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GLOSSARY Acid Acid -- think of lemon juice or orange juice is one of a few elemental components in grapes and ultimately in wine. Generally speaking, growers and winemakers are looking for balance in what they taste: enough acid to make flavors vivid, but not so much puckering is the only recourse. Like tannins, acids help give wines structure. The level of acid is also an indication of ripeness. As grapes approach ripeness, the amount of acid in them drops as the sugar in them rises: winemakers want to pick when the two are in balance, and while lab work will usually tell them when they're close, it's ultimately a matter of experience and preference. Acidity The quality of wine that gives it its crispiness and vitality. A proper balance of acidity must be struck with the other elements of a wine, or else the wine may be said to be too sharp - having disproportionately high levels of acidity - or too flat - having disproportionately low levels of acidity. Acre A unit of land area. It was originally thought to be that area that a yoke of oxen could plow in one day. It is roughly equal to 43,560 square feet (208.7 feet square) or 4,096 square meters (64 meters square). Acrid A tasting term for a wine with overly pronounced acidity, this is often apparent in cheap red wines. Aftertaste A tasting term for the taste left on the palate after wine has been swallowed. Finish" is a synonym. Aging barrel A barrel, often made of oak, used to age wine or distilled spirits. Alcohol Generally refers to ethanol, a chemical compound found in alcoholic beverages. It is also commonly used to refer to alcoholic beverages in general. Altar wine The wine used by the Catholic Church in celebrations of the Eucharist. Alternative wine closures. Various substitutes used in the wine industry for sealing wine bottles in place of traditional cork closures. American Hybrid A hybrid cultivar (either intra or interspecific) which was created, in America, in a direct effort to improve wine quality by minimizing the tendency of the American cultivars to produce grapes which yielded a distinctive "foxiness" to the resulting wine. These cultivars are the result of the intentional genetic combination of two or more other cultivars (initially, at least one of which was a native American cultivar), in an effort to squelch the foxiness of any American parentage. Later American hybrids (many of which were attempts to hybridize existing hybrids [both American & French/American]) were to focus on cultivar viability in extreme conditions (such as very short growing seasons & very cold climates) and at the same time maximize wine quality. An example of an early "first generation" American hybrid is T.V. Munson's Champanel (v.

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champinni X concord), while an example of a later American hybrid (which utilized other hybrids in parentage) is Cayuga White (release by Univ Cornell [Geneva] in 1947 as a cross of Schuyler X Seyval Blanc). Ampelography The Science of identifying grape varieties by detailed description of the appearance of the vine, especially its leaves(shape & texture) , clusters (size & configuration) & berries (color & size). Amphora A type of ceramic vase, used for transporting and storing wine in ancient times. Angel's share The portion of a wine in an aging barrel that is lost to evaporation. Anthocyanin Phenolic pigments that give red wine its colour. The natural phenolic (q.v.) glycoside compounds found in the skins of red wine grapes which most strongly influence a red wine's color. These are the compounds which produce "reds" & "blues" of fruits and flowers. A.O.C. Abbreviation for Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, (English: Appellation of controlled origin), as specified under French law. The AOC laws specify and delimit the geography from which a particular wine (or other food product) may originate and methods by which it may be made. The regulations are administered by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). A.P. number Abbreviation for Amtliche Prüfnummer, the official testing number displayed on a German wine label that shows that the wine was tasted and passed government quality control standards. Appellation A geographical based term to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. Aroma The smell of a wine. The term is generally applied to younger wines, while the term Bouquet is reserved for more aged wines. ATF Abbreviation for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, a United States government agency which is primarily responsible for the regulation of wines sold and produced in the United States. Ausbruch German term originally referring to the aszú production method of mixing grapes affected by noble rot with a fermenting base wine. Today a Prädikat in Austria, intermediate between Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. Auslese German for "select harvest", a Prädikat in Germany and Austria. Balanced Pruning Pruning a vine based on its growth in terms of the amount of one year old wood it produced the previous growing season. A method of determining the fruiting capacity of a vine this season by weighing the wood removed at pruning time after the past season. Common balanced pruning

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formulas include: Vitis Vinifera - 20 buds for the first lb.. of prunings + another 20 buds/for each additional Lbs. of prunings, up to a max of 60 buds. French/American hybrids - 20 buds (for the first pound) + another 10 buds/ additional lbs. of prunings, up to a max of 50 buds. Native American varieties -30 buds (for the first pound) + another 10 buds/ additional lbs. of prunings, up to a max of 60 buds. Base (Basal) Shoot A shoot arising from a bud located at the base of a cane. Black Rot A fungal disease of the vine, usually found only in the eastern US. Barrels Balance The harmonious relationship of the components of wine - acids, fruit, tannins, alcohol, etc. resulting in a well proportioned, or well balanced, wine. Barrel A hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of wood staves, used for fermenting and aging wine. Sometimes called a cask. Barrique The French name for a 225 litre Bordeaux style barrel (Bordeaux hogshead). Will yield 24 cases of 12 bottles each.[1] Baumé A measure of the sugar concentration in the juice or wine. Beer A fermented malt beverage critical to the winemaking process, especially after a late night crush. Beerenauslese A German term meaning approximately "harvest of selected berries". A Prädikat in Germany and Austria. Beeswing A light sediment, chiefly mucilage, found in Port. Behind How can a crop be "behind" schedule, and who cares if it is? The issue is at the heart of why '99 was such a cliffhanger of a year in Northern Oregon's Willamette Valley, and it boils down to this: - every region has a certain window of time during the year when it's warm enough for seasonal crops to grow. In the Willamette Valley, where Life in Vine takes place, it's about 7.5 months, and it doesn't change much from year to year- unless some stage in its development is delayed, every grape variety requires a certain amount of time to grow and produce ripe fruit, and this is also fairly constant. For Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley, it's about 7.5 months from budbreak to harvest. So, crunching the numbers with Einstein-like speed, we see that 7.5 months of growing season minus the 7.5 months it takes to ripen Pinot Noir doesn't leave a lot to work with. So, if some milestone in the vines' year is delayed -- budbreak is late because it's too cold; it takes the vines longer to flower because it's raining, and so on -- then the time it takes for a vine to go from budbreak to ripeness takes more time than will fit in the growing season. In that case, growers can watch, powerless, as winter storms bear down on their not-quite-ripe fruit, knowing that there might not be enough warmth left in the year to get them the ripeness they need.

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This misalignment of growing season and grape ripening -- where the grapes are behind -- is essentially what drives the story of Life in Vine. Bentonite A type of clay used in wine clarification. Berthomeau Report Commissioned by French Ministry of Agriculture to better position the wine industry for the future. Biodynamic wine Wines produced by the principles of biodynamic agriculture. Blanc de Blancs A white wine, usually sparkling, made exclusively from white grapes, often Chardonnay. Blanc de Noirs A white wine, usually sparkling, made from red grapes. Blatina A red wine grape of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Blending The mixing of two or more different parcels of wine together by winemakers to produce a consistent finished wine that is ready for bottling. Laws generally dictate what wines can be blended together, and what is subsequently printed on the wine label. Blind tasting Tasting and evaluating wine without knowing what it is. Bloom Sometime in the late spring, the vines will offer up spindly little pod clusters. Ultimately, these will bloom into flowers, each of which, in turn, will turn into a grape if growers are lucky. Growers refer to the whole process as bloom. In Life in Vine, Westrey's David Autrey says that despite how late the flowering occurred in 1999, Abbey Ridge Vineyard "bloomed very quickly and very evenly." Bodega A Spanish wine cellar. Also refers to a seller of alcoholic beverage. Body A tasting term describing the weight and fullness of a wine that can be sensed. A wine may be light-, medium-, or full-bodied. A less specific term than texture, wines rich in concentration, extract, alcohol, tannin and glycerol may be described as full-bodied. Botrytis (Bunch Rot) A fungus which can either affect grapes benevolently (as in the 'Noble Rot' [q.v.] responsible for great sweet wines) or, more commonly, simply spoiling them with mould, depending on conditions. Botrytis cinerea See Noble rot.

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Bottle A bottle is a small container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth." Modern wine bottles are nearly always made of glass because it is nonporous, strong, and aesthetically pleasing. Bottle shock Also known as bottle-sickness, a temporary condition of wine characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines (usually fragile wines) are shaken in travel. After several days the condition usually disappears. Bottle variation The degree to which bottled wine of the same style and vintage can vary. Bouquet A tasting term for the complex aromas of an aged wine. The term is generally not applied to young wines. Box wine Wine packaged in a bag usually made of flexible plastic and protected by a box, usually made of cardboard. The bag is sealed by a simple plastic tap. Brandy See "Burnt wine". Brettanomyces A wine spoilage yeast that produces taints in wine commonly described as barnyard or band-aids. Bright Describes a wine that has high clarity, very low levels of suspended solids. Brix A measurement of the dissolved sucrose level in a wine. A scale used to indicate soluble solids content. It is basically the percentage of sugar in a solution. Brix = grams of sugar per 100 grams of liquid at 68F. Brix, Degrees If you only hear it and don't read it, brix is one of the oddest terms winemakers use. Bricks of what? But "brix" is really a measure of the amount of sugar in juice. Since the process of fermentation takes the sugar in juice and turns it into alcohol, brix also tells winemakers how alcoholic a wine will be. Brut A French term for a very dry champagne or sparkling wine. Drier than extra dry. Bud This little fellow is the smallest unit of currency on a vine, and the beginning of a year's worth of growth. See budbreak, and in another sense, see beer. The compound eye in the axil of a leaf, located at a node. Bud position It's done a little differently everywhere, but in general, when growers prune their vines, they cut away everything but a few good-looking canes and lay them down on a trellis wire. These select canes are often very long, so they need to be trimmed, and one way growers determine where to

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cut is to count the number of nodes or bud positions on a cane. These are like knuckles on a hand, and it's from these periodic lumps along a cane that shoots will grow. If you leave too few, you get less fruit; if you leave too many, you get a sun-blocking forest of leaves, and the vine has to divide its energy between more clusters, producing poorer fruit. Budbreak Sometime in the early spring after the sap begins to flow through the trunk and canes of a vine (usually when the average ground temperature hits 50 degrees or so), nondescript bumps on the canes will begin to swell and buds will emerge. Soon, they'll break open and shoots will begin to, well, shoot upward. From a bunch of spindly sticks to shoots, it all happens pretty fast, so Eyrie's David Lett is right when he says in Life in Vine, "there's a lot of magic in there." Bung A stopper used to seal a bottle or barrel. Commonly used term for corks. Burnt wine Another name for Brandy, a liquor made from distilled wine. It is often the source of additional alcohol in fortified wines. Butt An old English unit of wine casks, equivalent to about 477 litres (126 US gallons/105 imperial gallons). Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety of red grape mainly used for wine production, and is, along with Chardonnay, one of the most widely-planted of the world's noble grape varieties. California cult wines Certain California wines for which consumers and others pay higher prices than those of Bordeaux's First Growths (Premiers Crus). Callus Parenchyma tissue that grows over a wound or graft and protects it from drying or injury. This material also forms at the base & nodes of cuttings being prepared for planting. In this case, the callus represents the primordial roots of the cutting. Calyptra The petals of a grape flower. Cane A cane is like the limb of a vine. Pruners take a cane sprouting from the trunk of a vine and lay it down on a trellis wire. They count the number of bud positions, and trim the cane accordingly, and from these bud positions, shoots will emerge and thicken to canes themselves, reaching for the sky and ultimately setting 1-3 clusters of grapes. After harvest, growers will choose one of these canes (now called a fruiting cane), cut away the rest, and lay it down on the wire to begin the process again. Cane Training A form of training the vine whereby the fruiting wood (q.v.) is pruned to long (4 nodes or longer) canes. Cannon (Propane) As harvest approaches, visitors to vineyards may think they're entering a war zone, but it's really just propane cannons going off. The idea is to scare the bejeesus out of birds who might

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otherwise be tempted to stop in vineyards for a snack as they migrate north. Unfortunately, this trick doesn't always work: I've seen birds become so acclimatized to the cannon that they'll perch on the weapon itself, hopping a few inches in the air as it goes off before settling down again. Canopy The parts of the grape vine above ground, in particular the shoots and leaves. Canopy management A range of viticultural techniques applied in vineyards to manipulate the vine canopy. This is performed for vine shape, limiting direct sunlight and disease control, in order to create an optimal growing environment. Viticultural techniques designed to manipulate the canopy to achieve a specific end, usually optimizing the quantity of grapes and quality of wine. Cap Once fermentation begins in red wines, yeasts produce heat and CO2 as they convert sugar to alcohol. This gas rises to the top, pushing grape skins to the top of the fermenter, and this thick layer is called a cap. To keep the ferment from getting too hot, and to extract the right amount of color and tannin from the grape skins, this cap must be broken (punched down) at least twice a day. In Life in Vine, Westrey's David Autrey does this with a large metal plunger, but as you see from his efforts, it's pretty hard work. Wines made in larger fermenters can produce caps so thick and hard that they need hydraulic plungers to break the cap -- some can get so thick you can almost walk on them. Incidentally, not everyone punches down: some winemaker simply pump wine from the bottom of the fermenter and pour it over the cap. That's pretty tricky, but it's nothing compared to the traditional method of breaking the cap, practiced in some wineries around the world to this day: use your body as a human swizzle stick. If you like wine, it doesn't get any better than immersing yourself in what is essentially a hot tub of it. Capsule The plastic or foil that covers the cork and part of the neck of a wine bottle. Carbon dioxide A clear gas which is the byproduct of fermentation. As yeasts work their way through the must gobbling up sugar, they produce both alcohol and carbon dioxide. Since CO2 is heavier then air, it tends to well up in the top of an actively fermenting fermenter, so winemakers must be careful their wineries are well aerated. Carbonic maceration A winemaking practice of fermenting whole grapes that have not been crushed. Cellaring To age wine for the purpose of improvement or storage. Cellaring may occur in any area which is cool (12-15°C), dark, free from drastic temperature change, and free from vibrations. Bottled wines are typically cellared on their sides. Chai A wine shed, or other storage place above ground, used for storing casks, common in Bordeaux. Usually different types of wine are kept in separate sheds. The person in charge of vinification and ageing of all wine made at an estate, or the chais of a négociant, is titled a Maître de Chai. The New World counterpart to the chai may be called the barrel hall. Champagne flute A piece of stemware having a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top.

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Chaptalization A winemaking process where sugar is added to the must to increase the alcohol content in the fermented wine. This is often done when grapes have not ripened adequately. Chardonnay A type of wine, one of the "noble" white varietals. Charmat process The Charmat or bulk process is a method where sparkling wines receive their secondary fermentation in large tanks, rather than individual bottles as seen in Méthode champenoise. Château Generally a winery in Bordeaux, although the term is sometimes used for wineries in other parts of the world, such as the Barossa Valley. Chianti Italy's most famous wine; derived from the sangiovese grape. Claret British name for Bordeaux wine. Is also a semi-generic term for a red wine in similar style to that of Bordeaux. Clarification A winemaking process involving the fining and filtration of wine to remove suspended solids and reduce turbidity. Cleanskin In Australia, wine bottled without a commercial label, usually sold cheaply in bulk quantities. Clone An example of a variety replicated using a cutting from a specific mother vine which is selected as a result of some particular attribute(s). Hence, the new vine will be genetic identical to the parent. Due to the targeted nature of the clonal reproduction, the offspring vines will carry a specific designation identifying them as clones. Within certain cultivars (such as Pinot Noir) clonal variation tends to be very important. Cold Duck A mixture of red and white sparkling wine that has a high sugar content. Cold stabilization A winemaking process where wine is chilled to near freezing temperatures for several weeks to encourage the precipitation of tartrate crystals. Cordon An extension of the grapevine trunk, usually horizontally oriented and trained along the trellis wires. Cordons are considered permanent (or perennial) wood. Cork A wine bottle stopper made from the thick outer bark of the cork oak tree. Corked A tasting term for a wine that has cork taint. Corkscrew

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A tool, comprising a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle, for drawing Corks from bottles. Cork taint A type of wine fault describing undesirable aromas and flavours in wine often attributed to mould growth on chlorine bleached corks. Coulure Deficient fruit set which may substantially reduce the size of the current year's crop. Just after flowering, an excessive proportion of the nascent berries fall off, often because of unsettled cold, wet weather or inadequate thinning of unfertilized berry clusters. Cross A cultivar which is the result of a crossing of two or more cultivars within the same species (may be intentional or unintentional). Country wine See "Fruit wine". Crackling Semi-sparkling wine; slightly effervescent. Also called frizzante. Crémant French sparkling wine not made in Champagne region. Crown Gall A bacteria disease of the vine (usually facilitated by freeze injury to the vine's tissue). Crush This term is used specifically to describe the de-stemming process (see crusher), but it's also used generally to indicate the entirety of grape processing, from the time they enter the winery to the time they're safely in barrel. Winemakers often try to get unsuspecting friends and associates to "work a crush", but while it's hard, sticky work, the atmosphere is always festive. And it tends to produce future winemakers. Crusher When grapes come into a winery, winemakers usually (though not always) want to separate the berries from the stems, since stems left attached can impart a green, woody flavor to the finished wine. Depending on the kind of grape variety they're fermenting, they may also want those berries broken open a little so yeasts can get right to work on the juice. In days of yore, winemakers accomplished this potentially tedious chore by simply dumping the grape clusters into a vat and walking on them, fishing out stems as their winemaking style (and the amount of wine they drank during this especially festive time of the year) dictated. Thus the purple feet winemakers are famous for having, even if virtually none of them do anymore. That work is more efficiently done by a "crusher", which doesn't actually crush the grapes but (depending on how expensive a model you have) gently sucks them off the stems and breaks the berries just enough to let in the reveling yeasts. Crust Sediment, generally potassium bitartrate, that adheres to the inside of a wine bottle. Cult wines Wines for which committed buyers will pay large sums of money because of their desirability and rarity. Curtain

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A portion of the canopy composed of the current season's shoot growth. It is normally oriented downward for Native American & Hybrid cultivars & upward for vitis vinifera. Cuvaison The French term for the period of time during alcoholic fermentation when the wine is in contact with the solid matter such as skin, pips, stalks, in order to extract colour, flavour and tannin. See also maceration. Cuve A large vat used for fermentation. Cuvée A wine blended from several vats or batches, or from a selected vat. Also used in Champagne to denote the juice from the first pressing of a batch of grapes. Decanting The process of pouring wine from its bottle into a decanter to separate the sediment from the wine. Dégorgement The disgorging or removal of sediment from bottles that results from secondary fermentation. Demi-sec Moderately sweet to medium sweet sparkling wines. Dessert wine Varies by region. In the UK, a very sweet, low alcohol wine. In the US by law, any wine containing over 15% alcohol. Devatting The process of separating red must from pomace, which can happen before or after fermentation. Diurnal temperature variation The degree of temperature variation that occurs in a wine region from daytime to night. DO 1. The abbreviation for Denominación de Origen, or "place name". This is Spain's designation for wines whose name, origin of grapes, grape varieties and other important factors are regulated by law. 2. The abbreviation for dissolved oxygen, the degree of oxygen saturation in a wine, which strongly affects oxidation of the wine and its ageing properties. DOC The abbreviation for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or "controlled place name." This is Italy's designation for wine whose name, origin of grapes, grape varieties and other important factors are regulated by law. It is also the abbreviation for Portugal's highest wine category, which has the same meaning in that country. DOCG The abbreviation for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or controlled and guaranteed place name, which is the category for the highest-ranking wine in Italy. Dormancy

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That stage when the plant is not actively growing. For grapevines it is usually characterized by average air temperatures below 50F. Vines need a minimum of about 60 days of dormancy. (see "life cycle") Doux The French word for sweet. Usually refers to the sweetest category of sparkling wines. Drawing off See Devatting. Drip dickey A wine accessory that slips over the neck of a wine bottle and absorbs any drips that may run down the bottle after pouring - preventing stains to table cloths, counter tops or other surfaces. Dry Wines with zero or very low levels of residual sugar. The opposite of sweet, except in sparkling wines, where dry means sweet. Eiswein German for ice wine, a dessert wine made from frozen grapes. Enology American English spelling of oenology, the study of wine. En Tirage French for "in pulling", refers to the period of time in which bottled sparkling wine is rested in contact with lees generated during secondary fermentation. Part of the Méthode Champenoise process. Estate winery A United States winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site, sometimes known as a Farm winery. Extract Everything in a wine except for water, sugar, alcohol, and acidity, the term refers to the solid compounds such as tannins. High levels of extract results in more colour and body, which may be increased by prolonging the wine's contact with the skins during cuvaison. Extra dry A champagne or sparkling wine with a small amount of residual sugar (slightly sweet). Not as dry as Brut. Farm winery A United States winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site. Fault An unpleasant characateristic of wine resulting from a flaw with the winemaking process or storage conditions. Fermenter The vessel in which fermentation occurs. Like you couldn't have guessed that, but you may not have known that fermenters come in all shapes and sizes, from towering stainless steel cylinders to 5-foot-tall plastic boxes to concrete vats to food-grade garbage cans.

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Fiasco The straw-covered flask historically associated with Chianti. Fighting varietal A term that originated in California during the mid 1980s to refer to any inexpensive cork-finished varietal wine in a 1.5 liter bottle. Fining A clarification process where flocculants, such as bentonite or egg white, are added to the wine to remove suspended solids. Finish A tasting term for the lingering aftertaste after a wine has been swallowed. Flabby Tasting term used to indicate a wine lacking in structure, often marked by low acidity. Flagon A glass bottle that holds two litres of (usually inexpensive) table wine. Flor The yeast responsible for the character of dry Sherries. Flower When I was first told I was in a flowering vineyard, I thought I must be missing something. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find any of the lush, big-petaled flowers I was sure a wineproducing vine must surely have. When the grower pointed out the actual flowers, I thought he was joking. It is true that if your sweetheart is mad at you, a bouquet of grape flowers probably won't do the trick -- they're small, spindly, and attached like lint to green, cocktail-weenie-like cores. But it's from each one of these tiny flowers that a grape will grow if pollinated successfully, so they're critical to the grape growing process. That's a pretty big if, by the way. Wind, rain, or cold weather can deter flowers from pollinating, and that can set crops behind schedule if not severely limit them. It's the part of the year in which growers feel the most powerless: all they can do is watch and pray for warmth and calm. Fortified wine Wine to which alcohol has been added, generally to increase the concentration to a high enough level to prevent fermentation. Foxy A tasting term for the musty odor and flavor of wines made from Vitis labrusca grapes native to North America. The distinctive taste of the grapes and wine of some Native American cultivars, especially Vitis labrusca and some of its hybrids. Think of grape Kool-Aid) Methyl anthranilate is the (often) offending compound. Free Run When a red wine is finished fermenting, it must be separated from the grape skins it's soaking in. A wine press does this pretty well, but a press will also tend to squeeze out tannins from the skins than a wine can handle. That's why winemakers often let the juice from the fermenter first: this "free run" wine will generally make a more balanced, fruitier

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though winemakers may add some of the subsequent "press run" to the blend to give it some tannic backbone. Juice obtained from grapes that have not been pressed. French/American Hybrid An interspecific cultivar which was created, in Europe, as a result of the phylloxera devastation of the late 19th Century, in an effort to create a high-quality, pest resistant, cold hardy, direct producing (able to survive on its own roots), wine grape. These cultivars are the result of the intentional genetic combination of two or more other cultivars (at least one of which is a classic vitis vinifera wine cultivar & at least one of which is a native American cultivar), in an effort to promote the most desirable characteristics of each parent cultivar. The desirable characteristics of the vitis vinifera parent(s) being the high yield production of high quality wine grapes, and the desirable characteristics of the native American parent(s) including, phylloxera & nematode resistance, insect, fungus & virus resistance, early ripening & cold hardiness. Frizzante See "crackling". Fruit The main component of the wine, usually grape but other fruits are also used to make wine, such as pear, plum, etc. Often mentioned when the fruit isn't grown in the same site as the winery, such as "the wine is produced here on-site, but the fruit is purchased from a vineyard upstate." Fruit flavors When winemakers say they taste banana or raspberry -- or old socks, for that matter -- they're not saying that those things have actually been squeezed into grapes or wines. As grapes ripen, and as they become wine, their chemical composition changes, and some of these chemical compounds are remarkably similar to those of other, non-grape flavors. They're so similar, in fact, that they trigger an association in the person tasting. In the case of old socks, this is not always a good thing. Fruit wine A fermented alcoholic beverage made from non-grape fruit juice which may or may not include the addition of sugar or honey. Fruit wines are always called "something" wines (e.g., plum wine), since the word wine alone is often legally defined as a beverage made only from grapes. Fruiting Wood The vine's one year old wood. This wood will produce the current season's crop. One year old wood is about the thickness of a pencil & the buds on this wood will grow into fruit bearing shoots throughout the upcoming growing season. Fruiting wood is usually pruned to either short spurs (1 to 3 nodes) or long ( 4+ nodes) canes. Fruiting Zone A horizontal band running down the row of vines, wherein all of the fruit clusters can be found. Many grape growers will often aim to create a tight or narrow fruiting zone so that certain vineyard operations (such as leaf removal around the clusters & harvesting) can be simplified. Fruiting Cane Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer is a white wine grape variety from the wine producing region of Alsace in France. Globalization of wine

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Refers to the increasingly international nature of the wine industry, including vineyard management practices, winemaking techniques, wine styles, and wine marketing. Grafting Broadly, inserting a section of one plant into another so that they unite and grow as one plant. In a viticultural context, usually grafting a European fruiting vine (or scion) on to a native or hybrid rootstock, often chosen for its resistance to phylloxera. Grape juice The free-run or pressed juice from grapes. Unfermented grape juice is known as "must." Grenache A red wine grape of the Rhone Valley of France, and elsewhere (especially Spain). In the southern Rhone, Grenache replaces Syrah as the most important grape (Syrah being more important in the north). Green harvest The harvesting of green (unripe) grapes in an attempt to increase the yield of quality grapes. Growing Season For grapevines, the growing season is defined as the number of days between Spring and Fall which have with a mean average temperature of 50F+ [10C+]). Grow Tube A hollow, cylindrically shaped, man-made tube (usually made of plastic) which is sometimes placed over vines in an effort to enhance the growth environment of the vine. Hard A tasting term for a wine that contains too much tannin and is therefore unpleasant. Hard wines often take a long time to mature. Heat Summation Units (Hsu) The "heat summation units" for any given growing site is calculated by totaling the number of day degrees above 50F (10C) for the entire growing season. For example, a day during the growing season with an average temperature of 62F contributes 12 HSU to the site. Viticulture is generally restricted to sites with a HSU rating of about 1500 - 5000, with 2500 - 3000 being about optimum. For more information. Hectare A metric measure that equals 10,000 m² (2.471 acres). Hock Term for Rhine wines, usually used in England. Hogshead A wine barrel that holds approximately 239 litres (63 gallons). Hybrid A cultivar bred from members of different species. A cultivar which was created by the intentional genetic combination of two or more other cultivars (either intra or interspecific), in an effort to promote the most desirable characteristics of each parent cultivar. Ice wine

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Wine made from frozen grapes. Written, and trademarked as a single word Icewine - in Canada. Called Eiswein in German. IGT Abbreviation for "Indicazione Geografica Tipica", the lowest-ranking of the three categories of Italian wine regulated by Italian law. Insect Pests The major insect pests of the grapevine are: The grape berry moth, the Japanese beetle, the grape flea beetle, the European red mite, the grape phylloxera (q.v.), the grape root borer & the blue-green sharpshooter (as a vector for Pierce's disease [q.v.]) Internode The portion of the cane or shoot between nodes. Jeroboam A large bottle holding three litres, the equivalent of four regular wine bottles. Jug wine American term for inexpensive table wine (French: Vin de table). Kabinett A wine designation in Germany (where it is a Prädikat) and Austria. Kosher wine.Wine that is produced under the supervision of a rabbi so as to be ritually pure or clean. Although commonly sweet, it need not be so. Late harvest wine Also known as late picked, wine made from grapes that have been left on the vine longer than usual. Usually an indicator for a very sweet or dessert wine. Leaf The primary source of green on the grapevine. Along with tendrils & clusters, the leaf is grown on the shoot and it is the vine's primary engine of photosynthesis. Although the grapes get some of their sugar from the carbohydrates stored in the perennial wood of the vine during the earliest stages of ripening, the vast majority of sugar production is performed by the vine's leaves during the middle and later stages of ripening. Also used in viticulture to refer to the age of a vine: as in: a vine in its "third leaf" is three years old. Lees Wine sediment that occurs during and after fermentation, and consists of dead yeast, grape seeds, and other solids. Wine is separated from the lees by racking. Legs The tracks of liquid that cling to the sides of a glass after the contents have been swirled. Often said to be related to the alcohol or glycerol content of a wine. Also called tears. Life Cycle The annual cycle of the vine. It includes: -Dormancy - The period of rest for the vine. -Activation: The vine waking from dormancy. Its buds begin to swell. This occurs in Spring at the approximate time that the air temperatures reaches 51F (11C). -Bud Swell - buds become engorged & shed their scaled sheaths. -Bud Break - buds begin to show green. Young, green shoots begin to grow from the buds.

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-Debourrement (Fr.) - The period between bud break & the appearance of the first inflorescence. Characterized by shoot growth of approximately 10" (25 cm) -Pre-Bloom - During this period all of the shoot's inflorescences are formed & the shoot continues to grow (to about 14" [36cm]). -Bloom - Occurring at about the time that the air temperature reaches 68F (20C), the many tiny individual blossoms on the inflorescences loose their caps & begin to self fertilize. During this period the inflorescences take on a very characteristic "Chia Pet" appearance. The period of bloom usually takes about 14-21 days (depending on weather). -Berry (Fruit) Set [Nouaison in Fr.] - The ovaries of the blossoms on each inflorescence which have properly self-fertilized become small, hard berries. The inflorescences are thusly transformed into grape clusters. -Shatter - Unfertilized berries fall from the new clusters. Usually occurs about 7 - 10 days after bloom. -First Cover - The vegetative growth which follows berry set. -Véraison - The beginning of the ripening of the berries. Characterized by a softening of the fruit & color change (to either translucent or red). -Aoutement (Fr. - augusting) - The slowing of the vegetative burst started during first cover. The shoots stop growing & begin to look woody. In many cultivars the leaves & shoots change color. -Harvest - Being suitable for the production of wine, the clusters are harvested. -Hardening off - The vine sheds it leaves, hardens its shoots further & prepares for its winter rest. -De-activation - The vine re-enters dormancy. Lightstruck A tasting term for a wine that has had long exposure to Ultraviolet light causing "wet cardboard" type aroma and flavour. Liqueur de tirage French term for a liquid containing saccharose and yeast used to effect the second fermentation in sparkling wine production. Liqueur d'expedition French term for "shipping liquid", used to top up and possibly sweeten sparkling wine after disgorging. Usually a solution of saccharose in base wine. Look A tasting term for the casual sensory evaluation of a wine. Maceration The contact of grape skins with the must during fermentation, extracting phenolic compounds including tannins, anthocyanins, and aroma. See also cuvaison. Madeirized A wine showing Madeira-like flavour, generally evidence of oxidation. Sometimes used to describe white wine that has been kept long past its prime. Magnum A bottle holding 1.5 litres, the equivalent of two regular wine bottles. Malolactic fermentation Also known as malo or MLF, a secondary fermentation in wines by lactic acid bacteria during which tart tasting malic acid is converted to softer tasting lactic acid. Marc

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French for "fruit skins". See "pomace". Marginal climate When Eyrie's David Lett says that Oregon and France's Burgundy region are "marginal climates," he's talking about how tricky it is to get fruit ripe in these areas. These areas are far enough north (or in the case of New Zealand in the southern hemisphere, south) that fruit barely has enough time to get ripe before winter cools things down and stops the show. Some winemakers - especially Lett, who planted the first Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vines in the Willamette Valley more than 30 years ago on the principle -- believe this makes for better, more complex wines. It also makes for a wilder ride, as Life in Vine shows. Master of Wine A qualification (not an academic degree) conferred by The Institute of Masters of Wine, which is located in the United Kingdom. May wine A light German wine flavored with sweet woodruff in addition to strawberries or other fruit. Mead A wine-like alcoholic beverage made of fermented honey and water rather than grape juice. Merlot Merlot is a variety of wine grape used to create a popular red wine. Méthode Champenoise Process whereby sparkling wines receive a second fermentation in the same bottle that will be sold to a retail buyer. Compare with Charmat or bulk fermented. Methuselah A large bottle holding six litres, the equivalent of eight regular wine bottles. Microoxygenation The controlled exposure of wine to small amounts of oxygen in the attempt to reduce the length of time required for maturation. Midpalate A tasting term for the feel and taste of a wine when held in the mouth. Millerandage A French term referring to a viticultural problem in which grape bunches contain berries of greatly differing size and levels of maturity. Caused by cool weather during flowering. Abnormal & uneven fruit set in which bunches contain berries of very different sizes because of poor fertilization, often caused by unfavorable weather or improper thinning of unfertilized clusters. Mis en bouteille au château French for "bottled at the winery", usually in Bordeaux. Mud See "Lees". Mulled wine Wine that is spiced, heated, and served as a punch.

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Muscadine A native American species of grape indigenous to the south Atlantic region of the US. With the scientific classification Vitis rotundifolia, the muscadine grapes have a very unique, intense, fruity aroma and are so genetically different from the other vitis species that they can only be crossed with the former through the use of very modern, sophisticated genetic technology. Botanists have given this unique group their own sub-genus (Muscadinia), unique from the "true" grapes (sub-genus Euvitis). Common varieties of Muscadines used for wine making include: Red: Burgaw, Eden, Hunt, James, Mish & Thomas. White: Scuppernong, Topsail & Willard. Must After winemakers crush their grapes, but before they have actual wine, they have must. It's into the must that they'll pitch their yeast to start fermentation. A term in use for at least a thousand years, its origin is unclear. Unfermented grape juice, including pips (seeds), skins and stalks. Must weight The level of fermentable sugars in the must and the resultant alcohol content if all the sugar was converted to ethanol. Mycorrhizal Fungi A type of fungus which is often applied to the roots of a vine at planting. The mycorrhizae forms a mutually beneficial relationship with the plants' roots. As such it acts as an extension of the root system, increasing the roots' ability to absorb nutrients and water. Some research indicates that the co-dependent symbiotic relationship between the fungi and the vine helps the vine to survive stress, absorb more water and nutrients, and increase its resistance to soilborne diseases. Native American Variety A cultivar belonging to the many & diverse vitis species indigenous to the North American continent (the most extensive & common are vitis labrusca, vitis riparia & vitis rupestris).The most common Native American varieties used in winemaking include: White: Niagara Pink: Delaware (usually made as a white) Red: Concord Catawba Norton (Cynthiana) Steuben Nebuchadnezzar A large bottle holding 15 litres, the equivalent of 20 regular wine bottles. Négociant French for "trader". A wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name. New World wine Wines produced outside of the traditional wine growing areas of Europe and North Africa. Noble rot Another name for the Botrytis cinerea mould that can pierce grape skins causing dehydration. The resulting grapes produce a highly prized sweet wine, generally dessert wine. The benevolent form of botrytis (q.v.). Usually caused by an early morning, high humidity, fog or dew, allowing for primary infection, which is followed by a windy, warm morning. Node The thickened portion of a shoot or cane where the leaf and its compound bud are attached.

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Nose A tasting term for the aroma or bouquet of a wine. Nuggins A highly technical wine term used by a winemaker in Life in Vine to describe a part of his naked body. Perhaps you'll have to buy a copy of the documentary to find out which part. Oak (Barrel) Much, but by no means all wine is stored and aged in oak barrels. Lightly charred on the inside, they may impart a toasty, vanillin smell to the wine and help it mature. Winemaking usage often includes "on oak", as in "we put the Pinot Noir on oak for 10 months." If winemakers put too much oak on, usage can further be modified to "so much oak it's like sucking a 2x4." Oak chips Small pieces of oak wood used in place of oak barrels in fermenting and/or ageing wine. Oechsle, Öchsle or degrees Oechsle A measure of must weight Oenology The science of wine and winemaking. Oenophile A wine aficionado or connoisseur. Off-dry A wine that has the barest hint of sweetness; a slightly sweet wine in which the residual sugar is barely perceptible. Old vine Wine produced from vines that are notably old. Old World wine Wines produced inside of the traditional wine growing areas of Europe and North Africa. Perennial Wood The permanent wood of a grapevine. It is the older, "woodier", thicker wood of the trunk & cordons of the vine. pH For many, pH is the Rosetta Stone of winemaking. It measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in grapes, wines or soils, which is to say, their active acidity. In juice or wine, a low pH indicates that the acids are still high and the liquid will taste tart, while a high pH means they're low and the liquid will taste flat. In Life in Vine, when Cameron Winery's John Paul says his pH is 3.14 and "nyaaaah", he's saying that it's still a little lower than the ideal of somewhere between 3.2 and 3.4. An acronym for "potential hydrogen" a measure of acidity. The lower the pH, the higher the acidity.However pH is actually a shorthand for its mathematical approximation: in chemistry a small p is used in place of writing − log10 and the H here represents [H+], the concentration of hydrogen ions. Phenolics A varied group of compounds found mainly in skins, stems and seeds in the case of grapes. They include anthocyanin, tannins and many flavor compounds. Precipitated, they form an important

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part of wine's sediment and play a considerable role in wine ageing. Phenolics are known to have beneficial effects on human health. Red wines are much higher in phenolics than white, which is why red wine is better at protecting against heart disease. Phomopsis Cane & Leaf Spot A fungal disease of the vine. Photosynthesis The formation of carbohydrates (sugars [mainly glucose & fructose]) in the vine (mostly stored in the fruit) from water and carbon dioxide, by the action of sunlight on the chlorophyll in the vine (produced mostly in the leaves) Phylloxera Fatal vine pest which destroys the soft vine roots of vitis vinifera cultivars. The only remedy is to replant on phylloxera-resistant rootstocks. The roots of most Native American & hybrid vines are immune to the effects of the pest. Phylloxera will generally not inhabit soils which are 80+% sand. In all other soil textures, vinifera cultivars should be grafted onto phylloxera resistant rootstocks. Phylloxera Palate A tasting term for the feel and taste of a wine in the mouth. Powdery Mildew A fungal disease of the vine. The major grape pest in California. Primordial Shoots The buds which develop on this year's fruiting wood. They will give rise to the fruiting shoots for next vintage. Phylloxera A microscopic underground insect that kills grape vines by attacking their roots. Picking Window The picking window is the time between when the grapes are ripe enough to use and when winter, rain or birds yank the ripe fruit away. Depending on where grapes are grown, it might be large enough to walk through, or small enough to fit only a piece of paper scrawled with a prayer. In Life in Vine, winemakers are worried that because the grapes are behind schedule, their picking window may not even open. Pierce's Disease A bacterial infection of the vine that is spread by an insect called the blue-green sharpshooter. What is now called Pierce's Disease was known as Anaheim's Disease in the 1880s when it wiped out thousands of acres of vineyards in Southern California. In very warm climates, such a Florida, Pierce's Disease has rendered commercial vineyard development all but impossible. The name Pierce refers to Newton B. Pierce, California's first professionally trained plant pathologist, who was the first to attempt to isolat the cause of the disease. Pinot Noir "Pee-no nwar" is a kind of grape, or variety. There are literally thousands of grape varieties in the world, but the most commonly known in the US are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Pinot Noir is the grape used to make red wines in France's famous Burgundy region, but it is also planted in other cooler climates around the world like coastal California, New Zealand, and most famously (after Life in Vine) Oregon. Pip Grape seeds.

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Pipe A cask holding two hogsheads or 126 U.S. gallons of wine. Plonk British English slang for an inexpensive bottle of wine. The term is thought to originate from the French word for white wine, "blanc". Pomace The skins, stalks, and pips (seeds) that remain after making wine. Also called marc. Port A sweet fortified wine, which is produced from grapes grown and processed in the Douro region of Portugal. This wine is fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits in order to boost the alcohol content and stop fermentation thus preserving some of the natural grape sugars. Several imitations are made throughout the world. Porto The legal name for a true Port wines sold in the United States since imitation ports may be labeled as a "port" there . Potassium sorbate A wine stabilizer and preservative. Prädikat A wine designation for high quality used in Germany and Austria, based on grape ripeness and must weight. There are several Prädikate ranging from Kabinett (Spätlese in Austria) to Trockenbeerenauslese. Prädikatswein The highest class of wine in the German wine classification, formerly called Qualitätswein mit Prädikat. These wines always display a specific Prädikat on their label. Press After stomping grapes with your feet (which is rarely done these days, and then only for show), pressing wine may be the practice most famously associated with making wine. It's a way of squeezing everything you can out of a grape, and after it's finished, the remains can feel nearly bone dry. Pressing happens at different stages in the winemaking process depending on whether white or red wine is being made. In many ways, it's a matter of how long you want the juice in contact with the skins of a grape. Since white winemakers want a light, clear wine, they crush the grapes and send the goo directly into the press for squeezing. Only then do they add yeast and get fermentation going. Red winemakers like those featured in Life in Vine, however, want the color and tannin that prolonged skin contact provides, so their crushed grapes go into a fermenter, where yeast is added to start fermentation. Only when fermentation is over is the wine pressed. Proof Refers to the alcohol content of a beverage. In the United States, proof represents twice the alcohol content as a percentage of volume. Thus, a 100 proof beverage is 50% alcohol by volume and a 150 proof beverage is 75% alcohol. In the Imperial system, proof, (or 100% proof), equals 57.06% ethanol by volume, or 48.24% by weight. Absolute or pure ethanol is 75.25 over proof, or 175.25 proof. Pruning

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Pruning can be a cold, wet, and unglamorous activity which is nevertheless critical to a good harvest. Pruning essentially cuts away enough of the vine so its energy can be focused on ripening fruit efficiently. In general, growers cut away most of the canes left over from the previous year's activity, leaving a few which will, in turn, produce shoots which grow into canes which produce fruit. As Eyrie's David Lett says in Life in Vine, "pruning sets the stage for harvest." Aside from weed control, the single most important operation of the vineyard year in terms of wine quality. Simply put, Pruning is the removal of portions of the vine for the purpose of maintaining its size & productivity. The size and productivity is maintained by ensuring that the vine retains a proper number of fruiting buds. During either fall or winter the wood of the vine is cut back leaving a specific number of buds (usually from 20 to 40) on one year old wood (canes or spurs) which will produce the crop for the next vintage. Although many other factors come into play, low-yielding vines in general tend to produce more concentrated wine. Punch down During fermentation, carbon dioxide pushes grape skins to the top of the fermenter, forming a cap. Left undisturbed, it becomes a kind of blanket and temperatures can get disastrously high underneath and all kinds of unpleasant microbial activity can result, changing the taste of the wine for the worse. So, usually twice a day at least, winemakers must "punch down" the cap to ensure a healthy fermentation, which also extracts more color and tannin from the skins as a bonus. Depending on the size of the fermenter, the cap can be so thick and solid that you can literally stand on it, but no matter what size, punching down is hard work. Many winemakers have hydraulic gizmos to help them, or they use pumps to "pump over" juice from underneath the cap over its top. In Life in Vine, Westrey's David Autrey does it the old fashioned way. Puncheon A wine barrel that holds approximately 84 U.S. gallons (318 litres) . Punt The indentation found in the base of a wine bottle. Punt depth is often thought to be related to wine quality, with better quality wines having a deeper punt. QbA German acronym for Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete. QmP German acronym for Qualitätswein mit Prädikat. QPR An acronym for Quality-Price Ratio. Qualitätswein A designation of better quality German wines. When used in isolation on a wine label, it refers to Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete. Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) A designation of better quality German wines from recognized viticultural areas. It formally represents the second-highest level of German wine. Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) A former designation of the best quality German wines, since 2007 shortened to Prädikatswein. Quality-Price Ratio (QPR) A designation for rating wine based on the ratio of its quality and its price. The higher quality and less expensive price a wine has, the better the ratio.

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Racking The process of drawing wine off the sediment, such as lees, after fermentation and moving it into another vessel. Rain If you're used to rain saving the farm, the idea that it can be bad for an agricultural crop may sound a little strange. It is true that rain is important to vines, especially over the winter and early spring, when the water soaks into the ground and, ideally, is stored for use through at least some of the dry summer months. But once harvest draws near, rain is a predator. At best, rain brings with it cooler weather, and that can slow the ripening process, pushing harvest closer and closer to cooler weather when the grapes will simply stop ripening. But rain can also dilute grapes, making watery wine, and worse, it can swell the grapes so much that they burst and expose the grapes to rot and other disease, compromising the whole crop. If it's late September (in the northern hemisphere) and it's raining where you are, a grower somewhere is probably grumbling. Red grapes Red grapes are, uh, grapes which are red. To this soaring platitude I add: red grapes are different from white grapes. What do I win, Johnny? As dumb as it might sound, however, it's important to make a distinction between red wine grapes and white wine grapes, for the simple reason that they're processed differently and make different wines. Both kinds of grapes follow the same arc of budbreak to flowering to ripeness, though growers may coax them along with different techniques, and they may be picked at different times. And at the winery, the first stop for both will usually be the crusher (with some variation based on the style and flavor of the wine envisioned), which will separate the berries from the stems. But once the grapes have run this harrowing gauntlet, their fates diverge. That's because of their skins. Grape skins give wines much of their tannin, which can add backbone and a little longevity to the finished wine. White wines, however, get most of their backbone from acid, and in fact, too much tannin can make a white wine kind of gritty (yum). So as soon as the grapes safely pass the crusher, winemakers will want to separate the juice from the skins as quickly as possible, so they send them directly to the press. After press, the juice goes straight to the fermenter to begin its transformation into wine. Where red wine grapes are concerned, by contrast, winemakers want tannin. In fact, they crave it -- so much that some will let the juice soak on the skins for weeks before they even pitch any yeast. In any case, red winemakers (like those in Life in Vine) send the whole mess, skins and all, straight to the fermenter. This goo, by the way, is called a must. Only after fermentation is complete does the wine see the press. Rehoboam A large bottle holding 4.5 litres, the equivalent of six regular wine bottles. Rémuage See "riddling". Renewal Spur During winter pruning, growers cut back a vine to a few bare canes. This is done differently all over the world, but in Northern Oregon, it often results in a kind of T shape, leaving a main trunk and two canes each heading different directions down the trellis wire. From these canes new canes will sprout in the spring, and one of these will in turn get laid down on the wire to begin the process again the next winter. Nevertheless, some growers like to have a little insurance that they'll have quality canes close to the trunk, so they leave little spurs behind in addition to the two canes. Usually, these little spurs are short enough they'll only produce two sprouts, but the two canes that grow out of them are nicely positioned for the following year.

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Reserva Spanish and Portuguese term for a reserve wine. Reserve A term given to wine to indicate that it is of higher quality than usual. Renewal Zone A zone established by some growers, whereby the buds which will produce next year's shoots are assured proper positioning. It is generally believed that placing these renewal buds (or primordial shoots [q.v.]) in a location of high sunlight will make them more fruitful next vintage. Residual sugar is sugar left un-converted by yeasts during fermentation. Given the right conditions, once the yeasts get to work in a fermentation, they usually tear off the rear view mirror and don't stop until they've converted all the sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide. But it's important for winemakers to know whether they've finished or how far they are away from doing so, because once they stop, they'll stop producing CO2, which protects the new wine from the ravages of oxygen. Some winemakers also like to finish the last little bit of fermentation in a barrel to help soften the wine. Whatever the reason, they often take repeated measurements of residual sugar as the end of fermentation draws near, usually with a diabetes test kit, as it turns out. In Life in Vine, Doug Tunnell's wines have reached .1% residual sugar, which is the point at which he wants to press. Also known as RS, the level of sugar that remains unfermented in a wine. Reverse osmosis A process used to remove excess water from wine. Riddling Also known as "Rémuage" in French, part of the Méthode Champenoise process whereby bottles of sparkling wine are successively turned and gradually tilted upside down so that sediment settles into the necks of the bottles in preparation for degorgement. Riesling Also known as White Riesling in countries outside of Germany. Riesling is a variety of grape used to make white wine. It is grown mainly in Germany, where the relatively cold climate enables it to produce grapes for some of the best white wines in the world. Riesling grapes are also used also for high quality wines in Austria and can be found in countries like Australia, South Africa and Canada. Riesling is famous for its vivid acidity and fruitiness both in the nose and on the palate. Ripe As Shakespeare's Edgar says in King Lear, "Ripeness is all!" Though the character is actually talking about something else (death, despair, fate, the usual peppy Lear topics), he couldn't have described the ultimate goal of grape growing more perfectly. The trouble is, however, that there's no objective standard of what's ripe. As we see in Life in Vine, while Westrey's David Autrey and Amy Wesselman take a similar tack as Cameron's John Paul about deciding when to pick, they each have their personal strategies based on their experience and the wines they like to make. Fifteen years ago, many winemakers simply went by the numbers: when grapes reached 23 Brix (for instance), they came off the vines with no ifs, ands or buts. But these days, higher-end winemakers rely on their sense of taste to decide ripeness, looking for ripe and mature berry flavors with no green vegetal components. Rootstock A cutting taken from a vine (usually Native American or hybrid) and cultivated to serve as a rootsystem for a grafted vine. Hence a grafted vine consists of a scion (the above ground growth) & a rootstock (the below ground growth).

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Rosé wines Pink wines are produced by shortening the contact period of red wine juice with its skins, resulting in a light red colour. These wines are also made by blending a small amount of red wine with white wine. Rot Rot -or botrytis bunch rot- is the scourge of late harvests, and it can wipe out whole vineyards in a few days. This fungal disease can take many forms, but at its worst, it spreads over berries and breaks down the skins, and the result is downright ugly. Worse, it can give wines made from the grapes it infests a moldy, vinegary taste, so winemakers who spot it will often spend untold hours sorting their fruit in a grim attempt to minimize the damage. In general, rot flourishes in moist, still, and lukewarm environments as the grapes near ripeness, so growers often pay special attention to retaining airflow around their grapes. As an aside, not all rots are shunned. One form is called noble rot, and winemakers bent on making sweet, late harvest wines welcome it. Coveting botrytized grapes is most famously practiced in Sauternes, a region within the Bordeaux appellation in France, but late harvest winemakers in Germany and the US also seek it out. Ruby A style of Port wine that is generally sweet. Sack An early English term for what is now called Sherry. Salmanazar A large bottle holding nine litres, the equivalent of 12 regular wine bottles. Sangiovese The preponderant grape for making the Italian wine known as Chianti. Sangria A tart punch made from red wine along with orange, lemon and apricot juice with added sugar. Scion A cutting (or bud wood) taken from a vine (usually vitis Vinifera) and grafted onto a rootsystem from another vine (usually native American or a hybrid thereof). Hence a grafted vine consists of a scion (the above ground growth) & a rootstock (the below ground growth). Screwcap An alternative to cork for sealing wine bottles, comprising a metal cap that screws onto threads on the neck of a bottle. Also called a "Stelvin". Sec French for dry, except in the case of Champagne, where it means semi-sweet. Secondary fermentation Most commonly the term is used to refer to the continuation of fermentation in a second vessel e.g. moving the wine from a stainless steel tank to an oak barrel. Sekt German sparkling wine. Semi-generic

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Wines made in the United States but named after places that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau requires be modified by a US name of geographic origin. Examples would be New York Chablis, Napa Valley Burgundy or California Champagne. Set Also known as "fruit set," this is a term used by growers to refer to how successfully a the flowers in a vineyard have pollinated -- as in, "we had a good set this year". In other words, since these flowers will grow into grapes, the quality of the set will determine how good the crop will be months later. Shatter The physiological stage following bloom when impotent flowers and small green berries begin to fall from the cluster (see life cycle). Also used to refer to the annoying habit of some cultivars to have their over-ripe grapes simply fall from the vine. Sherry A fortified wine that has been subjected to controlled oxidation to produce a distinctive flavor. Shiraz Shiraz or Syrah is a variety of grape used to make red wine. Shoot This term for the part of the vine which emerges from a young bud is no understatement. Unless the weather is unforgivingly cold, shoots will literally shoot upwards, growing perceptibly in just one day. The green, leafy growth developing from a bud on a cane, spur, cordon, or trunk. The developing growth of the shoot is the source of all of the vine's leaves, stems, tendrils, flowers & fruit. Solera system A process used to systematically blend various vintages of Sherry. Sommelier A trained wine expert who often works in fine restaurants. Sparkling wine Effervescent wine containing significant levels of carbon dioxide. Spätlese German for "late harvest". A Prädikat in Germany and Austria. Spinning cone column Used to reduce the amount of alcohol in a wine. Split A wine bottle that holds approximately 6 oz (175-187 mL) or one-fourth the equivalent of a typical 750 mL bottle; a single-serving. Spraying Especially in Oregon, but in other wine regions as well, growers can't simply prune the vines and then kick back until harvest. Among other things, they need to constantly monitor the vines for disease, which means they need to spray their vineyards periodically. In Oregon, the chief scourge is powdery mildew, which many growers combat by spraying sulfur every 1-2 weeks like

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clockwork. While there are other more high tech chemicals available, sulfur is gentler on the vineyard's ecosystem, and promotes fewer side effects. In fact, spraying sulfur is even considered "organic." Spumante Italian for "sparkling". Generally any sparkling wine from Italy, although producers of Franciacorta have recently started stating that Franciacorta is not a "spumante". Spur A cane pruned to 3 or fewer nodes, generally on a cordon. A "Renewal Spur" - is a spur whose primary purpose is to position a cane for fruiting the following season (see renewal zone). Stem/Stalk Woody attachment of grape to bunch, high in often harsh tannins. All or most are usually deliberately eliminated by a mechanical destemmer prior to fermentation Stelvin A brand of screwcap. Still wine Wine that is not sparkling wine. Stoving wine A production method of artificially mellowing wine by exposing it to heat. Strohwein A German word for "straw wine", same as the French term vin de paille. Refers to a dried grape wine. A Prädikat in Austria. Sucker A shoot arising from a bud below ground. Can be used to create multiple trunks. (Note: MUST be removed from a grafted vine as the sucker is originating from the rootstock & not the scion) Sugar In many ways, sugar is the reason you're here, reading this glossary. It's certainly the engine that drives the wine industry, because without sugar, yeasts would yawn at the sight of grapes and never transform them into wine. The chemical evolution of sugar (or glucose) into alcohol is complex, but it occurs naturally and almost anywhere -- the spritz you taste in the apple cider you left too long in the back of the fridge tells you that you probably have a little less sugar in the juice than when you bought it. Sulfites Compounds (typically: potassium metabisulfite or sodium metabisulfite) which are added to wine to prevent oxidation and microbial spoilage. Sulphur dioxide A substance used in winemaking as a preservative. Sweetness of wine Defined by the level of residual sugar in the final liquid after the fermentation has ceased. However, how sweet the wine will actually taste is also controlled by factors such as the acidity and alcohol levels, the amount of tannin present, and whether the wine is sparkling.

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Table wine Generally any wine that is not sparkling or fortified. In the US these wines must also be between 7% and 14% alcohol by volume. The term table wine is also used to describe a wine that is considered a good, everyday drinker. Tannin Polyphenolic compounds that give wine a bitter, dry, or puckery feeling in the mouth. Tannin is the primary culprit behind a surprising amount of wine babble,"structure", "backbone", even "grip". But that's because tannin is so central to the way a (red) wine tastes, and therefore, how critical it is in the winemaking process. If you can imagine over-steeped tea -- or sucking on a tea bag -- that's tannin. Of course, any wine that tastes like over-steeped tea would be a difficult sell, so winemakers try to get just the right amount, enough to add a firmness to the wine without making the wine bitterly astringent. Tannin is most often found in red wines, and that's because most of the tannin in grapes comes from the skins -- in general, red wines ferment on the grape skins, white wines do not. But prolonged storage in new or newer oak barrels can also infuse a wine with tannin, so winemakers will decide how long to keep a wine in barrel in part to determine how much tannin they want in the wine. By the way, tannin isn't the only component in a wine that gives a wine "structure": Acid plays a part, too. Together with tactile impressions of body or alcohol, they're like the framework of a building, and they're what hold a wine together. Tart A tasting term describing a wine high in acidity. Often displayed by young, unripe wines. Tartaric acid The most important acid found in grapes. Tasting flight Refers to a selection of wines, usually between three and eight glasses, but sometimes as many as fifty, presented for the purpose of sampling and comparison. T.B.A. An abbreviation for the German wine Trockenbeerenauslese. T budding A technique that permits grafting of different grape varieties onto existing rootstocks in a vineyard. Tears See "legs". Tendril A curled structure arising from some nodes of the shoot and capable of attaching itself to other portions of the vine & non-vine structures (like trees or a trellis). They give the vine the ability to climb. Terroir French for "soil", the physical and geographical characteristics of a particular vineyard site that give the resultant wine its unique properties. The ecology of a wine. The total, inter-related environment wherein a grapevine is cultivated for the purpose of making wine. Key factors include, but are not limited to, cultivar type, soil, climate, vineyard location, planting density, training system, pruning philosophy & the cultural and social milieu wherein the whole enterprise takes place.

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Texture A tasting term for the mouthfeel of wine on the palate. Thief A tubular instrument for removing a sample from a cask or barrel. Also called a pipe. Toast The charcoal that is burned into the inside of wine casks. To toast refers to that process. It also refers to the practice of drinking an alcohol beverage along with wishing good health or other good fortune. Training In its simplest terms: Placing the fruiting buds of a vine so as to maximize the effective production of that vine. Effectively shaping a vine into a specific shape, usually to effect some form of canopy management. Training systems are often referred to by indicating the location of the fruiting wood in terms of it relation to the vine's perennial wood (trunk, head or cordon) & by indicating the length of the fruiting wood (spur or cane). Hence, one might use a "cordon/cane" system or a "head/spur" system. Transparency The ability of a wine to clearly portray all unique aspects of its flavor--fruit, floral, and mineral notes. The opposite would be a wine where flavors are diffused and thoroughly integrated. Trocken German for "dry". Trockenbeerenauslese German term meaning approximately "harvest of selected dry berries". A type of German wine made from grapes affected by noble rot. Such grapes can be so rare that it can take a skilled picker a day to gather enough for just one bottle. A Prädikat in Germany and Austria. Tun A wine cask that holds approximately, two butts, or 252 U.S. gallons. Trunk The main upright structure of the vine from which cordons, shoots, & canes may arise. Vines may have more than 1 trunk. Typicity A wine tasting term used to describe how much a wine expresses the typical characteristics of the varietal. UllageAlso known as headspace, the unfilled space in a wine bottle, barrel, or tank. Derrived from the French ouillage, the terms "ullage space" and "on ullage" are sometimes used, and a bottle or barrel not entirely full may be described as "ullaged". Unoaked Also known as unwooded, refers to wines that have been matured without contact with wood/oak such as in aging barrels. Varietal

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Some writers make a distinction between "varietal" and "variety" (a varietal wine being one which is marketed and sold on the basis of its variety), but the distinction is blurring. At the core of both is a reference to the kind of grapes used in making a wine. The most famous (and bestselling) varieties in the marketplace are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot. They're grown all over the world, but they were made famous in France: Cab (you may have been the victim of bad puns leeched from this abbreviation) and Merlot are two major components in Bordeaux, while Chardonnay is the grape used exclusively in white Burgundy. Pinot Noir, the red wine grape featured in Life in Vine, was also made famous in Burgundy, and it is notoriously difficult to grow well. This, and the popularity of the so-called Big Three varietals mentioned above has kept Pinot's market share comparatively low. In fact, as vineyards around the world are being replanted with the Big Three because they're such cash crops, some people are anxious about a future barreling increasingly toward monoculture. There are thousands of grape varieties in the world (most famously in Italy, with thousands alone), each creating a different kind of wine, and many represent specific regions so exclusively that their wines are essentially the flavor of their towns or districts. As growers see how much more money they can make growing Cabernet, some often uproot their old, characterful vines along with centuries of tradition, propelling the world one bit closer to bland uniformity. Veraison Veraison ("vuh-RAY-zon") is a truly magical time in the grape growing year. Before veraison, red wine grapes are green, bitter and hard, poor fodder for glossy coffee table books. But toward the end of the summer, over about a week or so, their color changes to a more appetizing deep purple. On the way, vineyards are decked multicolored clusters, since each grape within a cluster changes on its own timetable. With a little backlighting, the result is amazing to behold. Veraison tells growers that the ripening process which will culminate in harvest has begun, since red grapes change color when the sugar in them increases to 5-10 brix. White wine grapes also change color about this time, but the change is much more subtle. Vermouth A fortified wine that has been flavoured with as many as 40 herbs and spices. Vertical and horizontal wine tasting In a vertical tasting, different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted. This emphasizes differences between various vintages. In a horizontal tasting, the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries. Keeping wine variety or type and wine region the same helps emphasize differences in winery styles. Vieilles Vignes (Fr. "'old vines") Mature, established vines, which generally produce more concentrated wine than young ones. Studies show that stored carbohydrates in very old vines can give the vine an early start to fruit ripening. Vigneron French for vine grower. Vigor A vine's natural tendency to sprout forth leaves & other green growth (often at the expense of quality fruit production). Vin French for wine. Vine

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A plant on which grapes grow. Vine density Important vineyard parameter, the number of vines planted per unit of area (usually acre). New World plantings tend to be relatively low density (less than 800 vines per acre), while Old World plantings tend to be very high density (1000+ vines per acre). Density is directly determined by vine spacing (the distance between the rows of vines & the distance between the vines in the rows). Vinegar A sour-tasting, highly acidic, liquid made from the oxidation of ethanol in wine, cider, beer, fermented fruit juice, or nearly any other liquid containing alcohol. Vineyard A place where grape vines are grown for wine making purposes. Vinho Portuguese for wine. Vinho verde An effervescent white wine produced in Portugal. Viniculture The art and science of making wine. Also called enology (or oenology). Not to be confused with viticulture. Vinifera (Also Vitis Vinifera) Vine species of European origin. Members of this species are known for their ability to produce the finest grapes for wine. The most "Noble" examples are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Riesling. Vinification The process of making grape juice into wine. Vin jaune French for "yellow wine", a wine fermented and matured under a yeast film that protects it, similar to the flor in Sherry production. Vino Italian and Spanish, Originally derived from Latin, for wine. Vintage The year in which a particular wine's grapes were harvested. When a vintage year is indicated on a label, it signifies that all the grapes used to make the wine in the bottle were harvested in that year. Vintage sounds like a word you'd say with your nose in the air and an ascot tied around your neck. But this snobby-sounding word is used by winemakers in a much more functional way to essentially indicate a winemaking year. Life in Vine, for example, covers the entirety of "the '99 vintage." On the shelf, wines are often classified by vintage, both to keep one year's produce separate from another, and to indicate a certain quality level. If you don't see a date on a bottle of wine, it's what's called a "non-vintage" wine, which means it's a blend of wines from at least two different years. When wineries issue both vintage and non-vintage wines, the vintage-dated bottles are almost marketed as better wines, but at a higher price.

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VSP - Common abbreviation for "Vertical Shoot Positioning". Describes the common training technique of forcing the growing shoots of a vine into a vertical (up & down) position perpendicular to the ground. Note that with low-wire trained systems the shoots are trained "up", while with high-wire trained systems they are trained down. This practice facilitates easy canopy management (q.v.) Viticulture Is iticulture is the science and practice of growing grapes, most famously taught in the United States at the University of California at Davis. Compare to "enology," the science and practice of making wine. The cultivation of grapes. Not to be confused with viniculture. Vitis The vine genus. Water Sprout A shoot arising from a bud located on wood which is older than one year old usually the trunk). Generally; it will not be fruitful & is unwanted. Wine An alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of unmodified grape juice. Wine cave A large cave that is excavated to provide a cool location for storing and aging wine. Similar to wine cellar. Wine cellar A cool, dark location in which wine is stored, often for the purpose of ageing. Wine fault Undesirable characteristics in wine caused by poor winemaking techniques or storage conditions. Wine fraud Any form of dishonesty in the production or distribution of wine. Wine label The descriptive sticker or signage adhered to the side of a wine bottle. Wine lake Refers to the continuing surplus of wine over demand (glut) being produced in the European Union. Winemaker A person engaged in the occupation of making wine. Wine-press A device, comprising two vats or receptacles, one for trodding and bruising grapes, and the other for collecting the juice. Winery A building, property, or company that is involved in the production of wine.

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Wine tasting The sensory evaluation of wine, encompassing more than taste, but also mouthfeel, aroma, and colour. White Grapes See Red Grapes. Yeast Yeasts are the high livin' dynamos that take gray, mucky grape juice and transform it into wine. Yeasts are everywhere. There are untold strains of them in the world and they float around virtually everywhere, poised to ferment something at a moment's notice. The popular conception that yeast gobble up sugar and spit sugar, heat and carbon dioxide out the other side isn't exactly right, but it's close enough (a mercenary enzyme also plays a part). But as festive a process as that might be, it ultimately ends in tragedy -- as the yeasts convert sugar to alcohol, the alcohol level rises, and after a while, it actually kills them off. How's that for a morality play? That's why winemakers must always be careful which yeasts dominate their fermentations. Not only will different yeasts impart different flavors to a wine, but they'll also give up at different alcohol levels. If a wimpy yeast gets the upper hand in the fermentation, they might stop after processing only half the sugar. The result is a "stuck fermentation", and that is a winemaker's kryptonite (though it is what gave us Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay). The danger of a stuck fermentation is why many winemakers use yeasts isolated and cultured in the lab -- they know what they're going to get. But more and more winemakers (and many in Life in Vine) like the complexity and naturalness so-called "wild yeasts" give to a wine. Luckily, yeasts which successfully dominate a fermentation tend to hang around for more action the following year, so wineries tend to maintain a population which can do the job. Nevertheless, many winemakers have cultured yeasts on standby in case the unthinkable should occur. Yield The amount of wine or grapes produced per unit area, usually measured either as ton/acre, tons/ha or, in much of Europe, hl/ha. Many factors such as planting density, pressing regime, grape variety, and style of wine affect the conversion of weight of grapes into volume of wine but 1 ton/acre is very approximately equivalent to 17.5 hl/ha. Young Wine that is not matured and usually bottled and sold within a year of its vintage. Zymology The science of fermentation.

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