Wine Terms Starting with A

Italian wine term to describe an off-dry, slightly sweet, medium-bodied wine. They usually have between 7-15 g/liter of residual sugar in the case of still wines, between 12-35 g/liter in the case of frizzante wines, and between 32-50 g/liter in the case of sparkling wines.

An acronym for "Anything but Chardonnay" or "Anything but Cabernet," conceived by Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm to refer to wine consumers interested in grape varieties.

Italian wine term to reffer to an element made of stainless steel

Italian wine term to reffer to unripeness

Italian wine term to describe an off-dry, slightly sweet, medium-bodied wine.

A vinegary substance produced by bacteria during fermentation. If produced at low levels, it creates more complex flavors and aromas in the wine. If this substance is produced in excess, it results in a more vinegary taste.

Italian wine term to reffer to the level of acidity of a wine

Acidity is a natural component of wine, which balances the sweetness of the wine. Acidity values that are too high will result in a wine that is too acidic, or aggressive, while values that are too low will result in a wine that is too flat and commonly referred to as “flabby”.

Italian wine term to reffer to a specific type of acid, such as Acetic Acid  or Tartaric Acid

Italian wine term to reffer to a wine that has excessive acidity, and its almost sour.

Italian wine term to reffer to a grape of berry.

Adega is a Portuguese term and carries a different meaning depending on the context. It could refer to the place where wine is produced or, like garrafeira, where wine is stored. It could also refer to a restaurant with a great wine selection. It is the Spanish equivalent of a bodega.

Exposing wine to that achieved by opening the bottle and letting the wine breath for a few hours, swirling the wine in a glass or putting the wine through a decanter or an aerator.

Italian wine term to reffer to the process of finishing or refinement of a wine

Refers to the flavors that remain on the palate after tasting a wine. It is a very important indicator of the character and quality of a wine. A desired effect in wine is a long finish where the wine flavor profile lingers in the drinker’s mouth.

Describes the age of the wine. Aged wines are usually kept in the cellar for several years. This improves the quality of the wine.

Italian term to reffer to an agronomist or agricultural scientist

The main by-product of wine fermentation.

Indicates the amount of alcohol in a bottle of wine. The abbreviation is ABV, and a bottle of wine contains an average of between 5.5% and 20% ABV. This is not a precise number and most regulators allow variation of +/-1%.

A term used in wine tasting to describe a perceived high alcohol content. Colloquially also referred to as “hot”. This occurs when the wine is out of balance and the alcohol profile overpowers the other dimensions of the wine.

Italian wine term to reffer to specific types of alcohol. Especially used when talking about ethyl alcohol.

It is a forest region in France, from which the Troncais woods come from. They are widely used in the manufacture of wine barrels, due to their tight grains reducing imperfections and minimizing the exposure to oxygen through the pores of the wood.

It is a soil used for the production of wine grapes, which combines rocks, sand, stones and gravel.

It is a wine region in France, part of the recently amalgamated Eastern France administrative region, where world-renowned dry white wines are produced from different grape varieties. Among them are Riesling and Gewürztraminer, also used to make sweet wines. This region is also known for its Late Harvest wine (vin de vendanges tardives), a very rare sweet wine, highly valued by wine connoisseurs.

Italian wine term to describe a semi sweet wine

(adjective) possessing bitterness; (noun) a liqueur characterized by bitterness.

Italian term to describe a wine with a subtle hint of bitterness.

Is an Italian red wine, made from partially dried out grapes, known for its great body and ripeness, in addition to its low acidity values.

Italian term for the amber color in some wines

Italian term to describe a wine that has a color that tends to be brown

Organic compounds present in wine. Red wine contains between 30 and 1300 mg/L of amino acids, of which Polina accounts for up to 85%.

Italian term to reffer tocertain caracteristics of a wine, such as amplitude, richness  or complexity

This term is used in wine tasting to describe young wines, with a predominantly bitter or sour taste.

Italian term to describe the licorice flavor in certain wines.

Italian term for carbon dioxide

Italian term for sulfur dioxide

Italian term for the vintage of a wine

A term used to refer to the loss of smell.

These are the pigments in the grape skin that give red wines their characteristic color.

Appassimento is an Italian winemaking technique used to produce certain types of wines, most notably the famous Amarone and Recioto wines from the Veneto region of Italy. The term "appassimento" translates to "drying" or "wilting" in Italian, and the process involves drying the grapes before fermentation. The selected grapes are laid out in well-ventilated drying rooms or on racks to undergo a drying period. This can last from several weeks to a few months. During this time, the grapes lose water through evaporation, which concentrates the sugars and flavors within the grapes.

A term that describes the appearance of wine before it is consumed. Generally, the color of the wine is determined by the color of the grape skin used to make it. With some exceptions, like orange or amber wine is produced from white grapes, “blanc de noirs” wines are produced from primarily red grapes (outside of the English language most commonly referred as black grapes).

These are the French laws for the appellation of origin of wines. Among other functions, they help the consumer determine the quality and origin of wines, in addition to setting standards for alcohol content and grape varieties used in each wine.

The name given to the geographic regions from which the grapes for a wine have been sourced. In the United States, appellations are known as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). According to U.S. law, if a wine indicates its AVA, at least 85% of the grapes must come from it. In addition, if the vineyard is indicated, then 95% of the grapes must come from that vineyard. On the other hand, in Canada they are known as Viticultural Areas or Geographical Indications (GI). The rules are incredibly complex and change over time. Some producers choose to label their wine generically, as table wines, as conformity reduces their ability to innovate and be creative.

Italian term to describe a wine with great balance

Aroma is the essence given off by the wine. It is closely associated with the flavors of the wine.

These are chemical compounds with very low molecular weights. This makes it possible for them to be transported to the upper nasal passage. Aroma compounds come from grapes and fermentation and are volatilized by the evaporation of alcohol.

A wine is said to be aromatized when it has added botanical substances. A clear example is Vermouth.

Italian term to describe the process of increasing the sugar content of the grape must  

Italian term to refeer to a bone dry wine

Italian term for a taste or sample ofwine

A French term used to refer to the grape varieties used in the blend of a wine.

Italian term for the process of blending wines

The initial taste that appears in the mouth when tasting a wine. Typically the primary flavors are the ones that are associated with attack.

A German term used to refer to wines made from very ripe bunches of grapes, resulting in a very intense flavor and aroma. This type of wines are dry, and usually have a higher amount of alcohol than other dry wines.

It is a French wine, made with Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes in the Bordeaux region. It is a very elegant wine, even though it is often underrated due to other more well-known wines, such as Château Lataur and Château Margaux.

This tasting term is often used to describe wines with a rough taste. They are usually young wines with high levels of acidity or tannins, although they can be both.

Italian term for a presurized tank

Italian term for indigenous or authoctonous of a particular region

A tasting term used to describe unbalanced wines. Usually this imbalance occurs between the percentage of fruit and acidity or between acidity and the presence of tannins

Italian term for vineyards with cellars and a form of a legal entity in agriculture.

Italian term for wineries.