Glossary

Words on the label

Varietal. The grape or grapes a wine is made from. A wine named for one grape must contain the share of it that the law of its region requires.

Vintage. The year the grapes were picked. It is a statement about the season, not about age in the bottle.

Estate grown, bottled and produced. A statement that the grapes came from land the producer controls and that the wine was made and bottled there. Each country defines the terms separately.

Dry. Little or no fermentable sugar left. A dry wine can still taste full, because ripeness brings sweetness of fruit without sugar.

Words about structure

Acidity. The tart edge that keeps a wine fresh and food-friendly. High acidity cuts fat; low acidity suits slow-cooked, soft dishes.

Tannin. The drying grip that comes from skins, seeds and stems, and from oak. Tannin that feels harsh on opening softens with air and with fat in the dish.

Body. The weight of the wine on the tongue, from light to full. It follows alcohol, sugar, extract and the grape itself.

Malolactic fermentation. A secondary fermentation that turns sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid. Common in reds and in some whites, where it brings a buttery note.

Lees. The spent yeast left after fermentation. Wine held on its lees gains texture and a bread-like edge.

Words about place

Terroir. The sum of a site: soil, slope, drainage, wind, aspect and the farming. It explains why two vineyards a kilometre apart can taste different.

Dry-grown. Vines that are not irrigated. Roots are pushed deeper by the search for water, yield is lower, and the grower's choices in a dry year matter more than in a wet one.

Old vines. No single legal age, but the practical effect is the same: fewer, smaller berries and more concentrated flavour. In some regions, vines a century old are still worked.

Minimal intervention. A claim about farming and winemaking, not a certification. Ask what is sprayed, when, and with what, before reading anything into the phrase.