Glossary

Describes an elegant, fine and balanced wine.

The practice of buying wine futures, especially with expensive or sought-after wines, that are sold when they are often still maturing in the barrel.

This label term confirms that the grapes used in the production of the bottled wine were grown in the winery’s property-owned vineyards.

Most common alcohol found in wine.

Tasting description for plump, alcoholic wines, that lack supportive acidity and freshness, and without any defined taste.

Tasting description for an ample and broad, sometimes weighty wine, lacking gustatory finesse.

A wine fault is defined as being caused by external factors that have a negative influence on the wine. Often uncleanliness or mistakes in wine-making operations can be the cause. Other faults include cork taint, mustiness, hydrogen sulphur, volatile acidity, premature ageing and oxidation, taste of wet cardboard, astringency and medicinal note, amongst others. We generally regard a fault caused by micro organisms as a wine disease.

The subjective term for a wine, and an association to the female sex, for example in blended red wines, such as Zweigelt and Merlot.

The alcoholic fermentation converts the available sugars in the grape must into alcohol and carbon dioxide, with brewer’s yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as its catalyst. During this process, heat is produced, along with carbon gases, that need to be released. (Grape must + yeasts = alcohol + carbon dioxide + heat).