Wine Terms Starting with C

It is one of the international red grape varieties, very common in Bordeaux, characterized by a grassy and leafy flavor and a fleshy texture. The grape has gained significant popularity with plantings common throughout the wine growing world.

It is one of the international red grape varietals, very common in Bordeaux. Powerful and tannic red grape. It is the base of the best wines in countries such as Chile and South Africa.

Italian term forthe hot sensation that can cause some wines with high alcohol content

Some Californian wines for which consumers and others pay higher prices than Bordeaux's First Growths.

Consists of cutting back one or two canes from the previous year's vine growth to six to fifteen buds that will be the grape producers for the next growing season.

Italian term to describe cinnamon notes that may appear in some wines

Refers to the parts of the vine that grow above the ground, such as the shoots and the leaves.

Aging method used in Madeira wines, that involves putting the wines in American oak casks. The casks are situated in places where they receive enough sunlight to be slowly heated. Usually, withthis method arround 7% of the wine is lost every year, via evaporation, so the winemaker must decide when to transfer the caskets to a cooler place, in order to regulate the ammount of wine lost.

Italian term for cellar or winery

Italian term for cooperative winery

An association of South African producers that focuses on promoting traditional method sparkling wines fermented in bottle and aged "en tirage".

Caratelli are small, traditionally wooden barrels used in Italian winemaking, particularly famous for aging Vin Santo, a type of Italian dessert wine. These barrels typically have a capacity ranging from 50 to 100 liters. The small size of the caratelli facilitates a high degree of contact between the wine and the wood, significantly influencing the aging process. The wine inside develops a concentrated flavour due to the slow evaporation through the wood, which is further enhanced by the oxidative environment within the barrel. This method imparts distinctive characteristics to the wine, such as deep colour, richness, and complex flavors.

Italian term to refer to something that is characteristic of a grape variety, wine or region

Carbonic maceration is a winemaking process that takes place during fermentation to produce fresh, fruit-forward, low-tannin red wines. Carbonic maceration uses whole clusters of grapes in a sealed, anaerobic, carbon dioxide-filled tank to start fermentation within each grape.

Carmenere is one of the six varieties permitted in Bordeaux for red wine blends, but currently winemakers in the region only use it in small quantities. Despite its mostly use in blends, this grape also has single varietal expressions, especially within Chile.

Italian term for ''farmhouse''

Italian term for a chestnut tree or its wood, which can be used to make casks or tanks

A unit of the persistence of a wine's finish in seconds. A wine can have a caudalie of 8 or more seconds.

Spanish sparkling wine, crafted mainly with Macabeo, Charelo and Parellada white grapes. This wine is very popular in regions like Cataluña, and has its own Denomination of Origin. To learn more about this wine, you can read our in-depth guide here.

Italian term for corkscrew

Cedar is a common aroma in Bordeaux wines from the Medoc appellations, similar to cedar wood.

This is the area of the winery where the point of sale is located. It can be a tasting room or a separate sales area.

Aging wine in order to improve or store it. It is usually done in any dry and cool area (12-16°C), dark, without drastic temperature changes and without vibrations.

French term to refer to the varieties of grapes planted in a vineyard.

Italian term for a deep red color. It is also a type of wine that has that color

A refined wine glass, with a long stem and a tall, narrow bowl at the top, specifically designed to emphasize the beads in Champagne wine and concentrate the aromas in the glass.

Method for producing sparkling wines. In this method, the second fermentation does not take place in the bottle, but in a large stainless steel tank. The method is also known as the Tank Method, Cuve Close (translates to closed tank), Italian Method (Metodo Italiano) or the Marinotti method.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French wine, and an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) located around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. The wines and the AOC often get abbreviated to CNDP.

A wine tasting term describing full-bodied, intensely flavored wines. They are usually very concentrated and have a large amount of tannins.

Italian term for wines with a very light pink color.

Italian term for the closure of a wine bottle

Term describing the odors found in older Bordeaux wines.

One of the three predominant acids in wine.

Italian term to refer to a historic wine region or a traditional wine style

Type of soil most often found in the Pomerol and Saint Emilion regions. Clay is characterized by its ability to retain moisture in the soil. A very important factor depending upon the region and the grape variety. It is well suited for growing Merlot.

In Australia, it is a bottled wine without a commercial label. It is usually sold at a low price and in bulk.

Term used to describe wines that are too sweet (sickly sweet) and without too much acidity, disrupting the wine harmony and reducing the quality of the wine.

Term used to refer to a cluster of grapes

Abbreviation for the French region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Term used to refer to wines that are rough and rustic in nature.

Principle relating to the aging capacity of wine, which states that a wine will remain at its peak (or optimum) drinking quality for as long as it took to reach the point of maturity.

A blend of red and white sparkling wine that has a high sugar content.

A fining process, typically undertaken in stainless steel vessels, in which wine is cooled to near freezing temperatures for several weeks. This favors the precipitation of tartrate crystals.

Italian term to refer to a hill.

Italian term to refer to a small hill.

Italian term for the neck of a wine bottle

Italian term for the process of topping up a barrel

Italian term to refer to a color, generally of a wine

Concentrated wines show a very fruity and deep flavor.

Machine that removes excess water from the grapes to concentrate the flavor of the wine. This is the mechanized way of dehydrating wines as opposed to laying the grape bunches on grattici or straw mats under the sun to raisinate the grapes.

Italian term to refer to the packaging of a wine, composed by the closure and the bottle

Italian term for a consortium of winemakers from a specific region, that regulates the wines produced within the area.

Italian term to refer to a consumer of wines

Italian term for the consumption of wines

A wine produced using conventional (mass production) methods using a lot of technology and chemical components that are non0native or naturally occurring in the winemaking process. Conventional wines can contain up to 200 additive ingredients. Conventional wines are diametrically opposite to Vin SAINS and Natural wines.

A term used to refer to wines that have been exposed to very high temperatures. This type of wine usually has a stewed fruit flavor.

Same as Cantina Sociale

Italian term for cup or goblet

Vine training method. Cordon vines have one or two shoots (branches) extending from the top of the vine trunk.

Tasting term to describe wines with a cork odor. Generally, this odor is produced by a dirty or TCA-infected cork. It only occurs with natural cork as opposed to the engineered or synthetic corks.

Italian term for the body of a wine

Italian term for a full -bodied wine

Italian term for a wine that last for a short time andhas a low persistence in the mouth

Term used on French wine labels to refer to wines that were not produced in contiguous vineyards.

French term that refers to a problem produced during flowering, which causes the flowers of the bunch to fall off. When this occurs, the grape cluster reduces its yield and the grapes develop unevenly in size and ripeness.

Intermediate quality level between table wine and quality wine. In France it is known as Vin de Pays, while in Italy it is known as Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT).

A method of blending wine before bottling.

Semi-sparkling wine with some effervescence. It is also known as Frizzante. The intensity of the bubbles determines the classification of the wine.

Term used to describe wines that have a creamy texture.

A French sparkling wine, made using the Méthode Champenoise, but in regions outside of Champagne. Under European and French laws only the wines from the Champagne region, made using the Méthode Champenoise, can be called Champagne.

Classification of Bordeaux estates, below Cru Bourgeois

Classification of quality Bordeaux estates in the Médoc, which were not part of the Bordeaux classification in 1855.

French term for an officially classified vineyard or winery.

A "Crush Pad" is a designated area at a winery where the initial stages of winemaking occur. This is where harvested grapes are brought, sorted, and processed. Activities on the crush pad typically include de-stemming, crushing, and pressing the grapes to extract the juice, which will then be fermented to produce wine. The crush pad is equipped with various equipment such as crushers, presses, and conveyors to facilitate these processes. It is an essential part of the winemaking operation, especially during the harvest season.

Term to refer to wines for which committed buyers will pay large sums of money, mainly because of their desirability and rarity. Demand significantly outstrips supply, the wines typically have long ageability, and are traded like stocks.

Italian term todescribe the leather notes that can appear in some wines

French term for the maceration of wine. In this process, the color of the grapes, aroma and tannins are transferred to the wine. This is achieved by keeping the grape skins in contact with the juice during the production of red wine.

Synonym of Charmat Method

French term for the place where wine vinification takes place.