Basic wine terms to help you understand and enjoy wine.

A.B.V. -     Abbreviation of alcohol by volume, generally listed on a wine label.

Altar wine -     The wine used by the Catholic Church in celebrations of the Eucharist.

Aperitif -     A wine that is either drunk by itself (i.e. without food) or before a meal in order to stimulate the appetite.

Appellation -     A geographically delineated wine region.

Auslese -     German for "select harvest", a Prädikat in Germany and Austria.

Balthazar -     A large bottle containing 12 litres, the equivalent of 16 regular wine bottles.

Beerenauslese -    A German term meaning approximately "harvest of selected berries". A Prädikat in Germany and Austria.

Blind tasting -     Tasting and evaluating wine without knowing what it is.

Breathing -     The interaction between air and wine after a wine has been opened. Breathing may take place while the wine is decanting.

Capsule -     The plastic or foil that covers the cork and part of the neck of a wine bottle.

Champagne flute -     A piece of stemware having a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top.

Château -     Generally a winery in Bordeaux, although the term is sometimes used for wineries in other parts of the world, such as the Barossa Valley.

Clairet -     A French term for a wine that falls between the range of a light red wine and a dark rosé

Claret -     British name for Bordeaux wine. Is also a semi-generic term for a red wine in similar style to that of Bordeaux.

Classico -     An Italian term for the historical or "classic" center of a wine region--sometimes located in the heart of a DOC.

Commercial wine -     A mass produce wine aimed for the wide market of wine drinkers made according to a set formula, year after year. These wines tend to emphasis broad appeal and easy drink-ability rather than terroir or craftsmanship.

Corkscrew -     A tool, comprising a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle, for drawing Corks from bottles.

Côtes -     French term for the hillside or slopes of one contiguous hill region.

Coteaux -     French term for the hillside or slopes of a hill region that is not contiguous.

Country wine -     A quality level intermediate between table wine and quality wine, which in France is known as vin de pays. Also a synonym for Fruit wine.

Crémant -     French sparkling wine not made in Champagne region.

Cru -     A French term that literally means "growth". May refer to a vineyard or a winery.

Cru Bourgeois -     A classification of Bordeaux wine estates in the Medoc that were not part of the originally 1855 Bordeaux classification.

Cru Classé -     A French term for an officially classified vineyard or winery.

Cult wines -     Wines for which committed buyers will pay large sums of money because of their desirability and rarity.

Cuvée -     French term, meaning vat or tank. On wine labels it is used to denote wine of a specific blend or batch.

Cuverie -     French term, along with Cuvier that refers to the building or room where fermentation takes place.

Decanting -     The process of pouring wine from its bottle into a decanter to separate the sediment from the wine.

Dessert wine -     Varies by region. In the UK, a very sweet, low alcohol wine. In the US by law, any wine containing over 15% alcohol.

Drip dickey -     A wine accessory that slips over the neck of a wine bottle and absorbs any drips that may run down the bottle after pouring - preventing stains to table cloths, counter tops or other surfaces.

Eau-de-Vie -     French term for a grape-derived spirit such as brandy. Its literal translation is "water of life"

Eiswein -     German for ice wine, a dessert wine made from frozen grapes.

Estate winery -     A United States winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site, sometimes known as a farm winery.

EU lot number -     A European Union directive initiated in 1992 that mandates every bottle of wine produced or sold in the European Union to include a designated lot number. This allows identified defective or fraudulent wine to be tracked and removed from circulation more efficiently.

Farm winery -     A United States winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site.

Fiasco -     The straw-covered flask historically associated with Chianti.

Fighting varietal -     A term that originated in California during the mid 1980s to refer to any inexpensive cork-finished varietal wine in a 1.5 liter bottle.

Fine wine -    The highest category of wine quality, representing only a very small percentage of worldwide production of wine.

Flagon -     A glass bottle that holds two litres of (usually inexpensive) table wine.

Fortified wine -     Wine to which alcohol has been added, generally to increase the concentration to a high enough level to prevent fermentation.

Fruit wine -     A fermented alcoholic beverage made from non-grape fruit juice which may or may not include the addition of sugar or honey. Fruit wines are always called "something" wines (e.g., plum wine), since the word wine alone is often legally defined as a beverage made only from grapes.

Grand cru -     French term for a "Great growth" or vineyard. In Burgundy, the term is regulated to a define list of Grand cru vineyards.

Grand vin -     French term most often associated with Bordeaux where it denotes a Chateau's premier wine, or "first wine". On a wine label, the word's Grand vin may appear to help distinguish the wine from an estate's second or third wine.

Horizontal wine tasting -     A tasting of a group of wines from the same vintage or representing the same style of wine (such as all Pinot noirs or all Washington wines) as oppose to a vertical tasting which consist of the same wine through different vintages,

Ice wine -     Wine made from frozen grapes. Written, and trademarked as a single word - Icewine - in Canada. Called Eiswein in German.

Jeroboam -     A large bottle holding three litres, the equivalent of four regular wine bottles.

Jug wine -     American term for inexpensive table wine (French: Vin de table).

Kabinett -     A wine designation in Germany (where it is a Prädikat) and Austria.

Kosher wine -     Wine that is produced under the supervision of a rabbi so as to be ritually pure or clean.

Landwein -     German term for a wine slightly above table wines (tafelwine). Similar to a French vin de pays wine.

Late harvest wine -     Also known as late picked, wine made from grapes that have been left on the vine longer than usual. Usually an indicator for a very sweet or dessert wine.

Litre (US - Liter) -     A metric measure of volume equal to 33.8 fluid ounces (U.S.) or 35.2 fl oz (imperial).

Magnum -     A bottle holding 1.5 litres, the equivalent of two regular wine bottles.

May wine -     A light German wine flavored with sweet woodruff in addition to strawberries or other fruit.

Mead -     A wine-like alcoholic beverage made of fermented honey and water rather than grape juice.

Meritage -     Originally created in California, these blended wines can be summed up as the "American Bordeaux". The Red blend is made from at least 2 of the 5 Bordeaux grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The White Meritage is a blend at least 2 of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Vert, and Semillon.

Methuselah -     A large bottle holding six litres, the equivalent of eight regular wine bottles.

Mis en bouteille au château -     French for "bottled at the winery", usually in Bordeaux.

Mulled wine -     Wine that is spiced, heated, and served as a punch.

New World wine -     Wines produced outside of the traditional wine growing areas of Europe and North Africa.

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Nose -     The aroma or bouquet of a wine

Oenophile -     A wine aficionado or connoisseur.

Old World wine -     Wines produced inside of the traditional wine growing areas of Europe and North Africa.

Organoleptic -     A winetasting term for anything that affects one of the main senses such as smell. An example would be an affliction of the common cold or being in a room with someone wearing an overwhelming amount of perfume.

Petit Château -     A Bordeaux wine estate that doesn't have any official designation of classification.

Piquant -     French term for a simple, quaffing white wine with pleasing fruit structure and balance of acidity.

Port -     A sweet fortified wine, which is produced from grapes grown and processed in the Douro region of Portugal. This wine is fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits in order to boost the alcohol content and stop fermentation thus preserving some of the natural grape sugars. Several imitations are made throughout the world.

Prädikat -     A wine designation for high quality used in Germany and Austria, based on grape ripeness and must weight. There are several Prädikate ranging from Kabinett (Spätlese in Austria) to Trockenbeerenauslese.

Prädikatswein -     The highest class of wine in the German wine classification, formerly called Qualitätswein mit Prädikat. These wines always display a specific Prädikat on their label.

Premier cru -     French term for a "First growth". Used mostly in conjunction with the wines of Burgundy and Champagne where the term is regulated.

Premium wines -     A subject term to describe a higher quality classification of wine above every day drinking table wines. While premium wines maybe very expensive there is no set price point that distinguishes when a wine becomes a "premium wine". Premium wines generally have more aging potential than every day quaffing wines.

Qualitätswein -     A designation of better quality German wines. When used in isolation on a wine label, it refers to Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete.

Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) -     A designation of better quality German wines from recognized viticultural areas. It formally represents the second-highest level of German wine.

Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) -     A former designation of the best quality German wines, since 2007 shortened to Prädikatswein.

Reserva -     Spanish and Portuguese term for a reserve wine.

Reserve -     A term given to wine to indicate that it is of higher quality than usual.

Sangria -     A tart punch made from red wine along with orange, lemon and apricot juice with added sugar.

Sekt -     A sparkling wine manufactured in Germany.

Semi-generic -     Wines made in the United States but named after places that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau requires be modified by a US name of geographic origin. Examples would be New York Chablis, Napa Valley Burgundy or California Champagne.

Sherry -     A fortified wine that has been subjected to controlled oxidation to produce a distinctive flavor.

Sommelier -     A wine expert who often works in restaurants.

Sparkling wine -     Effervescent wine containing significant levels of carbon dioxide.

Spätlese -     German for "late harvest". A Prädikat in Germany and Austria.

Split -     A wine bottle that holds approximately 6 oz (175-187 mL) or one-fourth the equivalent of a typical 750 mL bottle; a single-serving.

Spritzig -     German term for a light sparkling wine.

Spumante -     Italian for "sparkling".

Table wine -     Generally any wine that is not sparkling or fortified. In the US these wines must also be between 7% and 14% alcohol by volume. The term table wine is also used to describe a wine that is considered a good, everyday drinker.

Tafelwein -     German term for table wine.

Talento -     An Italian sparkling wine made according to the traditional method of Champagne--similar to the Spanish term Cava.

Tastevin -     A silver, shallow cup used for tasting wine.

Ullage -     The space between the wine and the top of a wine bottle. As a wine ages, the space of ullage will increase as the wine gradually evaporates and seeps through the cork. The winemaking term of "ullage" refers to the practice of topping off a barrel with extra wine to prevent oxidation.

Uvaggio -     An Italian term for a wine that has been blended from several grape varieties-the opposite of a varietal. An example would be a Chianti that is based on Sangiovese but include other grape varieties in the bend.

Varietal -     Wines made from a single grape variety.

Vermouth -     An aromatized wine that is made with wormwood and potentially other ingredients.

Vertical and horizontal wine tasting -     In a vertical tasting, different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted. This emphasizes differences between various vintages. In a horizontal tasting, the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries. Keeping wine variety or type and wine region the same helps emphasize differences in winery styles.

Vin -     French for wine.

Viña -     Spanish for vines.

Vin de garde -     French term for a wine with the potential to improvement with age.

Vin de glace -     French term for an ice wine.

Vin nouveau -     French term similar to Vin primeur denoting a very young wine meant to be consumed within the same vintage year it was produced. Example: Beaujolais nouveau.

Vin ordinaire -     French term used to denote an "ordinary wine" as opposed to a premium quality wine.

Vino -     Italian and Spanish, Originally derived from Latin, for wine.

Vino da tavola -     Italian term for "table wine"

Vino de mesa -     Spanish term for "table wine"

Vino novello -     Italian term for a Vin primeur

Vinous -     A term used to denoting anything relating to wine.

Waiter's friend -     A popular type of corkscrew used commonly in the hospitality industry.

Weissherbst -     A German rosé made from only black grape varieties such as Pinot noir.

Wine -     An alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of unmodified grape juice.

Wine fraud -     Any form of dishonesty in the production or distribution of wine.

Wine label -     The descriptive sticker or signage adhered to the side of a wine bottle.

Wine tasting -     The sensory evaluation of wine, encompassing more than taste, but also mouthfeel, aroma, and colour.

Modified from an article on wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For the complete article click here