These are the systems used in different parts of the world to measure the ripeness of grapes or their must weight. Equivalents are necessarily approximate.
Words in SMALL CAPITALS have their own entries elsewhere in the glossary.
Acidity Naturally present in grapes; gives red wine an appetizing ‘grip’ and whites a refreshing tang. Too much can make a wine seem sharp, but too little and it will be flabby. See also MALIC ACID, TARTARIC ACID.
Aging Essential for many fine wines and for some everyday ones. May take place in vat, barrel or bottle, and may last for months or years. It has a mellowing effect on a wine, but if the wine has too long in storage it may lose its fruit.
Alcoholic content Alcoholic strength, sometimes expressed in degrees, equivalent to the percentage of alcohol in the total volume.
Alcoholic fermentation Biochemical process whereby yeasts convert the grape sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, transforming grape juice into wine. It normally stops when all the sugar has been converted or when the alcohol level reaches about 15 per cent.
American Viticultural Area (AVA) American appellation system introduced in the 1980s. AVA status requires that 85 per cent of grapes in a wine come from a specified region. It does not guarantee any standard of quality.
Ampelography The study of grape varieties. Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AC or AOC) Official designation in France guaranteeing a wine by geographical origin, grape variety and production method.
Assemblage French term for blending of wines. Auslese German and Austrian category for wines made from selected bunches of grapes. The wines will be generally sweet and sometimes touched by noble rot or BOTRYTIS. Sometimes they are fermented dry, making rich, powerful wines.
Barrel aging Time spent maturing in wood, normally oak, during which the wines may take on flavours from the wood if new barrels are used. The gentle oxygenation caused by gaseous penetration through the pores of the wood is important to the aging process.
Barrel fermentation Oak barrels may be used for FERMENTATION instead of stainless steel. If new barrels are used for this, the integration of oak flavour is better than if the wine is merely put into barrels after fermentation.
Barrique The barrique bordelaise is the traditional Bordeaux oak barrel of 225 litres (50 gallons) capacity, used for aging and sometimes for fermenting wine.
Bâtonnage A traditional Burgundian practice of stirring the LEES of fine white wines, now increasingly taken up by producers around the world. It is occasionally used for red wines.
Baumé Hydrometric must weight scale which determines the sugar content of grape juice by measuring its density. This indicates the potential ALCOHOLIC CONTENT. Commonly used in France and Australia. See table here.
Beerenauslese German and Austrian QmP category for wines made from individually selected berries. Almost always affected by noble rot or botrytis fungus. The wines are sweet to very sweet. Beerenauslese from new, non-Riesling grapes can be dull but Riesling and many a Scheurebe and occasionally a Silvaner will be astonishing.
Bereich German wine regions, of which there are 13, are subdivided into Bereiche.
Bin number Australian system used by wine companies to identify batches of wine. Bin numbers are often used as brand names.
Biodynamic viticulture This approach works with the movement of the planets and cosmic forces to achieve health and balance in the soil and in the vine. Vines are treated with infusions of mineral, animal and plant materials, applied in homeopathic quantities according to the position of the planets.
Blanc de blancs White wine, especially Champagne, made only from white grapes. Blanc de Noirs is white wine from black grapes.
Blending The art of mixing together wines of different origin, styles or age, often to balance out ACIDITY, weight etc.
Bodega Spanish winery or wine firm.
Bordeaux mixture Copper sulphate, slaked lime and water, sprayed on to vines throughout the growing season to prevent downy mildew. It is one of the few chemical treatments permissable in organic viticulture.
Botrytis Botrytis is rot – a fungus which attacks grapes. Often rot is bad news; but under certain circumstances (see here) the fungus concerned, Botrytis cinerea, has beneficial effects. It is often known as noble rot and is responsible for many of the world’s great sweet wines.
Brix A scale used in the USA and New Zealand to measure sugar levels in grape juice. See table here.
Brut Term for ‘dry’, usually seen on Champagne labels and sparkling wines in the New World. In Champagne the term ‘Extra Dry’ is, in fact, slightly sweeter.
Cal-Ital A group of Californian wineries that promotes Italian grape varieties grown in California. Also refers to the wines.
Canopy The above-ground part of the vine, including stem, leaves and fruit.
Canopy management Term that includes pruning, training and everything that is done to control or alter the shape of the vine’s vegetation. It is aimed at regulating the position of the fruit within the canopy, and at controlling the amount of sunlight and shade on the fruit, to produce a crop of optimum size and ripeness.
Carbonic maceration Winemaking method traditional to Beaujolais and now often used elsewhere. Bunches of uncrushed grapes are fermented whole in closed containers to give well-coloured, fruity wine for early drinking.
Cava Spanish fizz made by the traditional method, as used in Champagne.
Cask Wooden (usually oak) barrel used for aging and storing wine. Known in France as foudres and Italy as botti.
Cépage French for ‘grape variety’. Often followed on labels by the name of a single variety, such as Merlot. In the southern Rhône and the Midi the expression cépage améliorateur or ‘improving variety’ refers to the better quality local grapes: Syrah, Grenache or Mourvèdre.
Chai French term for the building in which wine is stored.
Champagne method Traditional way of making sparkling wine by inducing a second FERMENTATION in the bottle in which the wine will be sold. Now known as the traditional method. The term Champagne method is, ludicrously, no longer legal currency.
Chaptalization Addition of sugar during FERMENTATION to raise a wine’s alcoholic strength. More necessary in cool climates where lack of sun may mean insufficient natural sugar in the grapes.
Château A wine-producing estate, especially in Bordeaux. Applied to all sizes of property.
Claret English term for red Bordeaux wine.
Clarification Term covering any winemaking process (such as FILTERING or FINING) that involves the removal of solid matter either from the must or the wine.
Classico Italian term for the heartland of a wine zone where its best wines are produced.
Climat French term for a specifically defined area of vineyard, often very small.
Clone Propagating vines by taking cuttings produces clones of the original plant. However, the term is more usually taken to mean laboratory-produced, virus-free clones, selected to produce higher or lower quantity or quality, or selected for resistance to frost or disease.
Clos Term for a vineyard that is (or was) wall-enclosed; traditional to Burgundy.
Cold fermentation Long, slow FERMENTATION at low temperature to produce wines of maximum freshness. Crucial for whites in hot climates.
Consorzio Italian for consortium or association, especially of wine producers. Each DOC has a Consorzio which lays down the rules for its region. The French equivalent is Comité Interprofessionel and in Spain Consejo Regulador.
Corked/corky Wine fault derived from a cork that has become contaminated, usually with Trichloranisole or TCA. Nothing to do with pieces of cork in the wine. The mouldy, stale smell is unmistakable.
Commune A French village and its surrounding area or parish.
Cosecha Spanish for ‘vintage’.
Côtes/Coteaux French for ‘slopes’. Hillside vineyards often produce better wine than low-lying ones.
Coulure Failure of the fruit to set after flowering, often accentuated by cold, wet or windy weather.
Crémant Traditional-method sparkling wine from French regions other than Champagne, e.g. Crémant de Bourgogne.
Crianza Spanish term used to describe both the process of AGING a wine and the youngest official category of matured wine. A Crianza wine is aged in barrel, tank and/or bottle for at least two years.
Cross, Crossing Grape bred from two Vitis vinifera varieties.
Cru French for ‘growth’. Used to describe a wine from a single vineyard.
Cru Bourgeois In Bordeaux, a quality ranking immediately below CRU CLASSÉ.
Cru Classé Literally ‘Classed Growth’, indicating that a vineyard is included in the official ranking system of its region.
Cryoextraction Technique of freezing grapes to remove excess water and increase concentration, adopted in Sauternes in the 1980s to improve lesser vintages.
Cultivar Term mainly used in South Africa for a single grape variety.
Cuve close or Charmat method A bulk process used to make sparkling wines. The second fermentation, which produces the bubbles, takes place in tank rather than in the bottle (as in the superior but more costly TRADITIONAL METHOD). Cuvée The term usually indicates a blend, which may mean different grape varieties or simply putting together the best barrels of wine.
Degree The alcoholic strength of wine, usually expressed in degrees equivalent to the percentage of alcohol in the total volume. It is used in a broad-brush way to classify regions by the warmth of their climate and determine which vines might succeed. Degree days A system devised to measure the growth potential of vines in a specific area in terms of the climate.
Demi-sec Confusingly, it means medium tending to sweet, rather than medium-dry.
Denominación de Origen (DO) The main quality classification for Spanish wine. Rules specify each region’s boundaries, grape varieties, vine-growing and winemaking methods.
Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) Portugal’s top quality classification. Rules specify each region’s boundaries, grapes, vine-growing and winemaking methods.
Denominacíon de Origen Calificada (DOC) New Spanish quality wine category, one step up from DO. So far only the Rioja DO has been promoted to DOC.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) Italian quality wine classification for wines of controlled origin, grape varieties and style.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) Top Italian quality wine classification meant to be one notch above DOC, with tighter restrictions on grape varieties, yields and a tasting panel. It is supposed to give recognition to particularly good vineyard sites.
Density The number of vines planted per hectare or acre.
DNA DNA fingerprinting techniques are being used to identify vine varieties. They can also identify the ancestry of vine varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, is now known to be the offspring of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Domaine Estate, especially in Burgundy.
Downy mildew Common vine fungus, also called peronospera, which destroys leaves and shrivels fruit. It can reach epidemic proportions in heavy rain.
Einzellage German for an individual vineyard. The name of the vineyard is generally preceded by that of the village, e.g. Wehlener Sonnenuhr is the Sonnenuhr vineyard in the village of Wehlen. Eiswein Rare German and Austrian wine made from grapes harvested and pressed while still frozen to remove the slimy, sweet concentrate. The water, in its icy state, stays separate. Known as icewine in Canada.
élevage French term covering all wine-making stages between FERMENTATION and bottling.
Embotellado de/en Origen Spanish term for ESTATE-BOTTLED.
Engarrafado na Origem Portuguese term for ESTATE-BOTTLED.
Enologist/Oenologist Winemaker. The role has become increasingly high profile in recent years.
Espumoso Spanish for ‘sparkling’.
Estate-bottled Wine made from grapes grown on the estate’s vineyards and then bottled where it has been made. In France, this is indicated on the label as mis en bouteilles followed by au domaine, au château.
Fermentation See ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION, MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION.
Filtering Removal of YEASTS, solids and any impurities from a wine before bottling.
Fining Method of clarifying wine by adding coagulants, traditionally egg whites, to the surface. As these fall through the wine they collect solids. They are removed and leave nothing of themselves behind.
Flavour or aroma compounds Substances in wine that can be smelled or tasted.
Flor Film of YEAST that grows on the surface of certain wines when in barrel, especially sherry. Protects the wine from oxidation, and imparts a unique taste.
Flying winemaker Term coined in the late 1980s to describe ENOLOGISTS, many of them Australian-trained, brought in to improve quality in many of the world’s under-performing wine regions.
Fortified wine Wine which has high-alcohol grape spirit added, either before or after the ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION is completed.
Foxy Used to describe the very distinctive, perfumed character of many American native and hybrid grapes, especially red ones. Usually a pejorative term.
Frizzante Italian term for lightly sparkling wine.
Garrafeira Portuguese term for high-quality wine with at least half a per cent of alcohol higher than the required minimum, that has had at least three years’ aging for reds, and at least one year for whites.
Geographical Indication (GI) Australian term to indicate the origin of a wine.
Grafting Since phylloxera the only sure method of growing grape vines. It involves grafting a cutting of Vitis vinifera on to a phylloxera-resistant American rootstock.
Gran Reserva Top-quality, mature Spanish wine from an especially good vintage, with at least five years’ aging (cask and bottle) for reds, and four for whites.
Grand Cru ‘Great growth’; the top quality classification in Burgundy, Alsace and Champagne. The Grands Crus of Bordeaux may be subdivided into different ranks, according to the region.
Grand vin Term used in Bordeaux to indicate a producer’s top wine. Usually bears a CHÂTEAU name.
Hectolitres 100 litres; 22 imperial gallons or 133 standard 75-cl bottles. See Measurements here.
Hybrid Grape bred from an interspecific crossing of an American vine species and European Vitis vinifera.
Indicação de Proveniência Regulamentada (IPR) Official Portuguese category for wine regions aspiring to DOC status.
Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) A quality level for Italian wines (roughly equivalent to French vin de pays) in between VINO DA TAVOLA and DOC.
InstitutNationaldes Appellations d’Origine des Vins et des Eaux-de-Vie (INAO) The organization in charge of administering the French appellation contrôlée system.
Kabinett Lowest level of German QmP wines. Made from ripe grapes, usually lighter in alcohol than ordinary QbA and often delicious. In Austria Kabinett is a sub-division of Qualitätswein.
KMW The Austrians use KMW or Klosterneuburger Mostwaage as a scale to determine the must weight or original sugar in freshly picked grapes. Like OECHSLE degrees in Germany, each quality category of wine sets a minimum number of KMW. See table here.
Late harvest Late-harvested grapes contain more sugar and concentrated flavours; the term is often used for sweetish New World wines. Vendange Tardive is the French term.
Lees Sediment – dead YEASTS etc – thrown by wine in a CASK and left behind after RACKING. Some wines stay on the fine lees for as long as possible to take on extra flavour. See BÂTONNAGE.
Lieu-dit Burgundian term for a single vineyard below the rank of PREMIER CRU that may nevertheless be named on the label.
Liquoroso Italian term for wines high in alcohol, often – but not always – fortified.
Maceration An important winemaking process whereby colour, flavour and/or TANNIN are extracted from grape skins before, during or after FERMENTATION.
Macroclimate Refers to the climate of a region. See also MESOCLIMATE, MICROCLIMATE.
Maderization A form of OXIDATION in white wines caused by heating, usually over a period of time. It takes its name from Madeira, which is the epitome of the style. Unintentional maderization, for example in a light white wine, is a fault.
Malic acid One of the two principal acids found in grapes (the other is TARTARIC). Levels of malic acid are significantly higher in cooler climates.
Malolactic fermentation Secondary fermentation whereby sharp, appley-tasting MALIC acid is converted into riper-tasting lactic acid and carbon dioxide; usually occurs after ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION. It is encouraged in red wines, softening them and reducing their acidity, but often prevented in whites to preserve a fresh taste, especially in wines made in warm regions, where natural acidity will be lower.
Maturation The beneficial AGING of wine.
Meritage American, primarily Californian, term for red or white wines made from Bordeaux grape varieties.
Mesoclimate Describes the climate of a specific geographical area, be it one vineyard or simply a hillside or valley. See also MACROCLIMATE, MICROCLIMATE.
Microclimate Describes the immediate physical environment of a vine. Often confused with MESOCLIMATE. See also MACROCLIMATE.
Mildew See DOWNY MILDEW and OIDIUM.
Millerandage The failure of some young grapes to develop normally on an otherwise normal bunch of grapes.
Mousseux French term for sparkling wine not made by the TRADITIONAL METHOD.
Musqué A French term meaning both musky and Muscat-like. Some grape varieties, for example Chardonnay, have a Musqué mutation which is particularly aromatic.
Must The mixture of grape juice, skins, pips and pulp produced after crushing (but prior to completion of FERMENTATION), which will eventually become wine.
Must weight An indicator of the sugar content of juice – and therefore the ripeness of grapes. See BAUMÉ, BRIX, KMW, OECHSLE and table here. Négoçiant French term for merchant or shipper who buys in wine from growers, then matures, maybe blends and bottles it for sale.
Noble rot See BOTRYTIS.
Nouveau, novello French and Italian terms for new wine. Wine for drinking very young, from November in year of vintage.
Oak The most common wood for wine CASKS. During aging or fermenting it gives flavours, such as vanilla and TANNIN, to the wines. The newer the wood, the greater its impact. French oak is subtler in flavour than American.
Oechsle In Germany, MUST WEIGHT is measured in degrees Oechsle; in effect, it indicates the level of sweetness in the juice. Each quality category has a minimum required Oechsle degree. See table here.
Oidium Common fungal disease, also called powdery mildew, attacking vine leaves, tendrils and shoots.
Organic There is no such thing, properly speaking, as organic wine, only organic viticulture. Term applied to an increasing number of wines which have been subjected to restrictive viticulture and winemaking practices. There are as yet no universally agreed regulations. Unlike BIODYNAMISM, the concept is simply to eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Oxidation Over-exposure of wine to air, causing loss of fruit and flavour.
Passito Italian term for strong, sweet wine made from dried or semi-dried grapes.
Pétillant French for semi-sparkling.
Phenolics Chemical compounds found in the pips, stalks, skins, juice and pulp of grapes, especially in red ones. Also known as polyphenols, they include tannins, colour-giving anthocyanins and flavour compounds.
Phylloxera Vine aphid (Phylloxera vastatrix) which devastated viticulture worldwide in the late 19th century onwards. Since then, the vulnerable European Vitis vinifera has been grafted on to phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks. Phylloxera has never reached Chile and parts of Australia, so vines there are ungrafted and can live up to twice as long – if allowed to.
Plafond limité de classement (PLC) A French system whereby the maximum YIELD permitted within an APPELLATION CONTRÔLÉE is increased in abundant years.
Prädikat One of the six German QUALITÄTSWEIN MIT PRÄDIKAT or QmP categories of wine.
Premier Cru ‘First growth’; the top quality classification in parts of Bordeaux, but second to Grand Cru in Burgundy. Used in Champagne to designate vineyards just below Grand Cru.
Prohibition 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, passed in 1920, banning the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages; the measure ruined many wineries, but some survived making grape juice, communion and medicinal wines. Repealed in 1933.
Pruning Method of trimming the vine which takes place mainly in the dormant winter months. Also the primary means of controlling the YIELD.
Pulp The flesh of the grape.
Pumping over The process, called remontage in French, whereby the fermenting must is drawn over the cap of skins in the vat. Essential for red wines. It helps to extract colour and tannin.
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) German wine classification for ‘quality wine from designated regions’ – the German equivalent, in EU terms, of French AOC and Italian DOC. Most QbA wines are distinctly ordinary in quality; only buy QbA wines from good growers.
Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) German wine classification for ‘quality wine with distinction’. There are six categories, in order of increasing ripeness of the grapes: KABINETT, SPÄTLESE, AUSLESE, BEERENAUSLESE, TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE and EISWEIN. Some wines (usually Kabinett or Spätlese) may be Trocken (dry) or Halbtrocken (half-dry). Austria has a similar system but regards Kabinett as a subdivision of simple Qualitätswein. Other Austrian Prädikats are Ausbruch (between Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese) and Strohwein.
Quinta Portuguese farm or wine estate.
Racking The transferring of wine from one barrel to another, leaving the LEES or sediment behind. Racking also produces aeration necessary for the aging process and softens TANNINS.
Rancio Style of wine that is deliberately oxidized; either naturally strong or fortified, it is aged in the sun in glass bottles, earthenware jars or wooden barrels.
Récoltant French for ‘grower’. They may make their own wine or sell the grapes to a merchant or NÉGOCIANT.
Reserva In Spain, quality wine from a good vintage with at least three years’ AGING (cask and bottle) for reds, and two for whites. In Portugal it designates wine that has an alcohol level at least half a per cent higher than the minimum for the region.
Reserve Many New World producers use this term, or similar ones such as Private Reserve and Special Selection, freely on their wine labels to indicate different wine styles or a special selection rather than a better wine. It has no legal meaning.
Reverse osmosis Method of MUST concentration whereby the wine or juice to be concentrated passes through a filter, leaving the water behind. Other methods of must concentration include evaporation in a vacuum and CRYOEXTRACTION.
Rhône Ranger A phrase coined in the 1980s in California to describe local winemakers fascinated with traditional Rhône grape varieties, especially Syrah and Viognier.
Ripasso Valpolicella wine refermented on the LEES of Amarone della Valpolicella to give extra richness. Riserva Italian term for wines aged for a specific number of years according to DOC(G) laws.
Rootstock The root of the vine on to which the fruiting branches are grafted. Most rootstocks are from PHYLLOXERA-resistant American vines.
Rosado, rosato Spanish, Portuguese and Italian for pink wine or rosé.
Sec French for ‘dry’. When applied to Champagne, it actually means medium-dry.
Second wine A CUVÉE put together from wines selected out of a producer’s main wine. It may come from young vines or from less favoured parts of the vineyard. Usually lighter and quicker-maturing than the main wine.
Sekt German term for sparkling wine.
Solera Blending system used for sherry and some other FORTIFIED wines. When mature wine is run off a cask for bottling, only a quarter or so of the volume is taken, and the space is filled with similar but younger wine from another cask, which in turn is topped up from an even younger cask, and so on.
Spätlese German QmP category for wines made from ‘late-picked’ (therefore riper) grapes. Often moderately sweet, though there are now dry versions.
Spumante Italian for sparkling.
Sugar Naturally present in grapes. Transformed during FERMENTATION into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Sulphur Commonly used during vinification as a disinfectant for equipment; with fresh grapes and wine as an anti-oxidant; and added as sulphur dioxide to the MUST to arrest or delay FERMENTATION.
Supérieur French term for wines with a higher alcohol content and made according to slightly stricter rules than the basic AC.
Superiore Italian term for wines with higher alcohol, maybe more AGING too.
Super-Tuscan English term for high-quality, non-DOC Tuscan wine.
Sur lie French for ‘on the LEES’, meaning wine bottled direct from the FERMENTATION vat or cask to gain extra flavour from the lees. Muscadet is the most famous example.
Tafelwein German for ‘table wine’, the most basic quality designation.
Tannin Harsh, bitter element in red wine, derived from grape skins, pips, stems and from aging in oak barrels; softens with time and is essential for a wine’s long-term aging. Producing wines with ripe TANNINS that may be drunk earlier is a priority of red winemaking these days.
Tartaric acid One of the two most important acids naturally present in grapes, the other being MALIC. It tends to be the predominant acid in warm areas. It may be added during FERMENTATION to correct LOW ACIDITY.
Teinturier Black vinifera grapes with red pulp. All other vinifera grapes have colourless pulp. Teinturier grapes are usually inferior in quality.
Terroir A French term used to denote the combination of soil, climate and exposure to the sun that makes each vineyard and region unique. It is the basis of the French APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTRÔLÉE or AC/AOC system.
Traditional method The accepted term for what used to be called the CHAMPAGNE METHOD. The Champenois have succeeded in preventing other regions from using the term.
Training Method of vine management using a permanent vine structure, either free-standing, up stakes, along wires or onto a trellis or training system, which will determine the type of PRUNING.
Trocken German for ‘dry’.
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) German quality wine category for wines made from individually picked single grapes, shrivelled by noble rot – often the highest level of sweetness.
University of California at Davis (UCD) The leading US viticultural research institute and college for aspiring wine-growers and winemakers. Varietal The character of wine derived from the grape; also wine made from, and named after, a single or dominant grape variety and usually containing at least 75 per cent of that variety. The minimum percentage varies slightly between countries and, in the USA, between states.
Vendange tardive See LATE HARVEST.
Vieilles vignes Wine from old vines. The term has no legal weight, and ‘old’ may mean 25 or 100 years.
Vigneron French for ‘wine-grower’.
Vigour The growth rate of the vine. Vigorous vineyards are often, but not always, associated with high yields. Soils, too, may be regarded as having low or high potential vigour according to the growth of vines planted on them.
Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) Second category of French wines, below AC, abbreviated to VDQS.
Vin de garage Wines made on so small a scale they could be made in one’s garage. Particularly applies to some wines from Bordeaux’s St-Émilion area. Such wines may be made from vineyards of a couple of hectares or less, and are often of extreme concentration. Vins de garage are highly fashionable and sell for high prices.
Vin de paille Wine made by drying the grapes on straw (paille) before FERMENTATION. This concentrates the sugar in the grapes: the resulting wines are sweet. Mostly from the Jura region of France. Similar wines may be made in other countries, for example Italy and Austria.
Vin de pays French for ‘country wine’. Although it is the third category in the official classification of French wines, it includes some first-class wines which don’t follow local AC rules.
Vin doux naturel (VDN) French sweet wine fortified with grape spirit. Mostly from Languedoc-Roussillon.
Vin Santo Historic but extremely variable sweet white wine from Tuscany and Italy. Called Vino Santo in Trentino.
Viña Spanish for ‘vineyard’.
Vinification The process of turning grapes into wine.
Vino da tavola Italian for ‘table wine’. Quality may be basic or exceptional, although many of these latter wines are now being reclassified as INDICAZIONE GEOGRAFICA TIPICA or IGT.
Vino tipico New Italian category for VINO DA TAVOLA with some regional characteristics.
Vintage The year’s grape harvest, also used to describe the wine of a single year.
Viticulture Vine-growing and vineyard management.
Vitis vinifera The species of vine, native to Europe and Central Asia, responsible for all the world’s fine wine, as opposed to other species such as the native American Vitis labrusca, which is still used in the eastern USA to make grape juice and sweetish wines but which is more suited to juice and jelly manufacture.
Wine of Origin (WO) South African system of controlled appellations which certifies the wine’s area of origin, grape variety/varieties and vintage.
Yeast Organism which, in the wine process, causes grape juice to ferment. In the New World it is common to start FERMENTATION with cultured yeasts, rather than rely on the natural yeasts, known as ambient yeasts, present in the winery.
Yield The amount of fruit, and ultimately wine, produced from a vineyard. Measured in hectolitres per hectare (hl/ha) in most of Europe and in the New World as tons/acre or tonnes/hectare. Such figures on their own are, however, meaningless unless taken in conjunction with the density of planting. It is the yield per vine that is important, and a yield of 50hl/ha will obviously give very different wine at 2000 vines per hectare than at 10,000 vines per hectare. High yields are traditionally associated with lesser quality, because the larger the quantity of grapes per vine the less chance the vine has of ripening them successfully. However, reducing the yield per vine below a certain point will not improve quality. Modern viticultural techniques such as the production of virus-free clones tend to increase yields, and modern methods of canopy management may enable larger crops to be ripened successfully. Ascertaining the optimum crop for a vineyard so that the ideal size of crop may be brought to ideal ripeness is the aim of many viticulturalists. This is rather overturning the traditional idea that small yields are invariably better than high.
Mass
1 metric tonne = 0.9842 imperial ton
1 imperial ton = 1.016 metric tonne
Surface area
1 hectare (ha) = 10,000 square metres = 2.471 acres
Temperature
To convert Celsius into Fahrenheit, multiply by 1.8 and add 32. To convert Fahrenheit into Celsius, subtract 32 and multiply by 0.5555.
Volume/capacity
1 hectolitre (hl) = 100 litres = 22 gallons (British) or 26 gallons (USA)
1 USA gallon = 3.78 litres
Yields
In Europe these are measured in hl/ha. To convert to tons/acre (the system used in the New World) use the figure of 18hl/ha = 1 ton/acre. This is necessarily an approximate conversion.