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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Jeroboam (double
Magnum) : |
Bottle able to contain 3
bottles of Champagne, or 6 bottles of Bordeaux |
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Jura : |
Wines made up of several
grape varieties: for red wines "Poulsard", "Trousseau" and "Pinot
Noir"; for white wines "Savigny", " Chardonnay" and
"Pinot"; and for yellow wines "Savigny". |
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| Klevener or Traminer,
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Vine plant from Alsace which is used to produce
flavoured white wines with low acid content |
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Lactic Acid : |
Acid which is formed at
the time of the malolactic fermentation of the wine. |
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Lagare
: |
Large, low granit vat
which has a capacity of 110 hectolitres, traditional vignification container for Douro
wine. |
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Lees : |
Deposit which forms in
the vats after fermentation or storage of the wine, forced from impurities, yeast, tartar
and residual matter from the crop. |
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Legs : |
When you swill wine in a
glass, it leaves a liquid film on the inside of the glass. These "tears" (as
they can also be called) are the result of the difference in evaporation and capillary
tension between the water and the alcohol, the latter evaporating much more quickly than
the water. As water is the principal constituent, there will be more tears when the
percentage of alcohol is higher. |
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Length on the
palate : |
The length of time in
which one continues to perceive the sensations of the wine after having swallowed or spat
the wine out; the duration of this time period is proportional to the quality of the wine. |
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Light : |
A low alcohol wine, not
much body |
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Louche : |
A wine troubled by the
presence of suspended particles which cause it to be cloudy. |
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Maceration : |
The prolonged contact of
the must and the sediments during fermentation; maceration is longer or shorter depending
on whether one wishes to obtain a red or rosé wine. It is during maceration that the
aromas and tannins are diffused. |
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Macération
préfermentaire : |
The soaking of the grape
before fermentation |
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Mâché : |
Wine of which the
balance has been destroyed either at the time of its drawing off or during transport. |
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Magnum : |
The contents of this
bottle are twice as much as the capacity of a normal bottle. In other words this bottle
contains one and a half litres. Bottles with a large capacity, like the magnum, allow
certain red wines to age better. |
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Malic acid : |
Acid abundant in green
grapes and which gives a tarty taste to the wine. |
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Malolactic
fermentation : |
Fermentation which
follows on from alcoholic fermentation and during which the malic acid is transformed into
lactic acid. The wine is therefore less acidic and softens. It is chiefly favorable to red
wines. |
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Marsanne
: |
Vine from which white
wine is made and which is found above all in Provence, Savoie and Algérie |
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Méchage : |
Opération qui consiste
à faire brûler une mèche de souffre dans un fût, ceci dans le but de l'assainir. |
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Medium-dry : |
Contrary to popular
belief, this term does not refer to a dry Champagne, but a rather sweet Champagne. |
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Médoc : |
Red wines obtained from
vines such as cabernet sauvignon and the cabernet franc. |
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Mercaptan
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Smell
of rotten eggs |
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Mou:
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Wine
lacking in character and body |
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| Click the relevant letter below for
other terms and words
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