TERMS AND ACRONYMS
AOC: Appelation d’origine controlee- AVA: American viticultural Area
- I.N.A.O.: Institut National des Appellations d'Origine
- O.I.V.: International Organization of wine and vine.
- V.D.N.: Vin Doux Natural (A Naturally Sweet Wine)
- V.D.Q.S.: Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (One step down in quality from AOC)
- V.Q.P.R.D.: Vin de Qualité Produit Dans Une Région Déterminée (One step down in quality from VDQS)
Blanc de Blancs: White of Whites, Refers mainly to Champagne or Sparkling wine made from purely Chardonnay.- Blanc de Noirs: White from Blacks, Refers mainly to Champagne or Sparkling wine made from Pinot noir or Pinot Munier
- Blending: The process of mixing more than one wine or more than one grape together so that the winemaker can get the finished result he’s looking for.
- Château: Generally used to identify a winery/vineyard in Bordeaux
- Crément: Labell given to sparkling wines from France in specific regions following specific rules.
- Cru Classifications: Designates regions and quality of Domaines and Chateaus throughout france.
- Decanting: The act of pouring wine from the bottle into a decanter before consuming it. Can be done to avoid sediment, or to aerate the wine.
- Demi Sec: Semi Sweet
- Doux: Sweet
- Grand Vin: Grand Wine, Sometimes used to define a premium wine from a secondary one.
- Gris: Grey. Such as Pinot Gris….
- Hybrids: Grapes that are crosses between other grapes. Generally referring to French/American hybrids such as Baco Noir, or Vignoles
Lees: The layer of dead yeast cells in a wine barrel or a tank.- Méthode Champenoise: The Traditional way of producing Champagne or Sparkling wine. Consisting of many steps of fermenting, and a secondary fermentation.
- Mousseux: French for Sparkling or Mulled Wine
- Noble Rot: Botrytis Cinerea, Forms on the skins of grapes in Sauterns to consume the water from the grape leaving only the rasiny sweetness remaining.
- Oenology: The Study of Winemaking
- Oxidation: The act of oxygen aging the wine. Whether controlled or not, will eventually bring about the demise of the wine.
- Pétillant: French for a lightly sparkling wine, such as Moscato d’Asti, or some Vinho Verde
- Primeur: Wine Futures, This is a method of purchasing a wine before it is officially released.
- Racking: Siphoning the wine off of the lees into a new barrel or tank
- Tannins: A compound that can comes from grape skins, seeds, stems, or oak barrels. It’s the cotton ball feeling in your mouth after drinking a hearty red wine.
- Terroir: The soil, climate, rainfall, that will have any effect on the grapevines growing, and the flavor of the wine
- Varietal: The type of grape used in the wine
- Vintage: The Year that the grapes are grown
