Glossary:

A brief primer on some of the terms often used when discussing wines.

• aeration: letting a bottle of wine “breathe” before consuming it
• aging: all wine is allowed to grow older before it can be consumed, for periods ranging from months to years
• appellation: the name of the place where the grapes used to make the wine were grown
• bouquet: the aroma of the wine
• brix: term of measurement used to define the sugar content of grapes
• capsule: the protective covering over the cork and neck of a wine bottle
• corked or “corky”: refers to a musty, mildew-like smell, resulting from a bacteria that can grow in cork. It is almost impossible to detect until after the wine has been in contact with the cork. It is often described as a “wet newspaper” or mildewed basement smell. While it is harmless to drink this wine, the off odor make the entire experience less enjoyable, to say the least.
• dry: used to describe wines with no perceptible sugar content
• decant: to pour wine out of its bottle and into a larger container, leaving behind any sediment
• fermentation: the process by which grape sugar turns into alcohol and carbon dioxide
• finish: the aftertaste that remains when the wine has been swallowed
• fortified wine: a wine with brandy or other spirits added, such as port or sherry
• fruity: used to describe wines with a high sugar content, or a wine with forward fruit flavors and characteristics.
• green: used to describe a wine made from unripe grapes
• legs: wine drops that form and slowly slide down the inside side of a glass when wine is swirled
• must: juice of crushed grapes and grape solids
• nose: a wine’s smell, including all components
• split: a six-ounce bottle. (1/4 size bottle)
• table wine: a wine intended to accompany a meal, usually containing less than 16% alcohol
• tannin: an organic compound found in grape skins that makes wine taste astringent
• terrior: refers to the quality of place a wine or agricultural product has, depending on soil conditions and micro-climate.
• varietal: wine named for its main grape
• vinification: wine making
• vintage: the year a wine was made. more specifically, the year the grapes grew. (exception: Wines from the Southern hemisphere begin to grow in one year and are harvested the next, since their seasons are opposite of ours in the Northern hemisphere)