The Dictionary of Wine

December 31, 2024

Acidity

Present as the sum of several acids, the natural acidity in grapes is responsible for the freshness and vigor that we associate with a wine. We say that a wine that lacks acidity is “flat”, “tiring”

Aeration

Letting the wine breathe for a period of time; helps oxygenate the wine to enhance its aroma, tones and texture

Anthocyanins

Phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties that give color to red wines; are found in the skin of grapes, currants, raspberries, blackberries or eggplant

The bow or tear of wine

The bow or tear of wine or what the French call “les larmes / les jambes du vin” are the drops that adhere to the walls of the glass after a wine is stirred in a circular motion, and then drain slowly, gravitationally

Aroma

According to their origin, aromas are divided into three large categories: 1. primary or varietal aromas, given by the grape variety from which the wine is made; 2. secondary aromas, which are formed during the fermentation phase of the must; 3. tertiary aromas, which give the wine’s bouquet – they are formed during the wine maturation process in wooden barrels and during the aging period in the bottle

Blend

Harmonized mixture of musts or wines, coming from the same winery, from the same terroir, with the aim of highlighting all the musts and/or participating wines; when creating an assemblage, the starting point is the image of the finished wine and the work is done in that direction

Astringency

Sensation of roughness felt in the mouth (inside the cheeks), caused by tannin.

Barrel

Barrel with capacities ranging between 135 and 400 liters used for the transport and storage of wines, oils, alcohol, usually made of oak; at SERVE we chose to use barrels with a capacity of 225 liters for the maturation of wines. For white wines, the barrel lids are made of acacia wood

Batonage

Operation that is carried out during the maturation of wines, after fermentation, and consists of resuspending the yeasts deposited at the bottom of the barrel in order to keep them in contact with the wine, to extract the components that give complexity and consistency to the wine

Husks of grapes

Residues (bunches, skins, pips) when obtaining the must in the presses

Cask/Vat

Large-capacity barrel (reg. lager); large tub, approximately 2m high, with a capacity of 400-500 decaliters to hold wine or brandy (pălincă)

marc

Mixture of solid parts (pieces of skin, pulp, seeds, impurities) resulting from the mechanical processing of grapes (transport, crushing, destemming)

Decantation carafe

Long-necked cup with a convex bottom that is generally used to separate the wine from its deposits in the case of an old wine cellar / collection wine, with deposits

Browning

A defect in the wine that modifies the clarity, color, taste or transparency of the wine; depending on the factors that cause it, it can be of several types: oxidized or brown, protein, metallic, white, blue, coppery.

“Cap”

Compact mass formed by the skins and seeds of grapes, found on the surface of fermenting wines.

bung

Wooden plug, of truncated cone shape, with which the hole of the barrel is plugged; expression: “to give a cep” (to a barrel, a barrel, etc.) = to start a barrel, a barrel, etc. full of wine (or other liquid), by making a hole in it. 2. portion of the stem of a rootstock, which is left above the scion until it develops, in order to protect it. 3. portion of the 1-year-old cord, with 2-3 eyes, left at dry cutting, in order to obtain the fruit elements for the current or next year, or for the fruit in the case of short cutting

Chips

Oak fragments used for the maturation of wines, a term that comes from the English language

CMD

Which refers to grapes – picked at full maturity

Rip

Represents the removal, during the vegetative rest period, of the roots grown from the scion and those from the upper floor of the rootstock, in order to determine the plant to form deep roots resistant to water shocks and of the shoots given from the rootstock

Blend

Also known as “equalization of wines”, represents the combination of two or more wines or musts, in order to standardize the parameters of alcohol, acidity, aromatic profile, etc.

Must settling

Operation that consists of removing the bubbles from the must, before the alcoholic fermentation begins. It is used for white and rosé wines and results in the “clarification” of the must

Disgorging

Term encountered in the production of sparkling wines, by fermentation in the bottle, represents the removal of the yeast deposit formed

Tasting

Leisurely and enjoyable consumption of (food or) drinks

DOC

Controlled designation of origin; these designations are regulated by European and Romanian legislation

Screw cap stopper

Aluminum stoppers provided with a thread and a saranex gasket (a plastic material that acts as a protection against agents such as oxygen, water vapor, odors or numerous chemical agents). These screw caps are recommended for young, full, lively wines because they preserve freshness and there is no risk of a cork defect; they are very popular with wines from the new world: Australia, New Zealand, Chile, but they have also begun to be used in the old world of wine (France, Italy)

Yeast

Microorganisms whose role is to transform sugar into alcohol.

Extract

All of the non-volatile components of the wine; the extract gives the wine its body and richness; the total dry extract represents the sum of all the substances in the wine, which under certain well-determined physical conditions do not volatilize, but remain in the form of residues.

Powdery mildew

Microscopic fungus that attacks the green organs of the vine plant (young strings, leaves, flowers, berries). It is a disease that affects production both quantitatively and qualitatively. The vine is treated using sulfur-based products.

Alcoholic fermentation

Stage of winemaking in which the sugar in the grapes is transformed into alcohol; this transformation is carried out by the action of yeasts.

Malolactic fermentation

Indispensable stage in the evolution of red wines. Under the action of malolactic bacteria, malic acid (with a green apple taste, astringent and aggressive) is transformed into lactic acid (creamy, velvety taste). Thus, we say that the red wine “gains roundness”.

Filtration

To separate the homogeneous parts from a heterogeneous mixture using a filter

Glycerol

Natural component of wine that gives it smoothness and velvetyness

PGI

Protected geographical indication

Maceration

Process by which the liquid part (the must) is in contact with the solid part (grape skins and seeds), with the aim of extracting odorous and coloring substances.

Downy Mildew

Microscopic parasites that attack the green organs of the grapevine plant – the leaves. It is a disease that threatens production in terms of quantity, and can completely destroy a harvest through the effect of wilting the leaves. It is treated with copper-based products.

Maturation

Term that signifies the ennoblement of wine during storage.

Must

Unfermented grape juice that contains fragments of skin, seeds and pulp, juice that is the basis of the future wine.

Stabilization

Reduction of grape production per hectare in order to favour the ripening of the grapes and therefore the quality.

Note

Taste data, undertones and textures that you feel after tasting a wine

Oxidation

A chemical reaction by which an oxygen atom is added to the molecule of a substance; on the principle of “more is more”, oxidation of wine, unlike oxygenation – aeration, is generally not desired; in the production of wines, which are mostly reductive wines, oxidation is an undesirable chemical process because it produces irreversible deterioration of the wine’s compounds; oxygenation, when it occurs during maturation, can be a beneficial phenomenon: for example when it occurs in barrels, in a controlled manner, a situation in which it enhances the qualities of a wine, through the participation of oxygen in the complex reactions that occur; there are also, less frequently, oxidative wines that are produced in the massive presence of oxygen.

Pigeage

Operation of immersing the cap so that it comes into contact with the must in fermentation; is done by repeatedly piercing the cap and favors maceration and contact between the fermenting wine and the “cap”, preventing the formation of acetic acid (vinegar = harmful to wines)

Polyphenols

Organic compounds, located in the solid parts of grapes, both white and red; there are several types of polyphenols: 1. flavones – yellow pigment found in white grapes 2. anthocyanins – red pigments found in red grapes 3. tannins, found in clusters and seeds

Aftertaste

The sensation that remains in the palate after tasting; the more durable the aftertaste, the higher the wine is appreciated; this criterion differentiates between common and exclusive wines

Aromatic profile (flavors)

Substances that give foods or products a pleasant taste or smell

Remontage

Winemaking technique used in the production of wines; the principle is the recirculation of the must from the bottom of the fermentation vessel to the top of the vessel for the purposes of homogenization, oxygenation and especially color extraction.

Sommelier

Person responsible for the administration and serving of wines (of any type of alcoholic beverage) in a restaurant or winery; cellarman, cellarer.

Sulphites

Chemical compounds derived from sulfur. In winemaking, sulfur dioxide is used in very well-controlled doses for its antioxidant, antioxidase, selective, preservative, slightly clarifying and antiseptic role. Replacing sulfur dioxide would involve the use of a substitute productive for all these roles.

Tannin

Compound found naturally in the skin, bunches and seeds of grapes which in large quantities is responsible for the bitterness and astringency of wine; they are found in absolutely all plants and are used to protect the plant (root, stem, leaf and fruit) against pests

Terroir

The set of geographical, soil, climatic conditions, methods of vine cultivation, varieties used, methods of winemaking and maturation of the wine that give it a unique specificity, different from others with which it could be compared.

Marc wine

Mixture of skins, seeds and pulp, left after pressing the grapes.

Fortified wine

Simplistically, a fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled alcoholic beverage has been added, usually brandy or other alcohol distilled from grapes.