Glossary

Elementary sour flavour caused by the presence of acids.

Basic component of a wine; the sum total of the various acids present.

Slightly sour or acidic.

A sensation perceived, at the back of the nose after swallowing the wine.

Mixing (or blending) wines of different varieties or ages.

Wine with too much tannin, causing sharp, rough sensations on the palate.

A wine in which the main components are correctly balanced.

A barrique (or keg) is a wooden barrel (generally made of oak) with a capacity of 225 litres, used for fermentation or in which the wine is left to develop.

Mixture of different grapes fermented together which will go to make a single wine.

(Bunch of flowers) the scents as a whole that a wine acquires with age.

Used to describe particularly rich and complex noses.

French term used for dry sparkling wine with residual sugars of less than 12 g/l.

An absence of foreign or unpleasant odour, straightforward and without any defects.

Groups of plants deriving from a single selected plant.

Indicates a specific vineyard or even a small part of one, in an area which is particularly suited to wine-growing.

The result of the assemblage or blending of a number of wines from different vintages and different areas, and usually forms the base for metodo classico sparkling wines.

Balanced, stylish wine.

A process by which the sugars contained in the grape juice are transformed into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

A wine which has been dulled or made insipid by excessive exposure to the air.

A sensation on the nose and palate caused by a good level of acidity combined with fruit flavours and fresh flower scents.

Typical of young wines which have fresh fruit noses and palates.

A wine which is particularly robust due to the high content of alcohol, glycerol and extract.

A wine whose components are all harmoniously balanced.

A grassy scent found particularly in young wines.

Wine with a low alcohol content but which is balanced and pleasant.

Young wine with some carbon dioxide present.

Wine which has reached an optimum stage of maturation

Slightly sweet wine, with slight residual sugars.

A wine which presents a slight saltiness on the palate.

Product resulting from the crushing of fresh grapes with an alcoholic volume of no less than eight degrees.

A wine which has been in contact with the air for too long and has acquired a darker colour and a maderised flavour.

A pale yellow colour reminiscent of straw.

Wine made from raisined grapes, which therefore has a high alcohol and sugar content.

A “ fountain “ of bubbles which forms in a glass filled with sparkling wine. The finer and more persistent the bubbles, the better the quality of the wine.

When the sensations that a wine produces on the nose and palate are long in length.

Wine which is ready to be drunk now, without any further ageing.

A wine with high alcohol content and plenty of body.

A wine which is smooth due to its sugar content, moderately acidic and full-bodied.

Analysis of the characteristics of a product using the sense organs.

More often than not a young wine, with a strong, almost excessive streak of acidity.

Refers to the length of flavour of a wine, when this disappears straight away.

Pleasant tactile sensations on the palate, due to the large amount of glycerol present.

A wine which has completed the fermentation process and does not show any noticeable signs of carbon dioxide.

This is all the basic components of a wine taken together (degree of alcohol, acidity, tannin level).

A wine which has a lack of or excess of one of its components.

A young wine whose nose is reminiscent of grape must.