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The redwinebuzz.com glossary compiles commonly occurring wine tasting jargon as well as terminology unique to the world of wine. This includes terms relevant to growing and production of wine. Where possible, we also provide a guide to pronouncing these names. See our Pronunciation Guide for an explanation of the notation. Browsing the glossary can be very informative. At redwinebuzz.com we firmly believe that even casual perusing of the material can be an active learning process. |
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
UC Davis: The University of California at Davis. One of the University’s 10 campuses, it is the alma mater of many prominent California wine makers. Its department of Viticulture and Enology is prominent and influential in the world of wine. UC Davis has been instrumental in California wine making through research and academics and has guided many developments in California’s Central Coast. Most significant, is the 1963 designation of Santa Barbara County as a Region I and II (the coolest rating for a wine growing region on the UC Davis Scale) by University Enologists Maynard Amerine and Albert Winkler. The department maintains a nursery of vines and its climate region rating scale (based on climate, soil and water) is used widely.
Ullage: (French wine making term). [oo-LAHDZH] [?] The pocket of air between the top of the wine and the cork. Since most wines are bottled for immediate consumption, the ullage is typically small. The size of the ullage indicates the amount of wine lost during bottle aging. It may also be an indicator of the quality of the wine, as wines with a lot of ullage (a large ullage) may be oxidized or have lost a portion of wine due to a faulty cork.
Vanilla: (wine tasting term). Vanillins are aromatic compounds found in many plants. They are found in wood of barrels made from American oak. Aging wine in these barrels imparts to it the smells and flavors of vanilla.
Varietal: A wine made from, and named after, a specific variety of grape. The laws governing wine production require that at least 75% of the blend must be composed of the grape variety after which it is named. The practice began in the United States in the 1950’s, and is gaining acceptance worldwide.
Variety: A specific grape such as Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Grenache, etc. See "varietal' above and "clone".
Vat: A large container for fermenting, ageing or storing wine. May be made of steel or oak.
Vegetal: (tasting term). Describes wines with aromas and flavors reminiscent of plants and vegetables. This is usually the result using unripe grapes to make wine. While in some wines, this characteristic, in small amounts, is pleasant and adds complexity, it is a major flaw in most wines.
Velvety: (tasting term). Describes a wine with a rich, silky or sumptuous texture. May be used to describe the quality of tannins.
Vendange tardive: [ven-DAHDZH tar-DEEV] [?] A French term for ‘late harvest’. This term indicates that the grapes were harvested later than normal. The fruit is typically more concentrated and contains more sugar as a result of ripening and some dehydration. The finished wine is typically sweet but some wine makers may elect to ferment the wine to a more dry style with a higher alcohol level.
Veraison: (from French: Vêraison).. [ve-RAI-zon] [?] The phase in grape development when the fruit becomes changes color after a period of growth. Alternately: 'verasion' (although this may be a misspelling).
Vieilles vignes: French term for ‘old vines’. [viel vin-yay] [?] A label designation indicating that the wine was made from grape vines that are (usually) over 30 years old. This is based on the belief that, as vines age, they are thought to produce fewer grapes which tend to be of a better quality than fruit from younger vines. This does not clearly seem to be a proven fact, but is nevertheless and increasingly popular annotation to labels.
Vin de pays: French term for ‘country wine. [VAHN duh-PAY] [?] It is the third-highest wine-quality level in France's official quality control system. The two categories above vin de pays are: appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and vin délimité de qualité supérieure (VDQS). Below vin de pays, is the vin de table level. The regulations for vin de pays differ frome th AOC only by allowing higher yields and lower minimum alcohol levels. This term is not to be confused with vin du pays, which means 'local wine' and is not a regulated designation.
Vin moussant: (French term). [vahn moo-SAHNT] [?] An all-encompassing term for any sparkling wine, regardless of origin.
Vinegar: A dilute solution of acetic acid. The common belief is that vinegar is the natural evolution of wine when exposed to air. This is an erroneous belief. Wine may oxidize and spoil, but it does not ‘turn’ into vinegar. Vinegar is made with the help of bacteria which convert sugar directly into acetic acid as part of their metabolic processes. This process bypasses the production of alcohol.
Vinification: All-encompassing term for winemaking.
Vintage: The year during which grapes are grown, harvested and vinified. By extension, a non-vintage or multi-vintage wine is a wine made from grapes grown during several different years.
Viscous: (tasting term). Describes wines with a thick and concentrated texture. The most extreme example of this are the sweet wines made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea resulting in Noble Rot.
Vitis labrusca: An American vine species. While its grapes produce poor wine, it is significant because it is the source of rootstock for grafted Vitis vinifera cuttings sine the latter is sensitive to Phylloxera.
Vitis vinifera: The vinifera species from which the classic wines Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Mourvèdre, Gewurztraminer, etc. are made.
Volatile acidity: (tasting term). Describes a wine with an unpleasant, acetone or vinegar-like nose resulting from excessive levels of acetic acid. This occurs in the presence of excess acetic bacteria. In small amounts it livens up the nose but is a fault when in excess.
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