Parlez Vous Vino?
Xav Moldonio
Do you speak Vino? If you want to truly enjoy the world of wine, you need to be able to communicate in the language of wine. Following are some phrases that can serve as your Rosetta Stone for the world of red and white wines and beyond.
Gran Reserva - Spanish red wines that have aged for at least five years in oak barrels and bottles before release.
First Year Oak - Oak barrels that are new or have been used less than four times. Considered to produce a sharper taste to the detriment of the wine. Aged barrels are generally preferred.
Zymology - The science of fermentation.
Vegetal - A wine that has aromas and flavors that suggest vegetables. Unless you really like asparagus or broccoli, not generally well looked upon.
Wine Body - The feeling of the weight of a wine in your mouth. Generally rates as light, medium or full. If you taste too much, generally rated as dry and heavy the next morning.
Confused - A wine that is excessively complex and cannot really be categorized. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad.
Enology - The art and science of making wine. Also called Viniculture. Not to be confused with viticulture.
Vertical and horizontal wine tasting - In a vertical tasting, different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted. In a horizontal tasting, the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries.
Decanting - A much misunderstood term. To remove wine from bottle and place in pouring vehicle, the decanter. Purpose is to aaerate the wine or separate from sediment often found in older reds.
Yeast - A microscopic unicellular fungi responsible for the conversion of sugars in must to alcohol. This process is known as alcoholic fermentation.
Trockenbeerenauslese - A type of German wine made from vine-dried grapes that are extremely rare and the resulting wine is very expensive.
Nutty - a wine having an aroma, flavor or both of a particular nutt. Also refers to winemakers that need to get out more often.
Length - A tasting term. Refers to how the wine spreads across the tongue. If your taste buds are activated from front to back, a wine is said to have length.
Volatile acidity - The level of acetic acid present within a wine.
Sulphur dioxide - A substance used in winemaking as a preservative.
Charry - Having aromas and flavors of burnt wood. Generally very disfavored unless you have a thing for fires.
Oak chips - Small pieces of oak wood used in place of oak barrels in fermenting and ageing wine. Give an oaky taste.
Terroir - French for soil, the physical and geographical characteristics of a particular vineyard site that give the resultant wine its unique properties.
Ullage - Also known as headspace, the unfilled space in a wine bottle, barrel, or tank.
Vitis vinifera - A breed of grapes native to Europe.
Xav Moldonio writes about all things wine. To learn more about
http://www.wineriesforyou.com/ wineries and wine, visit him at Wineriesforyou.com This and other
http://www.uberarticles.com/?id=35323&b=79 unique content 'wine' articles are available with free reprint rights.
