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Wines are distinguished by color,
flavor, bouquet or aroma, and alcoholic
content. Wine is also divided into three
main types: still or natural, fortified,
and sparkling. Wines are red, white, or
rosé (depending on the grape used and
the amount of time the skins have been
left to ferment in the juice). For red
wines the entire crushed grape is
utilized; for white wines, the juice
only. In rosé wines, the skins are
removed after fermentation has begun,
thus producing a light pink color. Wines
are also classified as dry or sweet,
according to whether the grape sugar is
allowed to ferment completely into
alcohol (dry), or whether some residual
sugar has been left (sweet). |
| Aperitif
Wine |
One meant
to be served before a meal as an
appetizer. |
| Blanc de
Blancs |
White wine
made from white grapes; this French
phrase usually refers to sparkling wine
made from fine Chardonnay grapes. A few
table wines also carry this name. |
| Brut |
Dry or
lacking sweetness, used in reference to
sparkling wines. This is the driest type
of champagne normally sold; see also
"extra dry." |
| Dessert
Wine |
A term
formerly used to indicate sweet wines,
such as sherries, ports, and muscatels,
that are fortified with brandy to bring
them up to an alcohol content of around
16 to 18 percent. (See "fortified.")
Now, the meaning is more precise: a wine
to be served with desserts or by itself
after a meal. Dessert wines today
include such sweet wines as Muscat
Canelli and "late harvest" White
Riesling, which have alcohol contents as
low as just 10 to 12 1/2 percent. |
| Dry Wine |
One lacking
sweetness, with most or all of its sugar
converted into alcohol by fermentation.
Most table wines are dry to fairly
dry--to complement the flavors of most
foods prior to the dessert course. |
| Extra
Dry |
Term used on a label to
indicate that a sparkling wine is
slightly sweet (contradictory but
true!). See also "brut" and "sec." |
| Flavored
Wine |
"Pop" wines
are often flavored with citrus or other
fruit. Vermouth is flavored with herbs
and spices. Only natural flavors may be
added to wine under Federal regulations. |
|
Fortified |
Wine in
which fermentation was stopped and the
alcohol content increased by the
addition of grape brandy. This process
is used for sherries, ports, and other
wines whose alcohol content reaches 16
to 18 percent--sometimes even more in
very sweet wines. |
| Generic |
In the
United States, our generic wines borrow
European names which have specific
meanings in their own countries but not
here. Examples include burgundy,
Chablis, Rhine wine, and sauterne. Many
wineries are phasing out such labels in
favor of more descriptive and accurate
names (see "varietal"). However, it's
likely that burgundy (for an inexpensive
red wine) and Chablis (for an
inexpensive white) will be in use in
America for quite some time. |
| Late
Harvest |
A wine made from grapes
picked after their juices are extra
sweet and concentrated (see "Botrytis"). |
|
Proprietary Wine |
One carrying a name
originated by a specific winery -
essentially a brand name. Examples
include Paul Masson's "Emerald Dry,"
Gallo's "Tryolia," and Christian
Brothers' "Chateau LaSalle." |
| Sec |
A French word meaning
"dry"; however, when applied to
champagne it has come to indicate a
medium sweet one (see "extra dry"). |
| Still
Wine |
Any non-sparkling wine. |
| Table
Wine |
Red, white, or pink
wines of 11 to 13 percent alcohol,
suitable for serving with food. |
| Varietal |
Term used
to indicate that a wine is made
predominantly of the grape variety named
on the label. For example, Zinfandel
wine is supposed to be made from
Zinfandel grapes. A new Federal law now
specifies that a minimum of 75 percent
of a varietal wine be made from the
grape listed on the label. |
| Vintage
Wine |
Wine from a
single year named on the label, rather
than a blend from several years. Vintage
wines are necessarily good; there are
fine years, average years, and poor
years for most wines. |
