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Backbone |
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Describes wines with good acidity,
big, full bodied
and structure. well-structured and balanced by a
desirable level of acidity |
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Backed |
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Describes a characteristic (no complementary) of wines
produced from very ripe and over-ripe grapes |
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Balthazar |
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Describes a huge bottle that holds 16 standard bottles |
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Bin number |
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The Australian equivalent of Cask Number, an unregulated
phrase that can be applied to any wine, indicate their
reserve, house style of wine, or more expensive bottling.
Consistent from year to year. |
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Barrel Fermented |
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Wine fermented in a 55-gallon oak barrels (Generally white
wine) rather than neutral containers such as stainless steel.
It requires careful cellar attention and it can contributes to
increasing the complexity and flavor of a wine by adding spice
and vanilla from the interaction of the wine and the wood.
Most often used in the fermentation of Chardonnay |
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Backward
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Describes a wine that
retains youthful/young characteristics despite considerable
aging. Young wine that is less developed than others of
its type and class from the same vintage.
This usually indicates that it will take longer to reach
maturity and requires even more aging in the bottle or barrel.
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Balance
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A wine has balance when its elements are harmonious.
No individual part is dominant. Harmony among the wine's
components -- fruit, acidity, tannins, alcohol; a
well-balanced wine possesses the various elements in proper
proportion to one another. Acid balances the sweetness;
fruit balances against oak and tannin content; alcohol is
balanced against acidity and flavor. Wine not in balance may
be acidic, cloying, flat or harsh etc. |
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Berrylike
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Fruity taste like sweet,
fruity quality of blackberries, raspberries, cranberries ,
cherries and mixed with aroma and taste of red wines. |
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Big
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Strong in aroma and
flavor; full-bodied and overall flavor of a white or red wine,
that has full, rich flavors. ""Big" white wines are generally
high in alcohol and glycerin and Implies a flawed decision in
stopping fermentation at exactly the right point so resulting
in a less than elegant wine. |
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Bitter |
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Often caused by too much tannin, this
is most often not a desirable trait in wine.
Usually considered a
fault in but characteristic of such wines as Amarone and
certain other Italian reds. Describes one of the four
basic tastes along with sour, salty and sweet.
A major source of bitterness is the tannin content of a wine.
Some grapes (Gewurztraminer, Muscat) have a distinct bitter
edge to their flavor. If the bitter component dominates in the
aroma or taste of a wine it is considered a fault. Sweet
dessert wines may have an enhanced bitter component that
complements the other flavors making for a successful overall
taste balance. |
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Blanc de Blanc
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Meaning a white wine made of white grapes, such as Champagne
made of Chardonnay
(sparkling wine made from white grapes). Delicate and dry.
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Banc de Noirs |
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White wine made from red grapes, such as sparkling wines made
from Pinot Noir. Blanc de Noirs often have a pale pink color.
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Blunt
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Strong in flavor. Often
referred to alcoholic, but lacking in aromatic interest and
development on the palate. |
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Bottle Sickness |
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A temporary condition
characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors often
caused by the shaking a bottle. Also called bottle shock. To
cure it, keep the bottle rest for few days. |
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Bottled by |
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Indicates the winery of the bottle. |
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Blush
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A pink colored wine made
from red grapes. Red wine derives its color (Red grapes
juice is actually white) from juice left in contact with the
grape skin. The longer the contact, the darker the wine.
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Bluk Process |
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See Charmat. |
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Body
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The weight and texture of
a wine. Often refers to alcohol content. Taster's palate
usually due to from a combination of alcohol, glycerin and
sugar content. Commonly expressed as full-bodied,
medium-bodied or medium-weight, or light-bodied. |
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Botrytis
cinerea |
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A fungus or mold that causes grapes to
shrivel and become very concentrated.
A mold that attacks
certain grapes, producing honeyed sweet wines like Sauternes
and late-harvest Rieslings. "Botrytis Cinerea", a mold or
fungus that attacks grapes in humid climate conditions,
causing the concentration of sugar and acid content by making
grapes at a certain level of maturity shrivel. On the Riesling
grape it allows a uniquely aromatic and flavorful wine to be
made. Some of the most famous examples come from
Sauternes, Germany and Tokay. |
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Bouquet
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Often used interchangeably with the word aroma. The complex of aromas
that develops with age in fine wines; In general young wines
may not have
not bouquet. |
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Brawny
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Used to describe wines
that are hard, intense, tannic and that have raw, woody
flavors. The opposite of elegant.
Certain red wines from Amador County, California, can be
examples. |
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Breed
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Denotes the act of
allowing the wine to breathe.
For example: It is just
like when wine is poured in to a wineglass, it adds mixture of air
seems to release pent up aromas which then become more
pronounced, in many cases, as minutes/hours pass. |
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Briary
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Describes a wine having
an aggressive taste as "peppery". Sometimes combined with the
adjective "brawny" to characterize a young red wine with high
alcohol and tannin content. |
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Bright |
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Describes the young wines
with fresh, ripe, zesty, vivid, focused flavors. |
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Brilliant |
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A
wine of absolute clarity. May be sign of flavor
deficiency in heavily filtered wines. |
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Brix
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Term used to measure the
sugar content of grapes, grape juice (must) or wine. Meaning
Sugar Level. Most table wines are generally harvested at 20 to 25 Brix,
leads to alcohol
after fermentation of 11.5 to 14 percent. To get an
alcohol conversion level, multiply the stated Brix by .55. |
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Brut
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Describes for dry Champagne or
sparkling wine.
The most popular style of sparkling wine. Example: A blend of
chardonnay and pinot noir. |
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Browning
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Describes ageing in a
wine or wine's color. Wine 20 years and above is mature and
may be faded. In Young wine's color tints show no sign of such
"browning". But the color is less significant in older wines.
In average wines this tint, seen along the wine surface edge
in a tilted glass goblet, normally signals a wine is "past its
peak", although still very drinkable. |
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Burnt |
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Describes wines that have an
overdone, smoky, toasty or singed edge. Some times used to describe
overripe grapes.
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Buttery
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Describes rich flavor and
smoothness of texture, oiliness and flavor of
butter. Refers to oak-aged white wine such as
Chardonnays and white Burgundies are said to have buttery aromas and
flavors.
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