Wine Words (O - Z)
For a more complete listing, go to Wikipedia
OXIDIZED - A wine that is no longer fresh because it was exposed to too much air.
PHYLLOXERA - A voracious vine louse that over time has destroyed vineyards in Europe and California.
PLONK - A derogatory term for cheap, poor tasting wine.
PORT - A sweet, fortified wine made in the Douro Valley of Portugal and aged in the coastal town of Vila Nova de Gaja. Variations include Vintage, Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage, Ruby, White and others.
RESERVA - A Spanish term for a red wine that has spent at least three years in barrels and bottles before release.
RIDDLING - The process of rotating Champagne bottles in order to shift sediment toward the cork.
SHIRAZ - The Australian name for Syrah. Also used in South Africa and sparingly in the US.
SPLIT - A quarter bottle of wine, a single serving bottle equal to 175 ml.
STEELY - A term used to describe an extremely crisp, acidic wine that was not aged in barrels.
SUPER TUSCAN - A red wine from Tuscany that is not made in accordance with established DOC rules. It is often a blended wine of superior quality containing Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot.
TANNINS - Phenolic compounds that exist in most plants. In grapes, tannins are found primarily in the skins and pits. Tannins are astringent and provide structure to a wine. Over time, tannins die off making wines less harsh.
TERROIR - A French term for the combination of soil, climate and all other factors that influence the ultimate character of a wine.
TROCKEN - German for "dry".
VARIETAL - A wine made from just one grape type and named after that grape. The opposite of a blend.
VERTICAL TASTING - Tasting wine of different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery. This emphasizes differences between vintages. See also Horizontal Tasting.
VIN JAUNE - French for "yellow wine". White wine made in the Jura region in eastern France. Made from the Savagnin grape.
VITICULTURE - The science and business of growing wine grapes.
OXIDIZED - A wine that is no longer fresh because it was exposed to too much air.
PHYLLOXERA - A voracious vine louse that over time has destroyed vineyards in Europe and California.
PLONK - A derogatory term for cheap, poor tasting wine.
PORT - A sweet, fortified wine made in the Douro Valley of Portugal and aged in the coastal town of Vila Nova de Gaja. Variations include Vintage, Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage, Ruby, White and others.
RESERVA - A Spanish term for a red wine that has spent at least three years in barrels and bottles before release.
RIDDLING - The process of rotating Champagne bottles in order to shift sediment toward the cork.
SHIRAZ - The Australian name for Syrah. Also used in South Africa and sparingly in the US.
SPLIT - A quarter bottle of wine, a single serving bottle equal to 175 ml.
STEELY - A term used to describe an extremely crisp, acidic wine that was not aged in barrels.
SUPER TUSCAN - A red wine from Tuscany that is not made in accordance with established DOC rules. It is often a blended wine of superior quality containing Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot.
TANNINS - Phenolic compounds that exist in most plants. In grapes, tannins are found primarily in the skins and pits. Tannins are astringent and provide structure to a wine. Over time, tannins die off making wines less harsh.
TERROIR - A French term for the combination of soil, climate and all other factors that influence the ultimate character of a wine.
TROCKEN - German for "dry".
VARIETAL - A wine made from just one grape type and named after that grape. The opposite of a blend.
VERTICAL TASTING - Tasting wine of different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery. This emphasizes differences between vintages. See also Horizontal Tasting.
VIN JAUNE - French for "yellow wine". White wine made in the Jura region in eastern France. Made from the Savagnin grape.
VITICULTURE - The science and business of growing wine grapes.