Aeration-
Letting a wine "breathe" by swirling it in a glass or letting an open bottle sit. Aeration can soften young, tannic wines; it can also fatigue older ones.

Aftertaste-
The taste that stays in the mouth after swallowing wine. Also known as finish, this flavour can be buttery, oakey, spicy, tart, or bitter.

Aging-
Wine can age in bottles, barrels, vats, or stainless steel tanks. Many wines improve during the aging process, a process that may take anywhere from five months to five years before the wine is ready to be sold.

Albumen-
Egg white. Sometimes used in fining.

Alcohol-
Yeast converts the natural sugars in the grape juice into alcohol. An integral component of wine that adds much of the wine's body. Most wines are between 7 and 14 percent alcohol by volume.

American Viti-cutural Area (AVA)-
A geographical grape-growing area that has officially been given appellation status by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF). Examples are Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley.

Aperitif-
French word for an alcoholic beverage served before dinner.

Appellation-
Defines the area where a wine's grapes were grown. Regulations vary from country to country.

Astringent-
Causing a dry feeling in the mouth. Wine with excess tannins will feel this way. This could be the sign of a young wine in need of aging. It may also simply need to breathe.

Bacchus-
Another name for Dionysus, the Greek and Roman god of wine.

Balance-
A wine that is well balanced blends all of its components (fruit, tannin, acid, and sugar) gracefully. For many wines this requires some aging.

Bitterness-
Bitterness comes from excess tannin and can be caused by poor winemaking or an extremely dry season.

Blending-
The primary task of a wine maker. Wines from different lots or barrels are blended together to produce the final product. Tradition and regional laws dictate what grape varieties may be blended together to make a certain wine. The wine maker selects the percentages of each type of grape for the final blend.

Body-
Used to describe the "weight" of a wine. Wines can be categorized as light-, medium-, or full-bodied. A Cabernet Sauvignon is an example of a full-bodied wine; a Sauvignon Blanc is a light- or medium-bodied wine.

Botrytis Cinerea (noble rot)-
A mould that is responsible for the character of dessert wines from Sauternes (France) and much of Germany. A naturally occurring mould that extracts water from the grapes, leaving the juice that remains sweet and highly concentrated, with a honeyed character. The climatic conditions necessary to produce botrytis are unpredictable and cannot be reproduced artificially.

Bottle Shock-
A condition that can affect wines immediately after bottling or shipment. The wine can be flat or off, or smell of sulphur dioxide. Stored properly this condition will disappear in two or three weeks.

Bouquet-
Term for the aroma of a wine. The first indicator of a wine's quality.

Breathing-
To allow a wine to mix with the air. Aeration occurs by decanting the wine in a large container or large wineglass. Breathing can be beneficial for many wines especially reds. Breathing enables oxygen to mix with the wine, which speeds the aging process. To let a wine breathe or not before serving depends on the wine. It is not always beneficial
to let older wines breathe prior to drinking.

Brilliant-
A clear and bright appearance.

Brut-
French term meaning "raw". Used to describe champagne or other sparkling wines that are very dry, containing no more than 1.5 percent residual sugar.

Capsule-
The protective sheath over the cork and neck of a wine bottle. This keeps the cork from drying out and letting air into the bottle.

Cellar-
Refers to any area for the storage of wine, not necessarily underground. Ideally conditions are dark, with a controlled, cool temperature, and high humidity. Wine bottles should be stored on their sides to keep the corks from drying out.

Capitalization-
Adding sugar to fermenting wine to raise the alcohol level. Used in France to raise low alcohol levels by 1 to 2 percent. The sugar is converted to alcohol, and does not add sweetness to the wine. Illegal in California, Italy, and Germany.

Character-
The things that make a wine distinctive. A region's tradition, soils, and grapes combine to produce a wine's character.

Charmat Process-
Producing sparkling wines in tanks rather than bottles. Used to mass-produce inexpensive sparkling wines.

Chateau Bottled-
A wine that is bottled at the chateau whose name is on the label. Chateau-bottled wines are not necessarily superior to other wines.

Cloudy-
Opposite of clear or brilliant. May be the result of sediment being stirred up during shipping.

Cloying-
Overly sweet, lacking the proper amount of acidity to give the wine balance.

Colour-
The skins of the grapes give a wine its colour. The longer the juice is in contact with the skins, the more colour will be imparted to the wine. Pink or rosé wines are made from red grapes that are only allowed brief contact with the skins.

Cork-
Produced from the bark of cork trees, mainly grown in Spain and Portugal. Corks are airtight and have for years been the best way to seal bottles. Cork should not let air into a wine bottle over time. It is intended to create an airtight seal.
However any closure that seals airtight is a perfect one for wine. Recently many new closures have been tested, but traditionalists have resisted the use of non-cork.

Corked-
Term meaning the wine has gone bad. An unpleasant, musty, mouldy smell imparted by a flawed cork. Cork may contain bacteria that will cause odd flavours in the wine. Almost one out of twelve bottles will have some corky flavours.

Crisp-
Wine with a lively acidity level.

Cuvée-
French term meaning a vat or tank. Used to refer to the best wine by a producer.

Decant-
To pour wine from its bottle into a larger container leaving any sediment behind, also to allow a wine to breathe.

Dry-
Dryness is determined by the residual sugar in a wine, the drier the wine, the less sugar it contains. Most table wines are dry.

Enology (Oenology)-
The study of wine and wine making.

Fermentation-
The action of yeast by which the transformation of sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas takes place.

Finesse-
The complexity and elegance, subtlety and delicacy of a wine.

Fining-
Process of clarifying wine by the introduction of additives that cling to the suspended particles and fall to the bottom. Egg whites are commonly used.

Finish-
see Aftertaste

Flinty-
Tastes reminiscent of gunflint. Wines from Chablis and Sancerre are associated with a flinty smell and taste from the calcareous soil. These wines are generally dry and austere.

Fortified-
Wines to which a neutral spirit has been added. Examples of fortified wines are Port, Sherry, Marsala and Madeira.

Fragrant-
Wine that is aromatic and flowery. Common fragrances are floral, spice, and fruit such as pineapple, blackberry, peach, apricot and apple. The grape variety is primarily responsible for a wine's fruit fragrances.

Fruity-
A wine in which fruit flavours dominate the aroma and taste. These wines are usually easy drinking and light.

Herbaceous-
Wine that smells or tastes grassy or green. A characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. Also found in young wines that will change flavour as they age. A function of grape variety, not soil or climate.

Late Harvest-
Wines made from grapes picked very ripe and affected by botrytis cinera. Often very sweet and served as dessert wines.

Lees-
Term used for the sediment that settles to the bottom of tanks and vats after the fermentation process. It is made up of grape seeds, pulp, stems, and skins, and is not transferred when the wine is moved to a different container.

Light-
Term used to describe the body or colour of a wine. Usually easy to drink and not high in alcohol.

Liqueur (cordial)-
Sweet, alcoholic after-dinner drink.

Limousin-
A province and a large forest in France near Limoges. The major source of French oak for barrels.

Méthode Champenoise-
French term for the method used to make champagne, which is fermented in the bottle. Monk Dom Pérignon is credited with inventing this method.

Microclimate-
The climate of a small, defined area. Can dramatically affect the character of the wine produced there.

Mise en Bouteille au Domaine-
French term for a wine produced and bottled at the property where the grapes are grown.

Mulled Wine-
Red wine that has been mixed with sugar, lemon, and spices, usually including cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Served hot.

Must-
The mixture of grape juice or crushed grapes that is fermented into wine.

Nose-
A term used to describe the smell of a wine.

Oak-
Popular wood for constructing wine barrels. Oak gives flavours and tannin to wines during aging process.

Oenology-
See Enology.

Oxidized-
White wines that are oxidized turn dark golden in colour, lack freshness, and have a sherry nose and flavour. Usually considered a flaw except in Sherries and Madeira.

Phylloxera-
Native to the eastern United States, an insect that attacks the roots of grapevines, killing the vine. A vine will die within several years of the attack.

Pomace-
The mass of skins, seeds, pulp, and stems left in the fermenting vat. Used in the distillation of marc and grappa.

Rioja-
Region of northern Spain that produces most of the country's best wines.

Sediment-
A part of the natural aging process of red wines. Sediment is composed of tannins and pigments that precipitate out of solution and is not a flaw in the wine. Decant older wines to separate the wine from its sediment.

Soft-
A wine that is not harsh, overly tannic, or acidic.

Spätlese-
German for "Laate Harvest".

Spicy-
Flavours reminiscent of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, or other spices. Can be found in both red and white wines.

Split-
A quarter bottle of champagne (or wine) containing six ounces.

Structure-
A wine with good structure has the proper proportions of acid, tannin, and fruit that make a well-balanced wine.

Tannic-
Term used to describe wine in which the tannins overpower. A tannic wine is not well balanced.

Tannins-
Chemical components of wine that give it an astringent quality. They occur naturally in grapes, black tea, the bark of many trees, and some fruits. They are a natural preservative critical to the wine aging process.

Tart-
see Acidic.

Tartar-
Harmless substance, tartaric acid, which sometimes precipitates as crystals in some white wines.

Temperature-
Wines generally should be served at one of three temperatures:
40ºF= sparkling wines and light-bodied whites
50ºF= medium-bodied whites, most dessert wines (except Port), and a few light-bodied reds.
65ºF= (Room temperature) red wines and port.

Terroir-
Term for the combination of soil type and microclimate that gives wines their character.

Thief-
Syringe for taking wine samples through the bunghole of a barrel.

Thin-
A wine that is light-bodied and lacks flavour.

Tun-
Large cask for storing wine. Some may hold enough for 300,000 bottles.

Varietal-
A wine named for the principal grape from which it is made.

Vin-
French for wine.

Vin de pays-
French term that means "wine of the region or country". Category of ordinary table wines.

Vino-
Spanish or Italian for wine.

Vintage-
A single season's yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard or winery, also a wine made from grapes grown in a single year.

Wein-
German for wine.