subject: Ten Wine Phrases You Ought To Know [print this page] Do you ever feel like wine phrases might as well be a foreign language? This can be especially correct if you are new to wine and wine tastings. Nevertheless, here are 10 wine expressions that you should become used to help you recognize the foreign language that others around you are could be speaking when referring to their preferred glasses of red and white.
1. Appellation -- This is the particular locale that a wine originates from. For example, Bordeaux in France or Napa Valley in California. It can also refer to a sub-region like Rutherford in Napa Valley or The Medoc in Bordeaux.
2. Botrytis -- This is a mold that is at times found on grapes in really humid environments. It shrivels grapes when they get to maturity and that causes a concentration of acid content and sugar. This mold is just what provides us many of the super pleasant Rieslings and dessert wines.
3. Aeration -- This is the process of adding oxygen to the wine to bring to light its greatest aroma, essence, and mouthfeel. A wine aerator is a crucial addition to your wine accessories and could be used for a solitary glass of wine.
4. Late Harvest -- This is the name given to full-bodied table wines or dessert wines that are made from over-ripened grapes.
5. Legs-- This a word used to describe the streaks on wine glasses that exist when the wine is swirled. It's also known as the tears of wine. It is said that many 'legs' imply the wine is of a higher quality or sweeter than a wine with only a few 'legs.'
6. Methode Champenoise-- this means "made by the Champagne method." This is a traditional technique for producing sparkling wines, such as Champagne. It indicates that there is a 2nd fermentation that happens in the bottle itself.
7. Oenolgy-- The study of wine and wine-making. It stems from "oinos," the Greek expression for wine. It is different from viniculture, which is the study of cultivating grapes.
8. Tannin-- This is a substance found naturally in grape skins, stems, and seeds. Wines that have a much higher tannin content are often dry and sometimes bitter. Tannin allows red wine to age and aids with the balance and development of the wine.
9. Tartarte-- These are the glassy, transparent crystals that regularly develop in a bottle of wine or on the cork. They do not any kind of effect on the wine's taste and are harmless.
10. Ullage-- This phrase refers to the space at the top of the bottle that is empty. In a lot of times, the older the bottle of wine, the more ullage at the top due to evaporation.
This is merely a small sampling of the many of the words used by wine lovers. If you would like to boost your expertise of wine, start paying a visit to some local wineries or wine tastings. You could learn ways to pick the right wine to pair with a specific meal, what the best wine aerator is, or whether you like whites or red more.
