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| Gives a wine body and/or structure; is the "tart" note that naturally comes from the grape(s) |
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| Usually refers to the particular smell of the grape variety; the intensity and character of the aroma can be assessed with nearly any descriptive adjective |
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| When a wine displays elements in proportion to each other: acid, fruit and tannin (when appropriate) |
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The weight of a wine in the mouth, usually light, medium or full bodied; A wine's body is generally related to the amount of alcohol it contains, the mroe alcohol, the fuller the body |
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| Refers to the way a wine smells, usually after it ages in the bottle |
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| The conversion of sugar - in this case, grape sugar- into alcohol by the interaction of yeast |
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| Term to describe wine that is weighty, rich and full on the palate; is also usually a wine with higher alcohol content |
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| Is a natural by-product of the fermentation process, Provides a 'sweet' taste on the palate; usually present in full-bodied or late harvest wines |
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| A term used when referring to wines that are changing/have changed as they age |
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| The amount of unfermented grape sugar that exists in a wine (Unfermented sugar is the sugar that has not been conveted into alcohol) |
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| Secondary Flavors/Armomas |
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Any flavor or scent that is not directly related to the fruit of the wine; wood, earth, herbs, flowers, etc. would all be considered secondary to the fruit that is noted on the nose and palate when drinking a wine |
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The act of rotating wine in a glass so that more of the wine is exposed to air (oxygen) as it moves, tends to brings out more of a wine's aromatic characteristecs |
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| Refers to the presence of tannic acid in a wine, Can come from grape skins, seeds, or wood, causes your mouth to pucker or a mouth-drying sensation; an important preservative for wines built for aging; usually a noticeable ccharacteresitic in red wines more than whites |
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| French for "soil"; how the soil, altitude, sun, uncline, and water drainage of the vineyeard can influence the wine |
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| Reders to the grape that is used to make a wine or a wine made entirely from one kind of grape |
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| The farmland where the grapes are grown. Vineyards may utilize a wide variety of planting techniques and unusual efforts to get their grapes to the point at which they are harvested: planting in rows, building walls around vines, cross-planting grapes, etc. |
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| The year the grapes used to make the wine were picked/harvested; This information should always be on the wine label |
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| A winemaker; A vintner is usually involved in the winemaking process from the beginning: the planting, growing and harvesting to the crushing aging, treatment and bottling; Vinters can often fill many roles, farmer, scientest and businessperson |
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| The thickness or 'weight' of a wine, directly related to alcohol content and grape varietal |
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| An alcoholic beverage used like an appetizer before a meal is enjoyed |
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| These areas are wine-growing regions, as dictated by French law (similar to state or countries here in the US) |
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| A process that occurs to produce 'sweet' wine, botrytis cinerea is a fungus or mold that causes grapes to shrivel and become very concentrated (also called the "Noble Rat"); a desirable condition that causes ripe grapes to shrivel, resulting in the remaining juice becoming very concentrated |
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| Strong Alcoholic Spirit distilled from wine or from marc, the residue of the wine press |
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| Adjective used to describe wines with a black currant scent, usually Cabernet-based wines; also a black currant liqueur |
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| An unregulated term that wineries use to indicate a special (or reserve) batch of wine; can also indicate when a wine is a blend of different vintages or vineyard sites |
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| Wine with bubbles of carbon dioxide gas which sparkle as they rise to the surface |
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| Produced by enhancing/overfeeding a duck or goose so that it develop a large firm liver (foie gras); in the US foie gras is predominantly duck liver, from NY or CA |
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| Grape Variety used to make red wines, most famously grown in Beaujolais probably originated as a mutation of Pinot Noir |
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| Used in the description of wine with taste and aroma or herbs (coule refer to clove, ginger, rosemary, etc.) |
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| Adjective used to describe wine built for aging; a wine that will live/show/drink well for many years |
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| The secondary, inside-the-bottle fermentation that is used to create authentic Champagne and other high quality sparkling wines, as well as certain kinds of Belgian beer, creates the bubbles in sparkling wines, but is an expensive labor-intensive process |
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| Synonym for 'mouth', wine drinkers often refer to how a wine functions or interacts with their palate: they are speaking of how the wine makes their mouth/tongue feel and what flavors they are noting when drinking |
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| When the blend a wine is the result of multiple harvests and contains grapes from several different years |
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| Adjective used to describe a wine that displays an Old World, or earthy, Perhaps leathery component, a wine that is masculine, with barnyard or country, outdoor scents |
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| A herb, but when referring to food a savory dish is one that is piquant or salty, spicy, or sharp in flavor, a non-sweet dish |
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| Wine that is produced either specifically using the Capagne method or so that it will be effervescent, only wines from the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne, any other wine with bubbles is referred to as sparkling wine |
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| An alcoholic beverage, usually a distilled liqour |
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| A fungus or mushroom, which grows at the base of oak, alder and hazelnut trees and is extremely expensive, usually come from France (black truffles) or Italy (white truffles) and can be very pugnent, rustic and earthy |
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| The name of a town and a wine Vouvray is a village in the Loire valley of France, the wine that comes from the town is Chenin Blanc- based and also called Vouvray |
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| A French Term for ranking a wine's quality |
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| A wine house or producer in Burgundy; synonyms include Chateau in Bordeaux, Bodegas in Spain, and Estate in California |
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| French for "great growth," the very best vineyards |
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| French for "First growth," a high quality vineyard but one not as good as grand cru |
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| Letting a wine "breather" before drinking, softens the tannins, smoothes out the wine, and allows the bouqet and flavors to open up, can be accomplished through swirling or decanting |
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| A wine that smells musty (similar to a wet dog or wet cardboard) and should not be served, is a problem caused by a defective cork that has allowed air, over time, to affect the wie |
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| Usually a glass container used as a receptacle for a bottle of wine, the act of decanting exposes the wine to air (aerating) and allows the wine to 'open' more quickly |
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| A wine that has lost its freshness from exposure to the air, what ruins the flavors of leftover wines, wines are often 'pumped' to prevent oxidation and remove oxygen so that the remaining wine in the bottle can last longer |
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| Solid matter that has settled in the bottom of a bottle of wine, a natural part of the aging process, usually in red wines. |
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