The Wine Dictionary
Cloudy: A wine that is visually cloudy is undesirable. This results most often from improper fermentation.
Character: term used to describe the flavor, odors and compounds in a particular wine. A wine that has a good character is full bodied and complex.
Chaptalization: When beet or cane sugars are added to wine in the fermentation process. This raises the alcohol content of the final product.
Chewy: Wine with a higher than normal tannin content is described as being chewy.
Crush: The time of year when grapes are picked and processed for wine. “We visited a winery during the crush season.”
Cold: The way not to serve wine. Even a white wine should not be served extremely cold. Room temperature or chilled wine (white) allows the drinker to taste all the flavors of the wine as they were meant to be. Wine that is served too cold will stunt the odors and flavors of the wine.
Complex: When a wine is described as being “complex” the taster will notice changing flavors as the wine is drunk. A complex wine has flavors that derive from acids, alcohols, tannins and more.
Decant: When an older wine is decanted, it is done to separate the wine from any solids that may have developed over time. A younger wine may also be decanted to allow air to completely release the flavors within. A decanter is usually a glass container that either has two chambers that the wine flows between or may only have one but one that allows a good sized surface area of the wine access to oxygenation.
Dry: A dry wine has little to no noticeable sweetness. It does not retain a great deal of sugar after fermentation.
Dumb: A wine that has a weak odor.
Fat: A wine that has a higher than average alcohol content is considered a “fat” wine.
Finish: The impression that a wine leaves on the palate after it is swallowed. Also referred to as “aftertaste”.
Flat/Oxidized: A wine is described as flat if it does not have an acidic overtone. Oxidization is the amount of oxygen in, or near, the wine. The more oxygen present, the flatter the wine tastes. This is similar to soda going flat. If a bottle of wine is left to oxidize for an extended period of time (uncorked), the body of the wine will dissipate. Wine treated in this manner is also said to be “lifeless”.
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