WINE TERMINOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
There is no doubt that wine can seem to be an overwhelming subject to the beginner. There are literally thousands of different grape varieties and wines to be found throughout the world, but the learning process doesnt have to be intimidating. Our goal is to make you comfortable with the subject of wine and to begin to remove some of the intimidation factors associated with it. Dont expect, however, to become an expert overnight from taking this course. Learning about wine is a cumulative process, and true expertise requires a frame of reference which can take years to develop. Thats the bad news. The good news is that to learn about wine, one has to taste and drink it not such a bad thing. And with all the tasting and drinking one really needs the accompaniment of good food as well which in turn calls for good company. This is sounding better by the minute!

MODULE OBJECTIVES
In this module you will learn: ! Basic wine terms ! Terms that are vital to understanding wine and wine tasting

WHAT IS WINE?
Wine is a beverage made from the fermented juice of fruit. All fine wines are made from the fermented juice of certain grapes.

WHAT IS FINE WINE?

Fine wine is made from Vitis Vinifera grapes grown in certain areas using the best available winemaking techniques. Fine wines are balanced, and offer many different aromas and flavors. Many have the potential to age if properly cellared.

WHAT ARE VITIS VINIFERA GRAPES?

There are many species of grapes around the world but only ones from the Vitis Vinifera family are used to make fine wine. There are over 1,000 types of Vitis Vinifera grapes grown around the world. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon are examples of Vitis Vinifera grapes.

WHAT IS FERMENTATION?
Fermentation is the process by which sugar in the grape juice ("must" is the grape juice, skins & seeds ) is converted by yeast to alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat. The yeast used for fermenting the must exists naturally on the grapes or can be supplied by the winemaker. Winemakers generally use two vessels for fermentation: stainless steel tanks or small oak barrels

STAINLESS STEEL FERMENTATION

This photo shows wine fermenting in stainless steel tanks. These tanks vary in size and are usually equipped with thermal jacketing which allows the winemaker to control the temperature of the fermentation.

BARREL FERMENTATION
This photo shows wine fermenting in smaller oak barrels. Barrel fermentation imparts yeasty flavors and lends a creaminess to the texture of the wine.

WHAT IS YEAST?
Yeasts are the microorganisms that cause fermentation by secreting various enzymes in grape juice converting it into wine. A drop of fermenting must may contain over 5 million different strains of yeasts. Winemakers make use of cultured yeasts (those selected for their specific fermentation characteristics) or so-called native yeasts which are found in the vineyard and on the grapes when harvested.

COLOR & SECONDARY COLOR

Color/hue: The color of wine. The color of a wine is impacted by winemaking, the quality vintage, storage and age. Generally speaking, white wines gain color with age while red wines lose color. Secondary Color: Colors found in a glass of wine other than the predominant color. White wines often display green and unpolished silver and brass, while young red wines display pink at the rim of the glass.

WHAT DETERMINES COLOR IN WINE?

A wines color is determined by the kind of grape variety used to make the wine and also through various winemaking processes. With very few exceptions, the juice of almost every Vitis Vinifera grape is clear. The color in red wines is derived from the skins of the grapes. During the red wine making process, the young wine is left on the skins for an extended period of time to extract color and tannins. White wines are made with little or no skin contact. Color can also be added through oak aging. As wine is kept in barrel, it undergoes slight oxidation and gains color.

WINE TYPES: SPARKLING & WHITE

Sparkling Wine: Wine containing bubbles of carbon dioxide trapped in the bottle after fermentation. Champagne, Cava, and Asti are three well-known sparkling wines. White Wine: Wine made from white grape varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. White wines range from a pale, almost watery color, to deep yellow.

WINE TYPES: RED & DESSERT

Red Wine: Wine made from red grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Red wines range in color from light ruby red to deep, opaque black purple. Red wines also have varying amounts of tannin derived from the grape skins, seeds, stems, and the barrels the wines are often aged in. Dessert Wine: Sweet wines made from lateharvested grapes such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon. Dessert wines derive their sweetness from the residual sugar left in the wine after fermentation.

WINE TYPES: BLUSH & FORTIFIED

Blush Wine: Also called ros or pink wine. Blush wines are made from red grapes. The pink color is derived from leaving the must in contact with the grape skins just long enough to extract the desired color. However, some ros Champagnes are made by blending white and red wines together. Blush wines range from dry to slightly sweet in style. Fortified Wine: Wines made with the addition of neutral spirits high proof colorless, odorless, and tasteless alcohol. Sherry, Port, and Madeira are the three most well-known fortified wines. Fortified wines range in style from bone dry to very sweet dessert wines. Some fortified wines are capable of very long-term aging.

WHAT IS ALCOHOL?
Alcohol: specifically, ethyl alcohol, the colorless volatile spirit formed during fermentation. One can find a wide range of alcohol in wine, from as little as 5.5% in light wines such as Moscato di Asti of Italy, to as much as 20% in sweet, fortified wines such as port and sherry. Alcohol can be sensed as heat in the nose, throat, and chest, when tasting wine.

WHAT IS ACIDITY?
Acidity: Acidity is one of the most vital components of wine. Every wine must possess enough acidity to be balanced and to have any potential to age. There are four acids in wine: tartaric, malic, lactic, and citric. Tartaric is the most important acid of the four. All are measured in terms of grams of total acidity per liter of wine.

WHAT IS TANNIN?
Tannin: Tannins in wine are derived from the skins, seeds, and stems of the grape; and also the barrels in which wine is often aged. Tannin tastes bitter and feels gritty or aggressive on the back of your tongue. The best way to think of tannin is to imagine a cup of overly-brewed tea. That bitter, astringent taste is tannin. White wines without oak will have little, if any, tannin. However, white wines, such as Chardonnay, that are often aged in new oak, can have as much tannin as many red wines. Red wines generally have much more tannin than white wines.

TERMS: ANATOMY OF A WINE BOTTLE

Capsule: the decorative, plastic or metal, foil covering the neck of the bottle. Lip: the very top of the bottle. When serving a bottle, cut the capsule below the lip. Neck: the narrow part of the top of the bottle housing the cork. Shoulder: below the neck of the bottle. Punt: the indentation on the bottom of the bottle that not only lends structural reinforcement to the bottle, but gathers the sediment in older red wines.

Label: paper affixed to the bottle with all pertinent (and legally required) information about the wine and the winery.

SELECTING PROPER GLASSWARE

Selecting the right kind of wine glass is not difficult if one follows some simple guidelines. However, dont feel that you need to rush out and purchase an expensive set of crystal. That is not necessary. It is, nevertheless, very important for you to have the right kind of glasses for your tastings.

GLASSWARE PARTS
Heres the low-down, the top-to-bottom, of the different parts that make up each and every wine glass:
Lip: the edge of the glass your lips (aha!) touch when tasting or drinking the wine.

Bowl: the part of the glass that holds the wine. Foot: the bottom part of the glass that rests on the table (or deck of the yacht) that keeps the glass from toppling over and spilling into your lap.

Stem: the thin stretch of glass between the bowl and the foot, or bottom. This is the part of the glass that you hold on to.

REVIEW
You should now have a good understanding of: ! Basic wine terms ! Terms that are vital to understanding wine and wine tasting