Parlez Vous Vino?

Travel to a foreign country and you have to thrash your way through the language just to get something to eat and a place to stay. Well, the world of wine isn\'t much different. Here are some phrases you need to know that will make you sound sophisticated.

Garrafeira - a Portuguese term for a reserva wine with specific aging requirements. For example, a minimum of three years of aging in oak barrels for red wines.

Finish - The final impressions a wine gives after you have swallowed it or spat it out.

Wine lake - Refers to the continuing surplus of wine over demand (glut) being produced in the European Union.

Wine-press - A device, comprising two vats or receptacles, one for trodding and bruising grapes, and the other for collecting the juice.

Young - Wine that is not matured and usually bottled and sold within a year of its vintage.

Wood Tanin - Those tannins in a wine that are attributed to the wood barrels, usually oak, the wine is aged in versus the grape fermented.

Enology - The art and science of making wine. Also called Viniculture. Not to be confused with viticulture.

Vitis Vinifera - The dominant species of grape to which most of the wine grapes in the world are derived. The mother nature of wines, if you will.

Thief - A tubular instrument for removing a sample from a cask or barrel. Also called a pipe.

New World Wine - Collective phrase used for non-European wines with Australia being noted in particular. Can be an insult, compliment or general statement.

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.

Puncheon - A wine barrel that holds approximately 318 litres (160 U.S. gallons).

Varietal - Wines made from a single grape variety.

Volatile acidity - The level of acetic acid present within a wine.

Residual sugar - Also known as RS, the level of sugar that remains unfermented in a wine.

Wine tasting - The sensory evaluation of wine, encompassing more than taste, but also mouthfeel, aroma, and colour.

Wine cellar - A cool, dark location in which wine is stored, often for the purpose of ageing.

Solera system - A process used to systematically blend various vintages of Sherry.

Ullage - Also known as headspace, the unfilled space in a wine bottle, barrel, or tank.

Vino - Italian and Spanish, Originally derived from Latin, for wine.

Article Source: http://www.thedrinkingplace.com/articles2

Xav Moldonio writes wine articles for Wineriesforyou.com Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

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