiling points of pure alcohol, water and the wine. (The boiling point of any wine is always somewhere in between that of pure alcohol and pure water since wine itself always contains both).
Edelfaule
German word for "Noble Rot", or Botrytis cinerea.
EC countries
All the countries making up the EC.
EC
European Economic Community all the nations of Europe taken together (as if comprising one nation).
Egg white
The residual albumin obtained by discarding the yolks from eggs. Used in fining red wines during or after barrel aging to remove excessive (and usually bitter) tannin.
Ehrenfelser
white Grape resulting from the crossing in 1929 at Geisenheim of Riesling and a Sylvaner clone. Many consider it second only to the Kerner grape-cross as a frost-resistant Riesling type substitute for the better known Muller-Thurgau. Mild acid content discourages aging. Claimed to have excellent Riesling grape similarities in taste.
Einzellage
An individual vineyard site.
Eiswein
ice wine which is wine harvested when minus six degrees Celsius so the water content remains frozen and the wine there fore becomes sweeter and more concentrated.
Elbling
(white grape) Also known as the Weisser Silvaner. This white wine grape variety is of ancient origin (originally planted by the Romans in the 4 th century) it is mostly found in small pockets in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region mostly in the Saar, used to produce a traditional dry, sparkling Sekt. It is high yielding but has a neutral flavour. There are about 1000ha planted.
Enology
The science and technical study of winemaking.
Enzymes
Proteins occurring in all plant and animal tissue which act as organic catalysts to control the reactions which take place during metabolism. The reason yeast produces alcohol from sugars in grape juice, turning it into wine, is that yeast produces enzymes which catalyze and control the reactions involved. Whether or not a given enzyme occurs in a given organism is determined by that organism's genetic makeup.
Erzeugergemeinschaft
Wine producers association
Erzeugerabfüllung
On a label this term means estate bottled
Espalier
A method of training small fruit trees and grapevines in which the vine or tree is "flattened" by tying all the shoots and branches outwards from opposite sides of the trunk. Most of the common methods of vine trellising in use today are variations of the espalier.
Esters
A chemically-specific class of aromatic flavour compounds which give fruits, juices and wines much of their "fruitiness."
Etikett
The wine Label
Ethanol (Ethyl alcohol)
The type of alcohol produced by yeast fermentation of sugar under ordinary conditions. The primary alcohol in alcoholic beverages is always ethanol.
Excise Duty
A tax placed on home produced products, as opposed to imported goods. The primary (alcohol) tax on beer, wine and spirits, is an excise duty.
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Faber
(white grape) Also known as the Faberrebe. It was first created by Georg Scheu at Alzey in 1929 It is a product of the crossing of the Weissburgunder and Muller-Thurgau to achieve frost resistance. It is a variety with high acid used for blending in the Rheinhessen region of Germany . There are about 1,500 ha in production.
Fan Leaf
One of the prominant virus diseases of grape vines. One of its symptoms is that part of the leaf becomes misshapen, giving the appearance of a small fan.
Fat
Tasting term to describe a wine that has an overly thick, soft and flabby mouthfeel, lacking crispness. Fat wines invariably have too-high pH levels (too low acidity) and fail to improve with age.
Fass
A cask in Germany ( wine is sometims bottled with the fass number on the label)
Federweiss
A really young wine in fact one that's not finished fermenting? In some German regions you can buy glasses of Federweiss (White Feather), which is wine that's still fermenting. It's available for a very short period each year, of course, and it's bright, frothy, fruity and delicious.Why "Federweiss?" Because the fizzy action of fermentation gives an impression of white feathers in your glass.
Feinherb
Halbtrocken
Fermentation
Originally, "to boil without heat." The process, carried on by yeast growth in grape juice or other sugar solutions, by which sugar is transformed into ethyl alcohol and CO2. The CO2 bubbles out of solution, giving the appearance of boiling without heat. Through fermentation, grape juice (containing sugar) is transformed into wine, which contains alcohol where the sugar originally was. Most of the other constituents of the original grape juice are essentially unchanged by the process of fermentation.
Fermented on the skins
Statement made about a wine which was fermented with the juice and skins together. Separation and discarding of solids is done only after the fermentation is completed.
Fermenters
Common name given to tanks, barrels or other containers when they are used for fermentations. "Fermenters" may be used after the fermenting season as normal storage tanks. When used for storage, no one refers to them as fermenters, even though everyone knows they will become fermenters again next fall.
Field budding
A method of grafting grape vines, used especially in coastal California, in which the rootstocks are planted and allowed to grow for nearly a whole season before the grafting takes place. Then, rather than making a traditional woody graft, the workman in early September attaches a small chip (containing only one dormant bud of the desired fruiting variety) to the rootstock at just above ground level. The cambium layers must be held in good contact so that, as the vine continues to grow, a callous material forms around the cut, sealing it permanently. The chip is held in place and sealed from drying by wrapping the stem with a small piece of rubber strip. After this, the whole stem of the plant, including the budded section, is covered with several inches of loose earth, to keep the new bud shaded and cool so it will not begin to grow immediately. The vine then finishes its normal period of autumn maturation and goes into dormancy within several weeks. It is not touched again until the following spring. In spring, the worker uncovers the loose earth exposing the wrapped bud on the stem of the rooting. He cuts the rubber tape and checks to see that the bud has indeed become calloused firmly onto the stem. If so, he then cuts the vine off just above the bud so that there is no viable part of the vine left above the bud except the bud itself. Now, as the roots begin to allow sap to push upwards, the only bud available for growth is that which was added the previous September. This bud begins to grow, elongating into a vigorous shoot which can often grow to three feet in length within six weeks. Because it is delicate and friable, the new shoot must be tied every few inches to prevent breakage caused by the wind. It is this shoot which becomes the trunk of the new vine during this, its first year of active growth.
Film Yeast
See Flor Yeast.
Filtration
The act of passing a wine through some tightly bound matrix in order to force the liquid to pass through while keeping the suspended solids behind. The purpose of filtration is simply to clarify the liquid -- to remove sediment or suspended solid particles from the wine. The matrix may be a tightly woven cloth, paper, polymer, or some tightly packed insoluble powder such as diatomaceous earth. In previous decades, asbestos was used as a filter medium but now that it is known to cause a health hazard, asbestos is no longer used.
Findling
(white grape) This is a mutation of the Muller Thurgau. There are less than 50 ha planted in the Mosel region.
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Finesse
Tasting term which means just about what you'd expect it to mean, that the wine is so perfectly balanced that nothing sticks out. All components balance each other in a way which makes the whole thing even more smooth, understated and perfect.
Fining
The act of clarifying or removing undesirable components from wine. This is usually done by adding a pure material which has the property of reacting with and removing the undesired component. Typical fining agents are gelatin, egg white, bentonite (clay) and activated carbon. At one time, blood was used, but it is no longer approved.
Finish
The last impression left in the mouth by the taste of a wine.
Finishing
The final steps in processing a wine before bottling. Often, this includes fining, blending and filtration or centrifugation and may include bottling.
Flabby
Tasting term for a wine which is too low in acidity, too high in pH and difficult to drink. Flabby wines taste "fat" and retain an unpleasantly thick mouthfeel. See Fat.
Flat
Tasting term for a wine that is too low in acidity but may not necessarily have a fat or thick mouthfeel. Otherwise similar to flabby, a flat wine is lacking in crispness, as if something important is missing from the wine. Flat wines are difficult to drink and enjoy even if the flavour is good. In sparkling wines flat means the wine lacks carbonation.
Flinty
Tasting term used to describe wine with a hard, austere, dry and crisp or sharp mouthfeel. Often used for a clean white wine such as Chablis which has a bouquet and taste reminiscent of flint struck by steel.
Floraison
The flowering or bloom period of grape vines. This happens with most grape varieties in most regions about two months after bud break. New pinhead sized green berries form after floraison, then enlarge to become grapes.
Flowery
Tasting term for wine with an exceptionally aromatic character reminiscent of fresh garden flowers.
Flurbereinigung
Vineyard remodelling to improve access to vinreyards and make the vines accessable.This was done on a large scale and reduced the individual vineyard names but not overall size
Forta
(white grape) Derived from a Silvaner x Madeleine Angevine cross. Frost-hardy in a good site. Reported as having sugars and acidity higher than Müller-Thurgau. Used to make a varietal white wine claimed to have profile similarities to Pinot Gris
Franken
Descriptive term for wines produced in Franconia, in central Germany. The major wine variety grown in Franconia is Sylvaner, although Riesling, Muller-Thurgau and Gewurztraminer can be found, as well as some Spatburgunder.For further information
Free run juice
The juice which separates from must by draining alone (without pressing).
Freiherr
On the label may refer to the owner if he is a Baron
Freisamer
(white grape) This crossing was created in 1916, developed at the Freiburg Institute, Germany . from the Silvaner and Pinot Gris. It is mostly planted in the Baden region.
Fruity
Tasting term for wine which has retained the fresh flavour of the grapes used in its fermentation.
Fruhburgunder
(red grape) This is an ancient version of the Pinot Noir it has small berries. It ripens earlier than the Pinot Noir hence its name. It came originally from the Ahr district but is now being grown in Sachsen and Franken. It likes slate soils.
Fuder
German name for Ovalwine casks which hold about 1,000 liters used in the Mosel.
Fürst
On the label may refer to the owner if he is a Prince
Fumigation
Sterilization of barrels by burning sulfur wicks in otherwise closed barrels. The sulfur uses up oxygen from inside the barrel as it burns, forming sulfur dioxide (SO2). The combination of SO2 and lack of oxygen generally stops the action of yeasts and bacteria in a barrel. It is then necessary only to wash the barrel and refill it with wine for aging. Only with heavily infected barrels is it necessary to sterilize the barrel further.
Fusel Oil
Not really an oil in the usual sense. Fusel oil is made up primarily of higher alcohols and is obtained by distillation of lees or wine into brandy. Much of the flavour of brandy can be identified as the higher alcohols and their esters, all of which are collectively known as fusel oil. Concentrated fusel oil floats in a layer on top of water, appearing as a green oil.
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Gassy
Sensory evaluation term describing a wine which contains residual carbon dioxide left over from the fermentation. Not unpleasant in most white wines, but distinctly undesirable in reds because the CO2 exaggerates their bitterness.
Gebiet
A Major wine region
Geisenheim
Town in the Rheingau of Germany. Known for its school of Viticulture, the most important in Germany and one of the most important in the world. Its vineyards also produce wines of outstanding quality in most years.
Gemeinde
Term for a village
Generic wine
Blended wine of ordinary quality, without any varietal or other special characteristics. Everyday, low price wine. See Vin ordinaire.
Generous
Tasting term which means that the wine is rich, generally high in alcohol (but not hot tasting) and has a full body.
Gerbstoff
Tannin
Gewächs
New term meaning Growth in the classification sence.
Gewurztraminer
A pink coloured wine grape with small berries which produces highly flavourful and spicy white wines. Originally found in Pfalz, it has since been propagated in most of the world's coolest winegrowing regions, showing particular success in Alsace. The name means "spicy traminer," and it is probably a clone of the less flavourful "Traminer." The two names are distinguished from each other less and less so that they now are used more or less synonomously. Although the grape skin is noticeably pinkish, there is not enough pigment in most clones of Gewurztraminer to produce rose coloured wine. Even if a winemaker notices a natural pinkish cast in a new Gewurztraminer wine, he also finds that the colour quickly fades to yellowish (actually, a very dilute brown) and he has a slightly darkened white wine. Gewurztraminer wines are not usually bottled bone dry, but with a small amount of residual sweetness.As far as ampelography (the description of vines) is concerned, Traminer and Gewürztraminer (Gewürztraminer) are one and the same variety. The distinct differences in maturity and bouquet are obviously based on slight variations within one variety In the Ortenau district, Traminer is also called Clevner.
Glimmerschiefer
A kind of mica slate
Gloria
(white grape) Wine/table grape derived from a Silvaner x Müller-Thurgau cross-developed at the Geilweilerhof Institute, Germany . Used to make a neutral, full-bodied white wine with faint aroma that will attain higher sugar and lower acidity than Silvaner.
Gluhwein
German muled wine
Gout de Terroir
Literally, taste of earth, this is a tasting term meaning that you can taste the characteristics given to the wine by the fact of its having been grown in a certain soil at a certain location. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not the taste of the soil itself, but something recognizable in the taste of the wine that repeatedly comes from wines grown in that location. As an example, Chablis wines often are described as having a "flinty" taste and it is supposed that this comes from the grapes having been grown in the combination of the calcium rich soil and harsh climate of the area. Thus, it is more accurate to translate the word terroir as "location" (including the soil and specific microclimate at that unique location) than to simply call it "the soil."
Graf
On the label may refer to the owner if he is a count.
Grauwacker
Grey Slate
Green
A tasting term describing the grassy, herbaceous or vegetal taste of wines which were grown in too cool a climate.
Goldriesling
Ancient white grape Variety producing mainly mediocre white wines. A cross between Riesling and Courtiller Musque. Mainly grown in small acreages to be found in Sachsen or Saale Unstrut.
Grauer Burgunder
(white grape) Alternate name for the Pinot Gris grape in both Austria and Germany also called Ruländer, is a variety of the pinot family. One story is that Ruland, a merchant at Speyer , introduced it to Germany . It prefers warm regions and produces rich, full-bodied wines with bouquet, which resembles of honey. Grauburgunder presents itself with a deep golden hue in the glass. It is one of Baden 's specialities.
Grosser ring
Mosel growers association
Grosslage
A collection of einzellagen under one name.
Gruener Veltliner
(white grape) White-wine grape used to create the famous fresh, fruity young wines of Austria . Can be described as milky it is also known as Veltliner. Best when consumed very young
Gutedel
(white grape) The German synonym name for the French Chasselas grape when grown in the Baden region of Germany It was the Markgraf Karl Friedrich von Baden who introduced it in 1780 from the Lake Geneva area to the district Markgraeflerland where it still covers 50% of the vineyards .It is a true Baden specialty for which reason is also called Markgraefler. Gutedel makes a light, pleasant and agreeable wine, usually dry and taken with meals but also used as a sipping wine. Grown mainly now in Baden , Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut with about 1,200 ha grown.
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Halbfuder
Half a fuder therefor a Mosel cask of 500 litres
Halbstuck
A Rhein cask holding 610 litres
Halbtrocken
term for off dry wine with between 8 and 15 grammes of residual sugar.
Hard
Tasting term describing a wine which is excessively tannic, bitter or astringent and which lacks fruitiness.
Hauptlese
The main Harvest
Heartwood
The innermost portion of the woody tissue (xylem) making up the trunk of woody plants, such as grape vines or trees. Heartwood is composed of dead xylem cells which serve to give wood its strength.
Heat summation
A measure of the climate of a growing region calculated by adding the mean temperatures for each day (minus a base temperature) over a growing season. For grapes, the base temperature is 50 degrees F (10 degrees C). See Climatic Regions.
Hectare
Unit of size for farmland in Europe and other continents. One hectare is approximately 2.5 acres.
Hectoliter
Common unit of measure for wines in all European wineries. One hectoliter is 100 liters, 22.03 British imperial gallons
Helfensteiner
(red grape) Vitis.vinifera cultivars developed and recently released by the Weinsberg/Württemberg Wine Research Station, Baden ( Germany ). Has synonym names Weinsberg S 532 and Blauer Weinsberger. Reported as a Fruhburgunder x Schiava Grossa cross.
Heroldrebe
(red grape) Vitis.vinifera cultivars created and recently released by the Weinsberg/Württemberg Wine Research Station, Baden . Has synonym name Weinsberg S 130. It is derived from a Portugieser x Lemberger cross.
Herzog
On the label may refer to the owner if he is a Duke.
Hochgewachs
A wine that exceeds minimal Oechsle requirements and does well at tastings (hoch means high)
Hock
Originally an English term to denote wines which came from Hockheim, Germany. Today the term describes the unusually tall, slim bottle which is used for Riesling and similar wines. Also, hock refers to Riesling and similar wines themselves.
Hot
Taste sensation often found in high alcohol wines. Table wines with hot taste are unpleasant to drink.
Huxelrebe
(white grape) Another crossing by Georg Scheu at Alzey in 1927. Variety made by crossing the Chasselas and the Muscat , which contributes its ubiquitous aroma to wines made from the grape. Grown mostly in the Rheinhessen region and used mainly for sweet white wines of no particular distinction that can qualify for "Auslese" Prädikat standards in better vintages.
Hybrid
In viticulture, a new variety resulting from crossing two other (usually very different) varieties.
Hydrometer
A hollow cylindrical bulb, with lead shot sealed in the bottom to make it float vertically and a numerical scale in the stem for reading the density of the liquid in which it is floated. Hydrometers are commonly used to quickly measure the density (therefore, the sugar content) of grape juice in the fermenter. After the juice has become fermented into wine however, the hydrometer can no longer be used for this purpose. While sugar tends to make a water solution more dense, alcohol tends to make it less so. In a mixture of sugar and alcohol, neither one is measured accurately by hydrometry and other, more specific methods must be used.
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Ice wien
Wine made from frozen grapes. The grapes are pressed while frozen and only the juice (never the solids) is used in the fermentation. Ice wines are always sweet, usually light and also delicate.
Ingredient
Any of the components of a mixture. Grape juice is an ingredient of wine but yeast is not, since yeast never remains in the finished wine.
Internode
The section of a grape vine stem between two successive nodes or joints on the shoot or cane.
Isinglass
A protein obtained from the bladders of fresh water Sturgeon fish and once used in the fining of red wines. Now replaced mostly by either gelatin or eggwhite.
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Jahrgang
German term for vintage year
Jeroboam
Oversize wine bottle; however, the exact size is not standardized. It may be equivalent to 4, 5 or 6 standard (750 ml) bottles, depending upon the wine producer. In Champagne, France and in California, it is often 3 liters in size; in Bordeaux, 3.75 liters; in England, as much as 4.5 liters.
Johannisberg Riesling
(pronounced rees-ling) Synonym for White Riesling, this grape is responsible for wines of the same name in California. In Australia, wines from the same grape are called "Rhine Riesling." The most famous regions in the world where this grape is grown for wine are along the Rhine and Mosel rivers in Germany. (The name Johannisberg Riesling comes from the fact that many superb riesling wines have been produced by the Schloss Johannisberg estate near the Rhine river.) Susceptible to noble rot (Botrytis), this grape has produced some of the world's finest dessert wines.
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Kabinett
German classification for quality wines mit pradikett ranking just below spatlese. Kabinett wines are relatively low in price, but sugar is never used in their production (which is a positive indicator for quality).
Kalk
Limestone (chalk)
Kanzler
This is a white grape variety resulting from a crossing of Muller Thurgau and Silvaner again in 1927 in Alzay. It is early ripening and needs a warm site. It can be found in the Rheinhessen and Rheinpfalz. Has synonym name Alzey S.3983. Possessed of moderate vigour, crop potential, despite wood hardening deficiencies. It can produce a white wine with a delicate bouquet, rich in extract and having a fruity flavour.
Kellerei
German wine wholesaler
Kellermeister
Celler Master
Kelter
Wine press
Kerner
White grape developed from a cross in 1969 between the Riesling and Schiava Grossa grapes. The latter variety is known as the Trollinger in Germany where it is mostly grown. Used to produce a Riesling-like white wine said to often reach "Auslese" Prädikat quality this is the most successful new variety of the Staatliche Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Wein und Obstbau at Weinsberg. It originated as a cross between Trollinger and Riesling. Kerner thrives well in vineyards of average quality and is planted as a supplement to Muller-Thurgau. Because it buds late it has good frost resistance. In the 19890s it was the fourth most widely planted grape variety in Germany , there are now about 6,500ha under vine.
Keg
Small barrel for wine aging or storage -- usually only 12 gallons in size.
Keuper
Clay and slate soil
Kies
Gravelly soil
Klevner
(white grape) (a.k.a Clevner). Alternative name in the Alsace region of France for the Savagnin Blanc variety.
Klingelberger
white grape another name for the Riesling in the Ortenau region of Baden .
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Lactic acid
A natural organic acid which occurs in many foods. In wine, it exists only in trace amounts unless the wine has undergone a malo-lactic secondary fermentation.
Lage
Individual vineyard site
Late Harvest
Name given to dessert or full-bodied table wines produced from overripe grapes. (Late refers to time of year, not time of day).
Leaf axil
The acute angle between a vine shoot and a leaf stem or petiole extending from the shoot. Buds develop in these axils or "crotches" just above each leaf petiole.
Leafroll
A virus disease of grapevines in which the virus infection seals off the leaf petiole (stem) so that the sugars produced by the leaf through photosynthesis cannot be transported back into the vine. The leaves tend to curl downwards at the edges as the sugar accumulates. The leaf, in an effort to get rid of a problem, uses it to make red anthocyanin pigment and the leaf is seen to turn red as well as appearing rolled. Vines infected by these viruses have difficulty in ripening their fruit because much of the sugar the vine produces cannot be used by the vine where it needs it -- in the fruit. Leafroll may not be a serious problem in varieties which ripen early but are grown in climates which provide a longer than needed season. But when the opposite is true, where the variety just barely ripens under normal conditions, then the infection by leafroll virus causes the crop never to fully ripen, with disastrous results to resulting wine quality.
Leaker
A bottle of wine which has wine oozing or slowly dripping from the cork (as opposed to the more or less normal occurrence of the cork being mostly wet but without noticeable loss of wine volume).
Lees
The sediment which settles to the bottom of the wine in a tank during processing. If primarily yeast, as from a fermentation, it is called "yeast lees;" if sediment from fining, it is called "fining lees."
Legs
Wine appreciation term referring to the colourless "tears" which continually form along the inside wall about an inch above the surface of wine in a wine glass. Tears are formed more readily by higher alcohol wines than by lower -- the cause being related to alcohol content, its volatility, the lower volatility of water, the relative densities of alcohol and water, surface tension and the law of gravity. I don't think you want to know any more than that.
Lehm
Loam soil
Lemberger
this is the same red grape variety as the Blaufrankisch in Austria and the Kekfrankos in Hungary . It is late ripening and can produce wines that are full fruity and complex
Lese
The harvest
Liebfraumilch
A fanciful name meaning nothing at all except that the wine comes from Rheinhessen. The name is widely used on labels of all the wines other than the ones that are really good. I don't know why the name sells well in the U.S. The wines are ordinary.
Lieblich
A sweet wine such as a sweet spatlese
Limberger
(see Blaufrankisch above). this is the same red grape variety as the Blaufrankisch in Austria and the Kekfrankos in Hungary . It is late ripening and can produce wines that are full and fruity. Also known as the Blauer Limberger or Lemberger. Wines made from this grape reportedly have low levels of histamines. It is the normally higher amounts of this compound found in many other red wines that can cause allergy headaches in some people.
Liter
Standard volume of measure in the metric system (used throughout the world for wine).
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M-L
Common abbreviation for malo-lactic fermentation.
Maceration
The act of soaking grape skins and other solids in their juice for certain time periods prior to fermentation of the juice. Often used for Chardonnay production in order to increase the extraction of Chardonnay flavour (which is otherwise concentrated in the skins rather than in the juice).
Maderization
Oxidation of table wines due to improper (or too long) storage. Maderized wines, both white and red, are recognized by their brown colour, lack of fruitiness and oxidized taste. Maderization gives Madeira wines part of their desirable character; but the same character is undesirable in normal table wines.
Madeleine Angevine
(white grape) Also known as Madeline Angevine. Cool region table grape cross-used for Riesling-type white table wine production in the United Kingdom and Germany. It is a cross between Madeleine Royale and Précoce de Malingre. Susceptible to bunch-rots.
Magnum
Oversize bottle, with twice the capacity of a standard 750 ml. wine bottle. The word "magnum" is used for a 1.5 liter bottle of great wine. However, the words "one point five" are used for a bottle of ordinary wine. Do not confuse the two.
Malic acid
A natural organic acid which occurs in ripe grapes in relatively high concentrations. It is the second most abundant organic acid in most wine varieties.
Malo-lactic fermentation
A bacterial fermentation which sometimes occurs in new wines after the primary yeast fermentation. Malo-lactic, or secondary fermentation changes natural malic acid into lactic acid and CO2. The CO2 bubbles off, giving the effect of a new fermentation, which it is.
Manhole
Large opening in the side wall of a wine tank through which spent pomace or lees is removed after the wine is racked (drained) off. Cellar workers can enter through the manhole for tank cleaning.
Mariensteiner
(white grape) This is a crossing between Silvaner and Riesling and is a Vinifera variety developed at the Wurtzberg Institute, Germany in 1971, can give quite high must weights but too much acidity in poor years.
Mergel
Heavy Loam
Meristem
Region of active growth in a vine, made up of meristematic cells which divide to form new cells during growth.
Meristematic tissue
The growth tissue of a grape vine, located in the cambium, shoot tips, buds, root tips and flower. Meristematic tissue is composed of thin-walled actively growing cells which form new cells by dividing.
Microclimate
The localized climate in a specific, small area as opposed to the overall climate of the larger, surrounding region. A microclimate can be very small, as to encompass a single vine, or cover a whole vineyard of several acres or more. Microclimates can be caused by slope of the land, soil type and colour, fog, exposure, wind and possibly many other factors.
Mildew
Grapevine disease. Can be devastating but is usually controlled by dusting the vines with sulfur or spraying with organic fungicides.
Mineral ions
Electrically charged forms of minerals, usually occuring in solution in the soil moisture and available for takeup by roots. Some examples used by grape vines are potassium, calcium, phosphate, boron, nitrate, sulfate, iron, manganese and magnesium.
Morio-Muskat
(white grape) Developed by Peter Mario at the Geilweilerhof Institute, Germany around 1961 this is a crossing of Silvaner and Riesling. It is not a Muscat but does have the grapey bouquet of a Muscat. There are about 1000ha in production.
Mosel
German wine region which, along with the Rheingau, produces some of the world's best Riesling (and related) wines. Known for its slate soil without which the region might not be able to grow and ripen grapes at all. It is one of the world's most northerly vineyards. But the best wines are truly superb, having all the finesse and delicacy one could hope for in a white wine.For further information
Moselle
French for Mosel.
Mosler
Austrian growers name for the Hungarian Furmint grape.
Mostgewicht
Must weight which is the weight of sugar in the grapes at the time of the harvest
Müller-Thurgau
Early ripening cross officially developed from Sylvaner and Riesling, but some authorities now contend was actually from two clonal varieties of Riesling. (But some authorities now contend, based on DNA analysis, that it is a Chasselas, not Sylvaner, cross with Riesling) It produces a flowery, yet acidic white wine that bears a modest resemblance to the parent Riesling grapevine. Widely planted in Europe, New Zealand and some parts of England where it is known as Rivaner. The famous plant physiologist Dr. Mueller from Thurgau in Switzerland (in 1882 when he was working at Geisenheim)
Müllerebe
Translates as "Millers Grape". Alias name for the Pinot Meunier grape of France.
Must
The sloppy mess that results from crushing fresh grapes (before fermentation). Includes pulp, skins, seeds, juice, bits of stem .
Muskateller
(white grape) This is a very old variety with high demands on the climate and the vineyard and found only in a few isolated places in the Kaiserstuhl district the wine is a rarity with a well-balanced bouquet and a pronounced character with sufficient acidity. This grape is also known as Muscat a petit grains or gelber muskateller.
Mute
Sweetening agent for winemaking produced by fortifying fresh juice or by chilling the juice and adding high amounts of SO2. It is used later for sweetening certain wines before bottling.
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