The french word used in a general way to describe almost any alcoholic beverage consumed before a meal to “whet” the appetite

Two words seen on (almost) French wine meaning “controlled Place name” used as a guide to the origin and quthenticity of the wine whose label bears those names

Mixing wines from different grape varities, different origins, different vintages, or similar wines with differing characteristics

Wines whose color varies from pale pink to dark pink and are simple, light-bodied, and somewhat sweet

The smell of a wine

Aerating wine before drinking it – best done by decanting

Synonymous with vineyard

The french word meaning growth, and a specific vineyard

French word for estate

The science of wine production from harvest to bottling

The result of a cross between two different grape varities

Used to describe wines made from especially ripe grapes or from grapes infested with noble rot

Refers to the combination of soil, altitude, angle of slope, drainage, orientation of the sun and their influences on wine quality

Most popular wine region in california

“BOtrytis cinerea” a beneficial mold responsible for the taste of some wines most notably sauternes. the mold forms on the skins of ripe grapes under specific conditions – humidity alternating with dry heat – sending filaments into the grapes, perforating the skin

The one wood in which wine can be counted on to imporve and is used for small to medium containers such as barrels, casks, pipes

A devastating insect which destroys grape crops

Word used on wine labels with no legal meaning

Deposit most red wines throw as they age in the bottle, not to be confused with cloudiness, haziness, or lack of clarity

A group of non-organic compounds, known as phenolic compounds, that exist in bark, wood, roots, seeds and stems of plants. In red wines, they are extracted from skins, seed, and possibly stems during fermentation and they impart structure, flavor, texture, and complexity. since it is also an antioxidant, it also enables a wine to age.

The most important of the 40 odd species that make up the genus vitis. Named “wine bearer”, vitis vinifera is responsible for almost all of the world’s finest wine