WINE LOVERS GLOSSARY
There are many different terms and words used
relating to wine and wine production, the following is a glossary of some of
these. For ease of access I have created different pages for the
various letters of the
alphabet.
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Cabernet-franc
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Red grape
variety, often blended with Cabernet-Sauvignon and Merlot in the Gironde in the
South-West. Its is the grape variety of the wines from the Loire region (Chinon,
Bourgueil…) |
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Cabernet-sauvignon
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Red grape variety
typical of the Bordelais, these dark wines are full of tannin in their youth. These are
wines that become soft in the mouth and delicate with age. |
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Capiteux : |
Wine with a high alcohol
content, warming |
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Chablis : |
Wine from the unique
Chardonnay vine |
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Chambrer ( bring
to room temperature ) : |
Act of leaving a wine in
a room which is not directly heated, with the intention of raising its temperature to
about 14-16°. This is suitable for most red wines. |
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Champagne : |
Only the Chardonnais, le
Pinot meunier and the Pinot noir are authorized to produce this wine. |
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Chaptalisation
(addition of sugar) : |
This is a way of
enriching the must with sugar, with the aim of obtaining a higher degree of alcohol in the
wine. This process obtains its name from the French Chemist Chaptal. This technique is
prohibited in many countries and controlled very strictly in the countries where it is
permitted. |
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Character : |
Wines are naturally full
of good qualities. These qualities themselves are defined by the grape variety or
varieties used to make the wine. |
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Chenin blanc : |
This is the exclusive
grape of all white wines coming from the Loire Valley ( Vouvray, Crémant de Loire ... ). |
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Citric acid : |
Acid present in green
and ripe grapes. |
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Claret : |
A light and fruity red
wine produced in the region of Bordeaux. |
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Clear : |
A pleasant wine, clean
and without any abnormalities. |
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Closed : |
Said of a wine which has
little olfactory expression, and has not opened as it should. |
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Cloudy / suspect
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Cloudiness caused by
visible particles in the wine. |
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Crushing : |
Optional procedure where
by the grape is crushed slightly just before barrelling for fermentation, in order to free
the juice contained in the pulp. Crushing does not apply to manually harvested grapes such
as the Gamay or even the Beaujolais grapes. |
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Click the relevant letter below for
other terms and words
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