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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| Gamay : |
A red vine with white
juice, exclusive to Beaujolais |
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|
| Garde : |
A wine which keeps a
long time, ages well and is worth leaving for a few years in order to fully enjoy. |
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|
| Goutte : |
In the making of red
wine, one talks about a "Vin de Goutte", a wine drawn directly from the barrel,
in other words it is obtained before the pressing of the wine harvest. It is the opposite
of "Vin de Presse" which is poured from the press. |
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|
| Grafting : |
Callus point between two
vine shoots. An operation made widespread after 1880, after the Phylloxera crisis, on
American vinestock. |
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| Grand wine : |
This corresponds to the
first blended wine from the best selections of a Bordeaux "grand cru" (great
wine) |
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| Grape-variety : |
Word used to indicate
the variety of the vine plant (Pinot, Riesling, etc....) The choice of the grape-variety
or varieties is chief to the quality of the wine, this is why each region chooses the best
suited to the particular soil. The ten biggest "classical" grape-varieties are:
for red wines "cabernet sauvignon", "pinot noir", "merlot",
"cabernet franc" and " syrah"; for white wines, "riesling",
"chardonnais", gewurztraminer" "sauvignon blanc", and
"muscat". |
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|
| Grappa : |
Eau-de-Vie (digestive
liqueur) produced in Italy |
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|
| Graves : |
The white wines come
from the Sauvignon and S?million grape varieties; the red wines from traditional Bordeaux
varieties. |
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|
| Greece : |
The strong Greek red
wines are produced from grape varieties such as the "Mavrodaphne", the
"Xinomavro" or even the "Liatiko". |
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|
| Harmonious : |
Wine with a balanced
level of alcohol acidity and sugar |
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|
| Heady : |
Wine with a high alcohol
content, warming |
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|
| Heavy : |
Wine lacking in finesse,
strong in alcohol and tannins |
|
|
| Hybrid : |
Said of a vine-plant
which is the result of a cross between two distinct types of wine. If the two varieties
which have been crossed are of the same family, an intraspecific hybrid is obtained; if
they are of different families, an interspecific hybrid is obtained. The most widely
spread crossbreeding is that of American and European species, which produces hybrids
resistant to phylloxera. Unfortunately the wines which result from this are only of
mediocre quality. |
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|
| Hydrometer : |
Instrument for measuring
the sugar content of the must. |
|
|
| Hygrometry : |
Rate of humidity in the
air : for optimum conservation of a wine the level of hygrometry in the cellar should be
about 70%. |
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|
| I.N.A.O : |
Institut National des
Appelletions d'Origine (National institut for Appelations of Origin); public organization
whose role is to determine and inspect production conditions of French wines which have
the "appellation d'origine contr?l?e". |
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|
| Iced / Chilled
: |
Action consisting of
cooling the wine. |
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|
| Imp?riale (Big
Bordeaux Bottle) : |
Bottle containing about
6 liters ( 8 bottles of normal size Bordeaux) and which is used for the conservation of
the Great Bordeaux wines. |
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|
| Incrustation : |
The formation of a crust
on the wine, in particular with port |
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Click the relevant letter below for
other terms and words
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