Wine language

"Rich", "deep", "long" or "astringent" are words that can describe the taste of a red wine.

The olfactory and gustatory perceived aromas of the wine can u. a. can be described in a simplified manner with the help of fruit analogies.

The technical language of wine critics , sommeliers , connoisseurs and those interested in wine is called wine language . In addition, winemakers , cellar masters , experts , wine merchants and others involved in viticulture use a variety of oenological terms.

features

The wine language and the viticultural and oenological terms serve to establish understandable word meanings. A vocabulary is used to describe the wine properties, with which the ingredients occurring in the wine, their interaction, their proportions, balances and the condition of the respective wine can be described.

The language of wine has some peculiarities, mainly due to the problem that it is mainly used to describe taste , i.e. an individual and physical sensory experience that connects the complex relationships between taste formation and taste judgment.

Forms of the wine language

Wine language in ancient times

In ancient Greece there was a language of wine tasters . About a hundred wine-language terms were found in the literature of ancient Greece. The French chemist Jean-Antoine Chaptal carried over the ancient wine language rooted in Greek literature into the modern age by using more than 60 terms in his work Art de faire, de gouverner, et de perfectionner les vins , published in 1801 .

German winemaker language

The dialectal German winegrowing language was an ancient traditional technical language of agricultural origin that contained Roman and Romanesque cultural assets. It had developed in pre-industrial times in Europe in German-speaking viticulture cultures over the centuries and was tied to regional or local language varieties.

The winegrower's vocabulary, which has in some cases already become historical, includes the following areas:

vine
Grape varieties
Grape harvest, press and must preparation
Vineyard
Vineyard work
Wine taste and enjoyment
Wine saints (e.g. Saint Urban )
Winemaking and wine
Winegrower and weather rules (e.g. Urban Day )
Winemaking tradition

The oenological term geranium is an analogy that names a wine defect that is caused by sorbic acid. The smell is reminiscent of the crushed leaves of pelargonium .

Oenological wine language

The technical language of professional tasters , oenologists and experts (e.g. sworn wine experts) consists on the one hand of precisely defined terms for specific sensory perceptions (color, smell, taste). The name is strictly linked to a certain perception.

Example: the acidity, the bitterness, the ethyl acetate , the geranium tone .

On the other hand, imprecise but common terms for differentiated sensations are also used. An attempt is made to describe a taste balance, a taste or a smell in more detail and to formulate a judgment. The expert tries to pinpoint the vague picture of his sensation by playing with the words. Words from everyday language are also used, but they are often given a different meaning. Such terms can also be used in a figurative sense.

For example: a wine is said to be rich or luscious if its olfactory and flavor components are present in large quantities. Conversely, a lean , poor wine has no nuances and little taste.

Noble rose , Christkindle grape , Dreipfennigholz, Clevener , Ruhmor : the old Gewürztraminer grape variety has many names for historical reasons.

For laypeople there are often difficulties in understanding professional wine descriptions as they are used in specialist journalism or in tastings. The type of symbolic concretization of the wine in particular causes irritation. This includes, for example, equating wine with geometric structures, substances and living beings.

Wine language and marketing

Since the 1990s, a simplified form of wine language has been used in Germany, especially by sommeliers, in the field of marketing, advertising, gastronomy and popular wine journalism. Here, a rhetorically simplified technical language functions as a marketing instrument, whereby the complexity of the wine is reduced to a few characteristics in order to meet consumer expectations. This includes rhetorical tropes with metaphors and analogies . These include B. spice, fruit and vegetable analogies, which describe the fleeting aromas of the wine with terms like vanilla , blackberry or paprika . The criticism of this form of wine language is that it does not do justice to the multi-valued taste logic of wine.

Typical newer descriptions of the last few years that are not related to the aroma but are more aimed at the enjoyment situation are e.g. B. that a wine is "fun" or "drinkable" (as a new creation too "drinkable"). This (as well as the trend of a fancy name design instead of vine and vineyard names) also reflects a replacement of the traditional target group of the (elite) "wine connoisseur" by a broad, culinary-informed group of consumers.

Names of the grape varieties

The name of the grape variety has changed permanently over the centuries in terms of linguistic history. This was caused, for example, by illiteracy among winegrowers as well as hearing, writing, transcription or translation errors. There were also mix-ups of varieties, dialect reinterpretations, erroneous designations of origin and false synonyms and homonyms . There is therefore often a historically grown variety of different names for a grape variety that have become part of the wine language.

Examples

Some terms in wine language are briefly explained below or lead to the respective articles.

A.

destemming: Detaching the grape stalks from the berries, also called destemming or stripping .
fall off: The taste is limited to the front palate, does not continue behind.
Exit: The feeling of the flavors after swallowing, whereby a long finish is rated positively and speaks for the quality of the wine. The taste on the palate (from swallowing) is measured in caudalies (finish in seconds), a finish of 20 caudalies is classified as good. Also called finale , reverberation, or tail .
Racking: Separation of the flow of wine from the lees after fermentation . Also called "hose off" or "pull off".
Agate en primeur: ( French: "Fresh purchase") The trader buys the wine shortly after the harvest , when it is not yet ready to drink.
Acidity: Technical term for the acidity that gives the wine nervousness and freshness. However, if the acidity is too high, the acidity gives the wine a "green" and "pungent" character. If the acid content is too low, the wine will be bland.
astringent: Unpleasantly tart, rough, furry taste characteristic that occurs especially in young, very tannic red wines and causes a feeling as if the mouth is contracting.
aggressive: is called a wine with excessive acidity or bitter tannins, which irritates the mucous membranes due to its strength.
Aligoté: white grape variety grown in Burgundy and Eastern Europe.
Alcohol ( ethanol ): The most important component of wine alongside water. The wine gets its warm character from ethanol. However, if this dominates too much, the wine will be slightly burned.
Alcohol content: Usually given in percent by volume (°) or in grams per liter, depending on the alcohol content. (7.95 g corresponds to 1 ° or 1% vol.)
Aging: Storable quality wines mature in the barrel or in the bottle. The wine changes its quality by softening disruptive properties, smoothing out acidity and reducing any tartness. Over time it develops its flavor and aromatic character. Wine type, location and vintage determine the storage life of the wine and are therefore decisive for its aging period. Modern wines are intended to be consumed within two years.
Amarone: Italian wine specialty with high taste and alcohol content, which is pressed from partially dried grapes.
Ampelography: Doctrine of the determination and description of grape varieties and their scientific classification.
AOC: ( French: Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée = "Controlled Denomination of Origin") Guarantees the origin and production method of agricultural products. Important French wines always come from an AOC cultivation area.
Malic acid: occurs naturally in many wines. It is also referred to as "immature" acid compared to "ripe" tartaric acid. The malic acid content in wine can be significantly increased as a result of cool weather during the ripening period of the vines, (micro) climatically unfavorable growing conditions or generally due to a lack of ripeness at the time of harvest. By the malolactic fermentation it is converted into the milder lactic acid.
Aramon: Red grape variety that comes from the Mediterranean region of southern France. Today it is on the decline, although it enjoyed great popularity after the phylloxera crisis .
Aroma: In technical jargon, it should actually express the olfactory sensations that are perceived in the mouth during tasting. Often the scent of the wine is also referred to as aroma . A distinction is made between primary A. (from the grapes), secondary (arising from fermentation and barrel storage) and tertiary (arising from further bottle storage). See also the article Flavors in Wine .
aromatic: Wine with a distinctive, pleasant smell (and taste) due to a high content of volatile aromatic substances. For example, spicy with Gewürztraminer , smoky / like toast with barrel expansion , berry-like and fruity with Cabernet Sauvignon , Tempranillo etc.
Assemblage

B.

balsamic: Fragrances of benzoin, resin, vanilla, incense and others. The term actually comes from the perfumery terminology .
Ban des vendanges: In France, this is the officially set time of the start of the grape harvest .
Barbera: is a high quality grape variety full of character from Piedmont .
Barolo: Wine with a protected designation of origin from Piedmont in Italy, including some renowned wines, always made from the Nebbiolo grape variety.
Barrique: Barrel size in Bordeaux in the classic shape with a capacity of 225 liters. Four barriques gave the unit of measurement tonneau . Modern barrels can contain up to 350 liters.
Barrique aging: Viticulture in z. In some cases specially treated oak barrels that add further aromas to the wine.
Berry selection: Predicate for a sweet, very storable wine. It is only made from individually selected, overripe or noble rot berries.
Amber color: White wines often take on an amber color as a result of long storage . This can also happen if the wine oxidizes prematurely.
bite: Wine with a bite gives the impression that you can bite it. Expression for a tannin - and acidic, but also full-bodied and balanced wine.
bitter: Bitter taste often occurs in some young wines that are rich in tannins. But it can also be a wine defect caused by a bacterial disease.

Pinot Noir , Arbst , Black Noir , Black Blue Klevner, Pinot noir , Pinot Noir, Late carrots , Süßling or Süßschwarz are synonyms of the variety Pinot Noir .

Blanc de blancs: White wine made only from white grapes.
Blanc de Noirs: White wine made from red grapes.
Pinot Noir: see Pinot Noir
Blue eye: Indicator for determining acidity in wines.
flower: Often used synonym for bouquet in wines .
flowery: high content of fragrances . Synonym for floral .
Botrytis cinerea: fungus causing noble rot in grapes. Through the perforation of the berry skin, the sugar is concentrated in the berry through evaporation. Forms the basis for the production of white sweet wines.
Bourboulenc: First-class grape variety, native to the Mediterranean.
Roast smell: arises from the noble rot in sweet wines. The aroma and taste are reminiscent of preserves, rarely also of canned food.
fracture: Turbidity of the wine caused by oxidation.
Brood: Tart but not acidic wines, champagnes and sparkling wines with a very low sugar content .
Brut zéro: see residual sugar
bouquet: (French: bouquet of flowers) Sum of all fragrances and flavors.
rich in bouquet: particularly high content of fragrances.

C.

Cabernet Franc: Dark grape. It is combined in the Bordeaux region with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot . Delivers well storable wines. It is also grown in the Loire Valley.
Cabernet Sauvignon: Very noble red wine grape. It dominates in the Médoc and the Graves area, but is also used in other growing areas. Produces well storable wines.
Carignan: Mediterranean, dark grape variety. It delivers very strong wines.
Caudalie: Unit of measure for how long the aromas of the wine remain in the mouth. Decisive factor for the hierarchical sorting of a wine.
Cave: ( French: cave f.) Cellars, especially wine cellars.
Caveau

D.

disgorged: Removal of the lees from sparkling wine or champagne that has settled during the second fermentation. Due to the special storage of the bottles (almost upside down) and the “shaking”, the yeast settles in the bottle neck.
Decanter: Bulbous carafe that offers the wine a very large surface. When they come into contact with the air, older red wines develop their full spectrum of aromas more easily. Also: a specially shaped funnel with a sieve. It is used to carefully pour the wine from the bottle into the carafe to separate it from the depot . Technical: Horizontal centrifuge for juicing grape mash.
decant
Demi-sec: In the case of sparkling wines, the term for a semi-dry flavor. Corresponds to a content of 35 and 50 g sugar per liter.
depot: Mainly with red wines, more rarely with white wines, solid components are deposited in the bottle due to aging, which must be removed before drinking. But it is not a wine fault. see decanting
thick: a wine is called that is very colorful and gives an impression of density and weight.
DO: Denominación de Origén is a designation of origin for Spanish wine. Approximately corresponds to the French AOC
DOC: Denominazione di Origine Controllata is a designation of origin for Italian wine. This controls over 350 appellations. Approximately corresponds to the French AOC
DOCa.: Denominación de Origén Calificada is the highest qualification for Spanish wine. Only approved for Rioja and Priorat
DOCG: Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita is the highest Italian classification for wine. It currently includes 34 wines.
Dosage: After disgorging the sparkling wine or champagne, the bottle is filled with so-called tirage liqueur. It is a mixture of sugar and wine that determines the sweetness of the product.
Doux: see sweet
Scent: Synonymous with smell.
fragrant: with a fine bouquet .
thin: aqueous

E.

Eiswein is a high quality, noble sweet wine specialty. It is made from frozen grapes.

Noble rot: see botrytis
sweet: are wines that are made from dried berries with a very high fructose content. The drying takes place partly already on the vine or by storage on straw mats.
Ice wine: The grapes to be pressed are harvested at night when there is frost of at least minus 7 ° C and processed immediately. The water content freezes, which concentrates the rest.
destemmer: see also berries
Producer bottling: The producer of the grapes presses the wine and also bottles it himself. See also Gutsabfüll
Educational system: An education system in viticulture is a characteristic stick structure made of old wood, whereby the planting distance, the support structure (sticks, stakes, tensioning wires, etc.) and the cut of the annual wood are decisive (length of cut, arrangement, formation).
Vinegar tinge: Wine sickness caused by microorganisms. Makes a sour wine.
extract

F.

Spring game: Wine from the Wachau , the quality is comparable to the German cabinet .
error: Changes in the wine that are not due to biological causes (such as contamination by bacteria or the like), but to contact with oxygen or materials that have given off scents (e.g. corks) or have been exposed to light or high temperatures.
fat: Synonymous with oily .
Flint: The smell of flint is particularly common in white wines from the Pouilly-sur-Loire area, such as Pouilly-Fumé .
fiery: an alcohol-rich wine is called that does not make you tired and (with moderate consumption) does not get intoxicated so quickly. It is also called warming.
Fillette: Bottle of 0.35 l, mainly used in the Loire Valley.
Filter shock: loss of taste in the wine caused by filtration. In some filtering processes, the wine to be clarified comes into contact with atmospheric oxygen to a greater or lesser extent, which can oxidize flavors and thus lead to a “dull”, less complex taste profile. Free sulphurous acid in wine can reverse this with increasing storage.
Filtration: Mechanical clarification of the wine that removes sediment .
final: see departure .
finesse: Quality term for an elegant, finely structured wine.
flesh: Feeling of fullness and density that a wine leaves in the mouth.
Folle Blanche: white grape variety, also called Gros Plant . Makes a sparkling white wine.
Foudre: (French) very large barrel with a capacity of 2,000 to 3,000 liters (often even more). The German Fuder holds 1,000 liters.
fresh: Wine whose taste conveys a stimulating feeling through fruity aromas, fruit acids or dissolved carbon dioxide.
Frizzante: Italian sparkling wine. Has less carbonic acid pressure than sparkling wine .
fruity: Fragrance and taste like fresh fruit (especially with young wines).
Fruit sweetness: In fortified wines such as sweet sherries , port wines , Madeiras , Rivesaltes or Banyuls , but also in Spätlese , Auslese , Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines , the residual sweetness must be clearly higher than in semi-dry wines.
fuchsia: Odor inherent in certain hybrid wines . It is said that it smells “like a fox and a bug”.

G

Gamay: Red grape variety that is very common. Standard grape variety for the production of Beaujolais , is grown almost exclusively in Beaujolais.
fermentation: A process created by the action of the yeast that converts the sugar in the grape juice or must into alcohol. According to Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac , one part of sugar is broken down into two parts of ethanol , two parts of carbon dioxide and heat.
Fermentation time: determines the intensity of the color and the tannin content of red wines .
compliant: Expression for fruity , fresh wine
Contains tannins: An extensive tannin content creates a feeling of light to medium astringency .
odor: The smell of a wine depends on many factors and can vary widely. With the nose you take in a wide variety of scents, for example flowers or fruit, wood or liquorice, venison or smoked meat. Even the smell of worn car tires has already been described. see Dr. Fischer (DLR Neustadt) flavor wheel .
taste: The sum of all the characteristics that are perceived in the mouth when tasted.
smooth: is the name of a wine in which mildness dominates over astringency.
Gewürztraminer: pink, very aromatic white wine grape variety.
Bright: If the wine has gone through a filtration process in which all organisms have been separated out (fine filtration), it is shiny. The name comes from the golden or ruby-colored sheen that such a wine shows. The preliminary stage of Glanzhell is Kellerhell .
smooth: Term for a wine that is flawless in terms of taste, but with few individual taste notes.
Glycerin: Polyvalent alcohol , slightly sweet, generated through the fermentation of the must , the causes and oiliness of the wine.
Gobelet: Type of pruning. The stick looks like an upside-down cup. '
Gran Reserva: Quality designation for wines from Spain. They must be at least five years old and have been stored in wooden barrels for two years.
Grand Cru: is a wine classification in France and means great growth . In Burgundy it is the highest quality level of a given location; In Bordelais , the term Grand Cru Classé refers to a specific château .
grassy: Taste note of wine that was made from insufficiently ripe grapes and thus contains more compounds such as malic acid and unripe tannins.
Pinot Gris: (Italian: Pinot Grigio) reddish grape variety, but mostly used for white wines. Grown in some European countries, including the New World. Delivers low-acid, but full-bodied wines.
Graves: Wine-growing area in the Médoc . But also a soil with high permeability, which is ideally suited for the cultivation of high-class wines.
Grenache: Red wine grapes in southern France and Spain. Makes fiery wines. Synonym Garnacha.
Gros Plant: see Folle Blanche
Green wine: Sour, still unripe wine. In other countries "young wine" is also called this.
Green harvest: Yield reduction, in which weak or poorly developed vines are removed from the vine before purification, ie while they are still "green". In the remaining ripe vines, this can lead to an improved extract content, but also to a higher must weight and a lower overall acid content.

H

harmonious: Well-balanced ratio of ingredients, especially sweetness to acidity / bitterness and tannins to alcohol / glycerin.
hard: too rich in tannin .
yeast: Saccharomyces . Very small, unicellular sugar mushroom, it causes the alcoholic fermentation of the must.
Downgrade: In France: loss of the right to use the AOC designation of origin . The wine can only be sold as table wine . In Germany, a wine that is just above an Oechsle limit can be downgraded to the next lower one in order to meet the quality standards of a winery.
Astringency: The high tannin content of the wine causes a rough taste sensation.
High growth: Quality level for the Riesling. Anchored in the wine law since 1987. In terms of quality it lies between the Q. b. A. and the cabinet . This term has nothing to do with the way the vines are raised.
High culture: A special pruning allows the vine to grow in height. In Germany combined with wire frame or stick training.
Hybrids: New grape varieties that are created by crossing two different grape species (original forms of the grape varieties such as Vitis vinifera , Vitis berlandieri , ...) in contrast to crossings between two varieties of the same species. Hybrid vines are also known as interspecific crosses.

I.

IGT: Indicazione Geografica Tipica . In Italy this designation was introduced in 1995 for country wines from certain growing areas. The quality is somewhere between simple table wines and DOC wines.
Impériale: Bottle with eight times the capacity, i.e. six liters.
INAO: Abbreviation for Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité . In France, the national institute that monitors compliance with the production conditions for AOC wines.
ITV: Abbreviation for Institut Technique de la Vigne et du Vin . In France, an organization that deals with the technology of vinification (winemaking), wine research and experimental breeding of grape varieties.

J

vintage: The year of the harvest of the wine. It should be stated on the main label for high quality wines. It is often stated on a smaller neck label or the back label.
Jeroboam: Term for a bottle with a volume of three liters, i.e. the capacity of four normal bottles.
young: is the name of a wine that has reached its peak a year after the harvest.

K

Came: A stale taste and a whitish veil are the symptoms of this wine disease, which is caused by kahm yeast (top-fermenting).
Cellar bright: this is the term used to describe a wine that has been separated from the yeast by racking and has undergone an initial coarse filtration . The cloudiness of a wine as bright as a cellar can only be seen in bright transmitted light, the gloss is still missing. If the wine has also gone through a fine filtration, in which all organisms have been separated, it is shiny .
Pressing: The grapes are made to burst so the juice can run out. Usually takes place in a press, but can also be initiated by the weight of the berries.
Church window: The wine swirled in the glass leaves streaks on the inside of the glass, caused by high glycerine , residual sugar and other extract content. This effect is also called a tear . Alcohol-rich wines produce stronger tears and pointed arched (Gothic) church windows, low alcohol wines produce weaker tears and rounded (Romanesque) church windows.
Claret (also clarett): Formerly the term for a "wine prepared by infusing spices and sweetened with sugar" (Meyers Konversationslexikon from 1888). Until 1995, the term used synonymously for rosé in Austria, which is now banned because Clairet (and similar names) is a traditional term reserved and protected in France.
clarification

L.

location: geographical place of cultivation, location of the vineyard.
Shelf life: Period of time during which red wines in particular can and should be stored in the bottle in order to achieve their optimal taste. See also bottle storage .
long: Name for a wine that a long-lasting good taste impression when leaving leaves in the mouth. See also caudalies
lively: is called a light, fresh wine in which the acidity dominates slightly but pleasantly.
light: is called a balanced, pleasant wine with a simple body and rather pale color. Should be drunk soon.
reading

M.

Macabéo: White grape variety mainly grown in Roussillon . Makes a pleasant wine even when young.
Maceration carbonique: see carbonic acid maceration
Macvin: A liqueur wine produced exclusively in the Jura , which consists of two thirds of grape must and one third of Marc (pomace brandy) and has approx. 18 percent alcohol (see e.g. Arbois )
Madeirous: Amber color taken on by aging of the wine, plus a slight Madeira taste. See also Madeirization .
Magnum: Bottle with twice the content, i.e. 1.5 liters.
Must fermentation: During the fermentation process, the solid components of the grapes remain in the fermentation container.
Mash hat (pomace hat): The formation of fermentation gases (mainly carbon dioxide) causes air bubbles to bubble out of the wine and lift solid mash components in the fermentation vessel so that they collect and solidify on top of the wine base. During fermentation, the vintner regularly breaks the mash cap with a stirring stick to ensure that all the desired ingredients in the mash are transferred to the wine.
Malbec: Red grape variety in the Bordelais, but is also called Côt in some areas .
Malolactic fermentation

N

Emphasis: Wine from the last pressing. It must not be added to the cuvées for making champagne.
sustainability: The long perception of a wine's properties, such as aroma and taste , after it has been swallowed or spit.
Nebbiolo: Red grape variety, cultivated mainly in northern Italy. Usually delivers deep red, tannin-rich wines.
Nebuchadnezzar: Term for a bottle with twenty times the content of normal bottles, i.e. 15 liters.
Negoce: in France, the wine trade with all its different professions.
Negociant-Eleveur: Wine merchant in France who not only trades in wine but also buys young wine in order to develop it and store it until it is ripe for bottling.
Negociant manipulator: In the Champagne region of France, a wine merchant who buys harvested grapes from other wineries in order to produce his own champagne cuvée. See also: Récoltant manipulant .
Negroamaro / Negro Amaro: Red grape variety, cultivated almost exclusively in southern Italy. Delivers full-bodied wines.
Nero d'Avola: Noble red grape variety, which is mainly grown in Sicily and delivers tannin-rich, storable wines.
annoying: is a wine if it is irritating to the mouth with an adequate acidity and other good properties.
Nielluccio: Red Sangiovese grape variety, which is grown under this name mainly in Corsica . It delivers wines with a long shelf life and very high quality. Particularly noteworthy is the Patrimonio .
Nouveau: is a term for the wine of the last harvest in France, see young wine

O

Oechsle: Unit of measure for the must weight of the wine . It is mainly used in Germany , Switzerland and Luxembourg .
OIV: The abbreviation for Office International de la Vigne et du Vin . This international wine office deals with questions of technology, economy and science related to viticulture.
oily: A wine that is “cuddly”, “soft” and “fatty” bears this name.
ONIVINS: In France, the abbreviation for Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins . This wine company is the successor organization to the former ONIVIT, it regulates and controls the French wine market and represents all professional groups in wine production and marketing.

The term perlage describes the tiny carbon dioxide bubbles in sparkling wine . Good qualities have a fine, long-lasting perlage.

Oenology: The science of viticulture and winemaking
Oenologist: Graduate of a viticulture school. Highly qualified specialists who professionally accompany all areas of viticulture and winemaking from the vineyard to bottling.
opaque: (Adj. To opacity ) For red wines for a deep red wine that lets in little light. Doesn't necessarily say anything about the quality of the wine.
oxidation: Changes in bouquet (see also complex ) and wine color when exposed to atmospheric oxygen. Partly deliberately brought about as micro-oxidation during expansion . To a larger extent and according to the predominant winemaking tradition of the New World, however, undesirable. Red wine often shows a color shift to rust brown (see brick red ), in France it is also called pelure d'oignon (onion skin), white wine to orange-yellow.

P

pasteurize

Pot Lyonnais

Pot Lyonnais: A special serving bottle in Beaujolais . This serving bottle has a particularly thick glass bottom, which makes it possible to keep the wine cool longer on the table. To do this, the bottle is cooled in the freezer beforehand.
Predicate wine

Q

Q. b. A.: in Germany the abbreviation for quality wine from certain growing areas . May be fortified with sugar to increase the alcohol content, is better than country or table wine .
Quality wine: see Q. b. A.
Quevri: (Georgian for "amphora") An aging process steeped in tradition in Georgia in which the wine is fermented in clay vessels that are buried in the ground. In the variant of the Kakheti style, kernels and stems are usually also deliberately fermented, which means that this wine can absorb a particularly large number of flavors from the plant. The trick is to let the desired substances pass into the wine.

R.

raisin: (French) grapes , grapes, not: raisins
Ratafia: Liqueur wine from Burgundy and Champagne. Here you mix grape juice with pomace brandy in a very specific ratio.
Smell or taste of smoke: Smell or taste reminiscent of smoked or roasted food. In the case of barrel expansion, this is based on the previous burning out of the barrels. The Sauvignon blanc grape, from which, among other things, Pouilly-Fumé is pressed, a type of grape variety, this grape is therefore also called Blanc-Fumé.
rough: astringent wine that scratches the oral cavity and throat, or causes a furry sensation.
Vine education system: An education system in viticulture is a characteristic stick structure made of old wood, whereby the planting distance, the support structure (sticks, stakes, tensioning wires, etc.) and the cut of the annual wood are decisive (length of cut, arrangement, formation).
Phylloxera: (Viteus vitifoliae), also called Phylloxera, plant louse originally from America. Introduced to Europe in the middle of the 19th century, it caused a catastrophe here. Mostly locally limited in Germany and Spain, some still resident today. In California (USA) she destroyed u. a. large monocultures of Merlot. In many places, the louse is eliminated by grafting it onto resistant root stocks.
Pruning: Pruning refers to the annual pruning of annual wood and corrections to the old wood. → pruning
Grape variety: The noble grapevine is available in several varieties, which are called grape varieties in viticulture . See also the list of grape varieties .
Récoltant manipulator: Winegrowers who also make their own champagne from their own grapes.
Residual sugar: is the sugar content remaining after fermentation. (Is given in grams per liter).
Riesling: is considered one of the best and most important white wine grapes
role: White grape variety that is mainly grown on the Côte d'Azur and Provence . Fine wines are made from it. Also city in Vaud.
Roussanne: White grape variety that is mainly grown in the Drôme department in France. Fine, well storable wines are made from it.
shake: In the production of sparkling wine , after the second fermentation is complete, the bottles are moved (shaken) in racks and turned upside down more and more. This causes the sediment (yeast) to move towards the cork, where it can later be removed during disgorging . The point of shaking is the optical clarity of the sparkling wine.

S.

Saignée- rose: After a short maceration, the rosé wine is drawn off from the fermentation tank. The mash is divided into the quantity intended for the production of the rosé wine. The rest remains with the berry skins and is influenced by them all the more intensely. The latter results in very tannic red wines.
Salmanazar: Term for a bottle with twelve times the content of normal bottles, i.e. nine liters.
clean: Term for a flawless wine with well-defined characteristics.
angry: Strongly “sour” taste, wine sickness caused by a vinegar tinge.
acid: A well-dosed acidity contributes to the balance of the wine. It gives it freshness and bite. If the acid content is too low, the wine tastes bland. If it is too high, the wine has a fault. See also acidity . Acids come from v. a. Tartaric , malic , citric , acetic and succinic acid .
Sauvignon Blanc: White grape variety, which results in a well storable, acidic wine. Grown in many countries. The taste, which varies depending on the style, is particularly characteristic of grassy, gooseberry and smoked food, hence also called blanc fumé.
scarf: Excessive exposure to atmospheric oxygen has oxidized the wine and has lost its entire bouquet.
sharp: Serious wine mistake. The wine is very tart because it combines too much acidity and tannins.
Sparkling wine: Generic term for all sparkling wines such as champagne, sparkling wine, crémant, cava, spumante or sparkling wine
Schillerwein: Wine made from red and white grapes grown in the same vineyard and harvested on the same day. The grapes are blended before the mash. Schillerwein has a shimmering pink color, but otherwise has nothing to do with rosé wine.
Fining: see clarification
tail: see departure
Black Burgundy: see Pinot Noir
Sulphurization: Adding sulfites to must or wine protects them from diseases.
heavy: is called a very voluminous wine with mostly high alcohol content.
sec: see dry
Semillon: White, noble grape variety mainly grown to the left and right of the Garonne . The famous sweet wines are made from it, for example: Château d'Yquem .
emerald: Is the highest quality designation for wines from the Wachau . The name comes from a small green lizard that lives in the vineyards of the Wachau.
Trellis: Support for grapevines or fruit .
Pinot Noir: see Pinot Noir
Spumante: Italian name for sparkling wine and sparkling wine.

Pile culture or stick culture describes an old form of vine training in Austria.

Steinfeder: Light wine from the Wachau , the name comes from the fine grass that grows in the Wachau.
Stickel: (also Stiggel ) refers to a post made of wood in traditional viticulture.
Stick culture

T

Tannins: Synonym for tannins. They contribute to the structure and should not be missing in the overall taste impression of the wine. Tannins come from the solid components of the red wine grape, but also from the wood when stored in wooden barrels. The idea that tannins contribute to the shelf life of wine is now considered obsolete.
tassée: (French) Small metal bowl with a handle that is used to taste the wine. Also called Tastevin in some places .
Temperature control: Targeted control of the temperature in the fermentation tank during fermentation.
Tempranillo: red grape variety, v. a. grown in Spain. Mostly spicy and with flavor components of red fruits. Can be stored well, but can also be drunk young.
texture: Texture and composition of the wine for the "mouthfeel"
deep: Full-bodied wine of high complexity.
Tinto

U

Cover-up: excessive use or overdosing of fining agents with a detrimental effect on wine quality. Covering can lead to an unintentional deterioration of the taste (e.g. tannin fining, activated charcoal filtering) or to renewed or increased clouding of the wine (e.g. with gelatin fining). Sometimes this technical mistake can be reversed. B. excessive gelatin can largely be bound again by adding silica sol and precipitate . Whether a wine affected by over-glossing can still be saved depends in detail on the fining agent used and the strength of the overdose.
Ugni Blanc

V

Vigneron in the French region of Champagne-Ardenne pruning the vines in winter

Veltliner: Grape variety, also Grüner Veltliner , grape variety grown mainly in Austria. Very dry, very good.
vendange: (French) harvest.
blend: Mixture of different wines, in Germany mostly cheap wines. In the case of good wines, made to further improve quality. Also used in lower quality wines to relativize individual weaknesses. Known in France as a coupage.
Versoaln: is the name of what is possibly the oldest vine in Europe . It is a white grape variety .
vieille vigne: (French) Old grapevines. They promise high quality because old vines produce very concentrated wine. Used as a description on the labels.
vigneron: (French) winemaker , winegrower, wine maker
vignoble: (French) the entire property of a winegrower's cultivation area.
Vin de Paille: "Straw wine" from the Jura ; Similar to the Appassimento technique (see Recioto di Soave ), the harvested berries are first dried on straw and then pressed. Shelf life of these white wines at least 40 years
Vin Jaune: "Yellow wine" from the Jura with a very long shelf life
Vinification: Winemaking.
Viticulture: in France viticulture with all its different professions.
full bodied: is said of a pleasant, soft wine that runs down the throat well.
clarify: Removal of the clear must from the sedimented lees between pressing and fermentation. Promotes slow fermentation and cleanliness
leader: The must that runs out of the vat without being pressed is called the forerun.
Pre-run wine: In winemaking, it is the wine that is obtained directly from the fermentation tank by racking .
VQPRD: in France the abbreviation for: "Vin de qualité produit dans une région déterminée" = quality wine from special growing areas. In France, the term includes all AOC wines and VDQS wines.

W.

warm: Wine rich in extracts and alcohol with a certain sweetness, which gives the feeling of inner warmth due to its alcohol content.
Thermoregulation: see temperature control
Female: This is the name given to wines that reveal a special lightness and tenderness.
soft: Smooth, pleasant wine with restrained tannins and acidity.
Wine trade cooper / wine cooper: Apprenticeship in the winemaking trade.
Tartar: Accumulation of tartar crystals in bottles or barrels.
Wine of Origin (WO): Since 1973 designation of origin for wines from South Africa. The seal on top of the bottle guarantees information on the origin, grape variety (s) and vintage.
spicy: Wine with pronounced spicy aromas such as cinnamon, cloves or pepper.

Z

brick red: Some red wines tend to take on a red-brown or brick-red color as they age.
Compilation: To produce a cuvée , several wines of "the same origin" are mixed together. Not to be confused with blending or splitting .

literature

Eero Alanne: The German winemaking terminology in Old High German and Middle High German times. Annales Academiae Scientiarum Fennicae. Series B; 65, I, Helsinki 1950.
Hans-Peter Althaus: Small dictionary of the wine language . Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-55017-7 .
Peter Blumenthal: The Linguistics of Wine Taste. A German-French language comparison. In: Journal for French Language and Literature 89 (1979), pp. 97–129.
Wine. Grape varieties, tasting, viticulture, cellar technology, international growing areas . 2nd Edition. Brockhaus, Mannheim, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-7653-0282-4 .
Émile Peynaud : The high school for wine connoisseurs. Albert Müller Verlag, Stuttgart a. a. 1984, ISBN 3-275-00843-9 .
Pierre Rézeau: Le dictionnaire des noms de cépages en français. Histoire et étymologie. Paris 1998.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Till Ehrlich : Comments on the crisis of wine criticism. On the way to a new credibility. In: Journal Culinaire. Culture and Science of Food. No. 6, Edition Wurzer & Vilgis, Münster 2008, ISBN 978-3-941121-06-5 , pp. 52-54.
↑ Maria Besse, Wolfgang Haubrichs , Roland Puhl (ed.): Wine words - wine culture. A European specialist dictionary in a linguistic, historical and cultural context. Contributions from the international and interdisciplinary colloquium Institute for Palatinate History and Folklore in Kaiserslautern, on 14./15. September 2007. Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz 2009. Treatises of the humanities and social science class. Year 2009, No. 3, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, (single publication), ISBN 978-3-515-09438-2 , p. 5.
↑ Maria Besse: Constance and change in the material culture: Wine words in the literature of the Middle Ages and the early modern times compared to the dictionary of the German winegrowing language. In: Maria Besse, Wolfgang Haubrichs, Roland Puhl (eds.): Wine words - wine culture. A European specialist dictionary in a linguistic, historical and cultural context. Contributions from the international and interdisciplinary colloquium Institute for Palatinate History and Folklore in Kaiserslautern, on 14./15. September 2007. Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz 2009. Treatises of the humanities and social science class. Year 2009, No. 3, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, (single publication), ISBN 978-3-515-09438-2 , pp. 5–62.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Émile Peynaud: The high school for wine connoisseurs. Albert Müller Verlag, Stuttgart a. a. 1984, ISBN 3-275-00843-9 , p. 163.
↑ ^a ^b Martin Darting: Sensorik. For practitioners and connoisseurs. Ulmer-Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8001-5961-1 , p. 14 f.
↑ Christine Krämer: Grape varieties in Württemberg. Origin, introduction, distribution and the quality of the wines from the late Middle Ages to the 19th century. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Tübingen 2006, ISBN 3-7995-5507-2 , p. 33 f.
↑ Extract ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) - Article in the wine dictionary at www.delinat.com@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.delinat.com
↑ Alcohol-rich wines ( Memento from April 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Round arch, pointed arch ( Memento from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
↑ Glycerin content
↑ pfalz.de Tresterhut ( Memento from February 13, 2018 in the Internet Archive )

[te52-54-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Till Ehrlich : Comments on the crisis of wine criticism. On the way to a new credibility. In: Journal Culinaire. Culture and Science of Food. No. 6, Edition Wurzer & Vilgis, Münster 2008, ISBN 978-3-941121-06-5 , pp. 52-54.

[bm5-2] Maria Besse, Wolfgang Haubrichs , Roland Puhl (ed.): Wine words - wine culture. A European specialist dictionary in a linguistic, historical and cultural context. Contributions from the international and interdisciplinary colloquium Institute for Palatinate History and Folklore in Kaiserslautern, on 14./15. September 2007. Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz 2009. Treatises of the humanities and social science class. Year 2009, No. 3, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, (single publication), ISBN 978-3-515-09438-2 , p. 5.

[bm62-3] Maria Besse: Constance and change in the material culture: Wine words in the literature of the Middle Ages and the early modern times compared to the dictionary of the German winegrowing language. In: Maria Besse, Wolfgang Haubrichs, Roland Puhl (eds.): Wine words - wine culture. A European specialist dictionary in a linguistic, historical and cultural context. Contributions from the international and interdisciplinary colloquium Institute for Palatinate History and Folklore in Kaiserslautern, on 14./15. September 2007. Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz 2009. Treatises of the humanities and social science class. Year 2009, No. 3, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, (single publication), ISBN 978-3-515-09438-2 , pp. 5–62.

[ép163-4] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Émile Peynaud: The high school for wine connoisseurs. Albert Müller Verlag, Stuttgart a. a. 1984, ISBN 3-275-00843-9 , p. 163.

[md14f.-5] Martin Darting: Sensorik. For practitioners and connoisseurs. Ulmer-Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8001-5961-1 , p. 14 f.

[ck33f.-6] Christine Krämer: Grape varieties in Württemberg. Origin, introduction, distribution and the quality of the wines from the late Middle Ages to the 19th century. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Tübingen 2006, ISBN 3-7995-5507-2 , p. 33 f.

[7] Extract ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) - Article in the wine dictionary at www.delinat.com@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.delinat.com

[8] Alcohol-rich wines ( Memento from April 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

[9] Round arch, pointed arch ( Memento from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive )

[10] Glycerin content

[11] z.de Tresterhut ( Memento from February 13, 2018 in the Internet Archive )