Designation appearing on bottles (in French, Vendange Tardive) where grapes were allowed to hang on the vine beyond physiological maturity. This over-ripens grapes, usually producing wines that are hi [..]

One of the essential elements in both grapes and finished wines. Acidity is necessary to keep any wine fresh. Ironically, acidity is perhaps most important in sweet wines, where it prevents then from [..]

Adding ACIDITY during winemaking to compensate for grapes which have over-ripened.

Ethanol is produced as a by-product of fermentation. The alcoholic strength of a wine is a measure of its concentration of Ethanol.

A tasting term. A wine is balanced when all of its characteristics work together in harmony, with no single element – fruit, TANNIN, ACIDITY, ALCOHOL – overpowering anything other.

French term for stirring of the LEES.

Tasting term for the weight and texture of a wine on the PALATE “ the “mouthfeel” of the wine. A combination of ALCOHOL, EXTRACT and glycerol.

A fungus to which grapes are prone. Often it is bad news in the vineyard where it destroys grapes, but in a few places conditions allow it to develop beneficially as “Noble Rot”. Botrytis draws the wa [..]

Or just “brett” to some wine buffs. A controversial fault in wine caused by a rogue strain of YEAST. It imparts a “mousey” aroma that some find repulsive, some find adds character, particularly in Rhô [..]

The bubbling mass of skins and pips that floats to the surface during FERMENTATION of red wine. It must be submerged regularly.