Wine Making
Appellation - legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown (Atticks, 2000)
Lees - solids/sediments left over from the fermentation process (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Must - the unfiltered solids (everything but the juice) from crushed grapes including stems, seeds, and skins; the base for wine (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Pressing- the crushing process, traditionally done by foot (“treading”), now done by mechanical press (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Oenology/Enology - the study of wines (“Enology,” n.d.)
Region - Ohio has 3 regions. Region 3, which is the warmest in Ohio (with minimum temperatures of -10F) with the longest growing season, is divided into 2 subcategories (Dami et al, n.d.). This includes Region 3a, geographically located along Lake Erie shores and the area where the three wineries highlighted in this site are located. This area is characterized by moderate winters, a cool, long growing season, and is best suited for cool-season varieties including several vinifera and some hybrids (Dami et al, n.d.).
Residual sugar - leftover sugars not turned into alcohol during fermentation (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Ripening season - Grape varieties ripen at different times of the season classified into categories based on number of days between bloom and harvest; ranges from “Early Season” (ripens late August) to “Very late season” (November) (Dami et al, n.d., p. 1)
Sommelier - a “wine steward;” a trained wine professional who specializes in food pairings (“Sommelier,” n.d.)
Sulfites - naturally-occurring sulfur compounds resulting from fermentation (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Varietal - a wine with at least a 75% makeup of only one variety of grape (Atticks, 2000)
Variety - the species and type (e.g. riesling, Niagara) of grape
Vinifera or European grapes - “the most challenging to grow, but produces high quality wines and typically are the highest priced grapes (>$900/ ton)” - acreage is expanding the most in America (Dami et al, n.d., p.1). Accounts for 99% of wines produced in the world, examples include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel (Atticks, 2000).
Hybrid grapes - cross between vinifera and labrusca, “typically more cold hardy and more disease resistant than vinifera, they produce high quality wine and acreage is expanding as well” (Dami et al, n.d., p. 1).
Labrusca or American grapes - native to the U.S., sometimes called fox grapes, “have been grown the longest and adapt well to Ohio conditions” (Dami et al, n.d., p. 1). Examples are Catawba and Concord (Atticks, 2000).
Vineyard - a plantation of grape-bearing vines ("Vineyard", n.d.)
Vinify - to turn grape juice into wine (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Vintage – year in which the grapes were harvested and the wine was made (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Vintner - a winemaker, or, sometimes, a wine dealer (“Vintner,” n.d.)
Viticulture - the science, production, and study of grapes (“Viticulture,” n.d.)
Tasting/Descriptive Terms
Aroma - the smell of the wine, applies to younger wines (“Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Body - texture and weight of a wine on the palate, may be full-bodied, medium-bodied, or light-bodied (Atticks, 2000)
Bouquet – more nuanced term for an aroma that applies the winemaking aroma, often applies to more aged wines (Atticks, 2000, “Winegrapes terms,” 2012)
Dry - a wine is dry when a high amount of its sugar has been fermented into alcohol (Atticks, 2000) astringency (high tannin content/high acidity) or softness (low tannin content/low acidity) (Herdenstam et al, 2009)
Finish - aftertaste, length (may be long or short, pleasant or unpleasant) (Atticks, 2000)
Fortified – wine into which brandy or other spirits have been added, often with an alcohol content of 16%-35% (“Wine,” 2017)
Foxy – “musky, earthy” character from North American grapes (Atticks, 2000, p. 182)
Fruity – “conveying an impression of fruit” oftentimes beyond the flavor of grapes, such as cherry or peach, also jammy may be used to describe rich, intense fruit aromas (Atticks, 2000, p. 182-183)
Herbaceous – “green” odor, like leafy greens or bell peppers (“Winegrapes terms”, 2012)
Legs – when the glass is swirled, some residue is left on the sides; if the wine slides down the sides slowly, it likely has a higher alcohol content and is more full-bodied (Atticks, 2000, “Winegrapes terms”, 2012)
Mouthfeel - “overall sensory perception given by a wine's physical and chemical interactions in the mouth, usually excluding taste and aroma” (“Winegrapes terms”, 2012)
Red – made from whole crushed grape, red to dark burgundy in color (“Wine,” 2017)
Rosé – pale pink in color, traditionally, the skins are removed after fermentation has begun, but mass-produced rosé wines may be made by adding a small amount of red wine to white wines (“Wine,” 2017)
Sparkling – bubbly wines, such as champagne, produced by the process of secondary fermentation in the bottle (“Wine,” 2017)
Still – or “natural” - non-sparkling, traditional wines, usually 7%-15% alcohol content (“Wine,” 2017)
Sweet - opposite of dry, higher sugar content (Atticks, 2000)
Tannin - an acid that comes from seeds, stems, and skins in grapes that adds dryness - what makes your mouth “pucker” (Atticks, 2000, p. 183)
White – white to pale yellow in color, made from pressed juice only (“Wine,” 2017)
The U.C. Davis Aroma Wheel, developed by Dr. Ann C. Noble, may also be helpful as you are thinking about your tastings.
For some "whimsical" tasting terms check out Weekend Edition on NPR.
References
Atticks, K.M. (2000) Discovering Lake Erie Wineries. Baltimore, MD: Resonant Publishing.
Dami, I., Scurlock, D., Johns, G., & Brown, M. (n.d.). Wine grape variety recommendations for Ohio [PDF]. Retrieved from https://ohiograpeweb.cfaes.ohio-
state.edu/sites/grapewebfiles/imce/pdf_factsheets/Variety%20Recommendation%20for%20Ohio.pdf
Enology. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enology
Herdenstam, A. F., Hammaren, M., Ahlstrom, R., & Wiktorsson, P. (2009). The Professional Language of Wine: Perception, Training and Dialogue. Journal Of Wine Research, 20(1), 53-84.doi:10.1080/09571260902978543
Herdenstam, A. F., Hammaren, M., Ahlstrom, R., & Wiktorsson, P. (2009). Table 2. Terms for description of taste attributes [Table]. The Professional Language of Wine: Perception, Training andDialogue. Journal Of Wine Research, 20(1), 53-84. doi:10.1080/09571260902978543
Sommelier. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sommelier
“Vineyard.” (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/vineyard
Vintner. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vintner
Viticulture. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viticulture
Winegrapes terms. (2012, April 27). Retrieved from http://articles.extension.org/pages/61774/winegrapes-terms.
Wine. (2017). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1-2.
Wolf, B. (2005, April 17). Decoding the Cherry Nose, the Fruity Finish [Audio podcast]. NPR Weekend Edition. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4604068.
This table shows what some descriptors may mean (corresponding attributes of the wine) when experts say them (Herdenstam et al, 2009, p. 70).
