badridzhnis khizilala – a kind of eggplant caviar.
Cape Mentelle Cabernet – a robust, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon wine from one of the first vineyards established in the Margaret River region of Western Australia.
Chacha – a brand of vodka made from Rkatsiteli grapes which are also used to make white wine.
charkhlis mkhali – Georgian beetroot salad (aka pkhali).
Château Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc – one of the great estates of Châteauneuf in the Southern Rhône of France. Long-lasting wines with a particularly wonderful blanc made predominantly of Roussanne.
Château Cheval Blanc – one of the great estates of Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of Bordeaux. Unusually for Bordeaux, the estate has a high percentage of Cabernet Franc vines, giving it rich, fragrant wines.
Château Cos d’Estournel – arguably the great estate of the appellation of Saint-Estèphe, on the left bank of Bordeaux.
Château Coutet – elegant, fine, zesty style of Sauternes.
Château Guiraud – high-class, more robust style of Sauternes with more Sauvignon in the blend than most Sauternes.
Château Haut-Brion – a superb first growth (there are only five first growths) of Bordeaux. The first wine in the world to have its own label, in 1660. Refined, harmonious wine that can live . . . almost forever if well cellared.
Château Lafite Rothschild – first growth of the major appellation of Pauillac (three of the five first growths are in Pauillac). Some will say it is the greatest red wine of Bordeaux. Particularly engaging for its perfume of roasted herbs and spices. Refined and seductive, rather than weighty.
Château Larose (Gruaud-Larose) – large second growth estate (château) in the appellation of Saint-Julien on the left bank of Bordeaux.
Château Latour – the monumental, aristocratic first growth commanding the prime position of the riverfront at Pauillac on the Gironde. Can be the most imposing, structured wine of the five first growths.
Château Margaux – maybe my favourite Bordeaux wine. The charming, supple, refined first growth of the appellation of Margaux in Bordeaux.
Château Mouton Rothschild – first growth estate of Pauillac on the left bank of Bordeaux. Can be quite voluptuous and concentrated. Famous also for commissioning some of the great artists of the twentieth century to paint its labels.
Château Pichon Baron – brilliant second growth of Pauillac, on the left bank of Bordeaux. Exceptionally located next to Latour and other great estates. Arguably the most photographed château in the entire region.
Château Raymond-Lafon – rich, very good Sauternes neighbouring the monumental Château d’Yquem.
Château Rieussec – very good Sauternes also neighbouring Château d’Yquem. Now owned by Château Lafite Rothschild, and the quality of the wine has improved accordingly.
Château Suduiraut – superb Sauternes estate in the same ownership as one of my favourite Bordeaux, Château Pichon Baron. Luscious Sauternes with good vitality and energy.
Château d’Yquem – please refer to here.
classified growths (crus classés) – Emperor Napoléon III had the best wines of Bordeaux classified into five levels (first, second, etc.) for the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris. The wines included became known as classified growths.
Clonakilla Shiraz – the most prominent and probably the best winery in the Canberra region.
deda-khelada – a big Georgian wine jug, aka mother-jug.
Dom Pérignon – the luxury cuvée (wine) of the Moët & Chandon group (owned by LVMH) and named after the legendary cellarmaster who first blended Champagne.
dry red – a wine that is fermented to the point where there is no apparent sweetness. Most red wines would be considered dry reds.
fill level – the question of how full a bottle is. As a wine ages, some wine may evaporate through the cork. Ideally a wine will have a high fill level relative to its age.
green pruning – the removal, between spring and summer, of excessive vegetation from very lush vines.
Guyot – a pruning technique for grape vines. The system trains one or two fruiting arms along a main trellis wire.
Hennessy Jubilee Cognac – a rare cognac produced by the esteemed cognac house of Hennessy to coincide with reigns of monarchs.
ikhvis chakhokhbili – Georgian duck stew.
2000 Jasper Hill Nebbiolo – one of the first vintages of Nebbiolo for the Heathcote, Victoria, winery Jasper Hill.
kantsi – a Georgian wine horn.
Kardenakhi Port – fortified wine (like port) from the Georgian region of Kardenakhi.
khachapuri –Georgian cheese bread.
Khikhvi – a Georgian wine that can be produced in light dry, semi sweet, sweet, and, as we tasted at Savane Number One, fortified styles.
khinkali – dumplings.
Kvareli – a Georgian wine from the fertile Alazani river valley northeast of Tbilisi.
kvevri – large earthenware vessels used to make wine in the traditional Georgian method, and now fashionable with some modern winemakers.
lobio – kidney bean salad.
machari – new wine ready for fermentation in kvevri.
marani – where kvevri are stored.
Mas de Daumas Gassac – high-class pioneering winery in the Languedoc region of France.
Massandra Winery – the official Imperial Russian winery, still based in the Crimea.
museum wine – a term that I use with ‘rare’ to title our exceptional tastings and sales of ‘rare and museum wines’ which include wines that are old, rare and one might consider belong in a museum rather than a wine cellar.
Napareuli – a Georgian wine variety.
Palmer – a significant neighbour of the sublime Château Margaux and probably the second best wine of the Margaux appellation in Bordeaux. There is 40 per cent Merlot in the blend, which is unusual in Margaux.
1980 Penfolds Bin 80A – a special release of Penfolds, being a blend of approximately two-thirds Cabernet from Coonawarra and one-third Shiraz from Kalimna.
Penfolds Grange – the flagship wine of Australia’s most prominent winery, Penfolds, and internationally, of the Australian wine industry.
phylloxera – a tiny yellow insect that feeds on the roots, and sometimes the leaves, of grapevines.
Picardan – a grape variety used in the Southern Rhône region of France.
premier cru – a term used in French wine classifications and referring to wines of superior quality.
Saamo – a Georgian sweet wine.
Salkhino – a Georgian sweet wine.
Sauternes – the district of Bordeaux that makes France’s best sweet wines. Rich, luscious, exotic and hedonistic at their best.
Spotikach – a wine from the region of Spotikach in Russia.
tevzis buglama – Georgian salmon stew.
Tsinandali – a white Georgian wine fermented at cool temperatures that displays an aroma of quince, stone fruit and citrus.
Union des Grands Crus – a voluntary association of Bordeaux Châteaux (most of the very best) with the aim of developing promotional initiatives for their wines around the world. They conduct many brilliant and extensive tastings and dinners.
Vinotech/Vinoteque – climate-controlled cabinets and cellars designed to create the ideal storage conditions for wine.
vins blancs classés (white wines) – simply translated to ‘white wine classes’. Sometimes used in Bordeaux, and elsewhere, for white wines of superior quality.
1990 Wendouree Shiraz – a tiny producer in the Clare Valley of South Australia. Highly sought-after wines of great ageing ability.
Wolfberger Altenberg de Bergheim – a Gewurztraminer wine from the Alsace region of France.