Biodynamic: practice of growing grapes following the rules set down by Rudolf Steiner, essentially linked to the phases of the moon and the use of composts and herbal infusions prepared according to specific recipes and applied in minimal quantities.
Blanc de blancs: white wine made only from white grapes, most frequently chardonnay.
Blanc de noirs: white wine made from red grapes, for example from pinot noir.
Chaptalization: addition of sugar to pressed grape juice to increase the alcohol level of the resulting wine.
Clones: vines originating, by cuttings, from a single vine of a specific variety and therefore having specific characteristics within those common to the variety.
Green harvesting: removal of some unripe grapes, usually at veraison, to give the remaining fruit better opportunity to ripen well.
Hectare: 10,000 square metres, 2.47 acres; an average-size football pitch is just under three-quarters of a hectare.
Hectolitre: 100 litres, approximately 22 gallons or 133 75 centilitre wine bottles.
Malolactic conversion: process changing tart malic acid (a natural component of fermented grape juice) to softer lactic acid.
NV: non-vintage, i.e. wine made from several grape harvests rather than a single year’s.
Oenology: study of winemaking rather than vine-growing.
Terroir: broad term summing up the characteristics of a particular vineyard, including soil, bedrock, climate, exposition, perhaps even the grower’s input.
Veraison: stage of grape development when the berries swell, soften and their skin changes colour.
Vintage: year in which a wine is made, shown on the label.
Viticulture: the practice of growing vines.