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Jack Keller - Wine making glossary Category: Agriculture and Industry Date & country: 28/10/2013, UK Words: 235

P
French term for a mildly effervescent wine causing a slight sensation on the tongue, but not enough carbonation to produce bubbles in the glass the way Champagne or other sparkling wines do. Frizzante is Italian and synonymous.

Woody
A wine fault denoting too much contact with wood, usually oak.

Zymase
The name given to the group of enzymes which yeast use to transform sugar into alcohol.

B-Brite
A powerful sterilizing compound excellent for equipment, but should never be added to the must. One tablespoon to 1 gallon of water provides sufficient potency. Unlike potassium metabisulfite and sodium metabisulfite, B-Brite in solution may not be stored for future use, but must be made afresh each time it is needed.

Wine Yeast
Yeast cultured especially for winemaking, with such desirable attributes a as high alcohol tolerance, firmer sediment formation, and less flavor fluctuation. Wine yeasts are usually obtained from a winemaking/ brewing specialty shop or by mail order. See entry for Yeast on starting a culture before adding to must.

Wood Aging
This is the process of maturing wine in barrels or casks prior to bottling. This process allows young wines to soften and absorb some of the wood's flavors and tannins and allows the wine's flavors to become concentrated through slight evaporation through the wood. While oak is the overwhelming wood of choice for wood aging, mesquite, hickory, pecan, apple, orange, and cherry wood can also contribute unique qualities to wines aged with their chips or shavings. The taste a wood tends to impart in wine is that of its smell. Also see Oaking.

Wild Yeast
Any mixture of the thousands of yeast strains which may be airborne or on the fruit, exclusive of the cultured wine yeast deliberately added to a must. Grapes, fruit and the air often contain spoilage bacteria, molds or yeast which can destroy a wine's quality, but if no spoilage yeast or bacteria are present in the must the fermentation can produce an acceptable wine. Due to the risk from spoilage organisms, prudent winemakers treat their must with an aseptic dose of sulfite to kill non-yeast organisms, stun wild yeasts into temporary inactivity, and thereby allow their own choice of cultured yeast to dominate the fermentation.

Wine Glass
Specially designed glassware for enjoying wine, characterized by bowls or flutes on stems. Quality wine glasses are designed to capture and hold a wine's bouquet and are ideally shaped and angled to present the wines properly, according to style. See Wine Glasses at Wine Accessories.

Volatile Acidity
Also know as VA, volatile acidity is the that acidity produced by volatile acids as opposed to fixed acids. Fixed acids are those occurring naturally in the grape or fruit base, those added by the vintner, and those acids created during fermentation which are stable -- fixed. Volatile acids are those created during fermentation or reduction processes (aging) which are not stable; they can be altered through further reduction or by evaporating from the wine altogether. Acetic acid and Butyric acid are the two most notable volatile acids in wine. VA contributes to a wine's bouquet , which is transitory, but if too intense will spoil it.

Volatile Acid
Those acids created during fermentation or reduction processes (aging) which are not stable; they can be altered through further reduction or by evaporating from the wine altogether. Acetic acid and Butyric acid are the two most notable volatile acids in wine and contribute wholly or largely to the wine's volatile acidity and partially to its bouquet.

Ullage
The air space between the surface of the wine and the bottom of the bung, cork or other closure. In a cask or barrel, it is the volume of wine missing, which if present would result in a full container of wine.

Unctuous
The thick, unpleasant, almost syrupy texture of an overly sweet wine.

Varietal
Technically, any wine made from a single variety of grape (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel) or non-grape base (e.g. Santa Rosa Plum, Navajo Blackberry).

Vinegar
Sour wine, caused by vinegar-producing bacteria, most notably acetobacter. These bacteria are principally airborne, but are also carried by the so-called vinegar fly.

Top Up
To add liquid (finished wine of the same type, grape juice, sweetened water, or plain water) to a wine after racking it to replace any volume lost in the sediments left behind. One can also top up by adding sanitized marbles or glass pebbles to the carboy, thereby displacing the lost volume.

Turbinado Sugar
A raw sugar which has been partially processed, removing some of the surface molasses. It is a blond color with a mild brown sugar flavor that enhances some wine bases as no other sugar can.

Texture
The impression on the palate delivered by dense, intense, and full-bodied wines.

Thin
A wine lacking body. A wine with a viscosity approximately the same as water.

Titratable Acidity
Also called TA and sometimes total acidity, titratable acidity is the sum of the fixed and volatile acids present in a wine. This is determined by a chemical process called titration. The titratable acidity is usually expressed in terms of tartaric acid, even though the other acids are also measured. Titratable acidity is expressed either as a percentage or as grams per liter. For example, 0.7% TA is the same as 7 grams per liter (or 7 g/l) TA.

Tartaric Acid
A reddish acid found in grapes and several other fruit.

Taste
A sensory perception almost totally localized on the tongue. Although there is some dispute over this, we most often perceive only four basic tastes -- sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. The latter is seldom encountered in wines. The flavors perceived in wines are most often integrations of both odor and taste and can be often be altered by pinching the nose tightly and sipping the wine. Still, the loss of odors through evaporation can affect taste by concentrating a certain characteristic, such as sourness of certain acids.

Table Wine
A still wine, usually light to medium in body, dry to semi-dry, low to moderate in alcohol (10% to 13% by volume), and often served with meals. Also called dinner wine.

Sweetness
A taste sensation most commonly associated in wines with sugars (glucose and fructose), glycerol, ethanol, and 2,3-butanediol (the latter in trace amounts). While the threshold for detecting sweetness (as sugars) is about 1% by weight, the threshold for classifying a wine as sweet is usually 2% by weight (specific gravity of 1.008) for a wine with 12% alcohol by volume. Sweetness does appear to soften some flavor components and blend with others to enhance their recognition. A wine with poor fruit flavor as a dry wine may possess more recognizable fruitiness when sweetened.

Sweet Reserve
A sample of the original juice from which a wine is made, used to sweeten the finished wine after fermenting to dryness and stabilized. The sweet reserve is either refrigerated or frozen until needed. When making a sweet reserve from whole fruit, such as strawberries, peaches, or plums, the fruit must be crushed and pressed and the juice stood in a tall, clear, glass bottle in a refrigerator until the juice separates (i.e. pulp sediment settles to the bottom of the bottle). The clear juice is very carefully racked off the sediment and stored for the reserve. The sediment can be lightly pressed through a double layer of sanitized muslin cloth and the liquid obtained allowed to separate out again, with the clear juice again removed and stored with the sweet reserve. The advantage of using a sweet reserve to sweeten a stabilized dry wine is the it adds sweetness, fresh flavor, and natural aroma to the wine. It may also improve the color of the finished wine somewhat.

Sulfur Dioxide
SO2. See Sulfite.

Sucrose
A natural, crystalline disaccharide found in grapes, most fruit and many plants. This is the type of refined sugar obtained from sugar cane, sugar beets and other sources which, when added to a must or juice to make up for deficiencies in natural sugar, must be hydrolyzed (inverted) into Fructose and Sucrose by acids and enzymes in the yeast before it can be used as fuel for fermentation.

Stuck Fermentation
A fermentation that has started but then stops before converting all fermentable sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide or before reaching the toxicity level of the particular yeast strain(s) involved. A stuck fermentation is usually due to an imbalance in the ingredients or to temperature extremes unacceptable to the yeast.

Still Wine
A finished, non-sparkling wine. A finished wine containing no noticeable carbonation. See Sparkling Wine for contrast.

Spirits
Beverages with high alcohol content obtained through distillation. Examples are brandy, gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey.

Stabilization
The process of rendering a wine stable, either naturally or through intervention. See Stable.

Stable
A state attained by wine when all fermentation has ceased at 60 degrees fahrenheit. See Wine Stabilizer, Potassium Sorbate, and Sodium Benzoate.

Starter Solution
A solution of water, juice, sugar, and nutrients into which a culture of yeast is introduced and encouraged to multiply as quickly as possible before adding to a must. The purpose of the starter solution is to achieve a greater density of yeast than contained in the original culture sample so that the cultured yeast will dominate the fermentation process, literally smothering out any wild yeast that might be present. It is also used to restart a Stuck Fermentation. See Yeast Starter for a method of creating a starter solution.

Specific Gravity
A measure of the density or mass of a solution, such as must or wine, as a ratio to an equal volume of a standardized substance, such as distilled water. Before fermentation, the density of the must or juice is high because sugar is dissolved in it, making it thicker than plain water. As the sugar is converted by the yeast into alcohol and carbon dioxide, the density (specific gravity) drops. A hydrometer measures specific gravity (s.g. for short), with an s.g. of 1.000 being the calibrated density of distilled water at a specific temperature (usually 59 or 60 degrees F.). Because alcohol is actually less dense than water, the finial s.g. of a wine can be less than 1.000, or lighter than water. See Hydrometer.

Soyeux
French for silky. An incredibly smooth, lush, and finely textured wine. See Silky.

Sparkling Wine
Any wine that has been allowed to complete the final phase of its fermentation in the bottle so that the carbon dioxide produced is trapped within. A carbonated wine, on the other hand, is a still wine that has been artificially carbonated by infusing carbon dioxide into the wine before or during the bottling process. See Still Wine for contrast.

Sourness
A tart taste in wines, most often associated with acids and ethyl acetate. The degree of sourness in acid is a function of the pH of the wine and its titratable acidity. In technical terms, it is the hydrogen ion (actually, the hydronium ion) that stimulates the sour taste on the taste buds. The order of decreasing sourness of the primary organic acids in wine are tartaric, malic, citric, lactic, and succinic. Wines with a pH less than 3.1 or a titratable acidity more than 0.9% will taste sour.

Sodium Metabisulfite
One of two compounds commonly used to sanitize winemaking equipment and utensils, the other being potassium metabisulfite. Its action, in water, inhibits harmful bacteria through the release of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a powerful antiseptic. It can be used for sanitizing equipment, but the U.S. government prohibits its inclusion in commercial wine and thus should not be used to sanitize the must from which wine is to be made. It is about 17.5% stronger than potassium metabisulfite and should be mixed accordingly.

Solera
The Spanish system of maintain quality and style consistency in some fortified wines. One-quarter to one-third of the oldest wine is drawn off for bottling and replaced with the next oldest wine, which in turn is replaced with the next-yet oldest wine, and so on until the youngest wine is being used to replace the next youngest wine.

Sherrified
A table wine that has become sherry-like due to oxidation.

Silky
An incredibly smooth, lush, and finely textured wine. See Soyeux.

Skunky
A severe off-odor caused by mercaptan formation. See Hydrogen Sulfide.

SO2
Sulfur Dioxide. See Sulfite.

Social Wine
A wine that is sweet but not dessert sweet, with a specific gravity in the range of 1.014 to 1.019, or possibly as high as 1.024 if otherwise thin in body.

Semi-Dry
The term denoting a wine as neither dry nor sweet, but closer to dry than sweet. Although usually reserved for sparkling wines, it is gaining frequent use describing still wines. A wine is usually perceived as semi-dry when its specific gravity is in the range of 1.000 to 1.003. The French call such wine demi-sec, which has been bastardized into the half English, half French semi-sec.

Semi-Sweet
The term denoting a wine as neither dry nor sweet, but closer to sweet than dry. Although usually reserved for sparkling wines, it is gaining frequent use describing still wines. A wine is usually perceived as semi-sweet when its specific gravity is in the range of 1.004 to 1.007. The French term for this type of wine is demi-doux.

Sediment
The grainy, bitter-tasting deposit sometimes found in bottles of older wines. Sediment is the natural separation of bitartrates, tannins, and color pigments that occurs as wines age and may indicate a wine of superior maturity. Also known as Crust, especially in port wines.

Secondary
A jug, jar, bottle, demi-john, or carboy in which the second phase of alcohol fermentation takes place (the first phase is the primary phase). This vessel typically has a wide body and tapered neck leading up to a small opening which can be sealed with an air lock. Also known as the secondary fermentation vessel.

Secondary Fermentation Vessel
A jug, jar, bottle, demi-john, or carboy in which the second phase of fermentation takes place. This vessel typically has a wide body and tapered neck leading up to a small opening which can be sealed with an air lock. Also known as the secondary.

Second Wine
A wine made from the pomace or strained pulp obtained from making a first wine. A second wine will require that the pomace or pulp be ameliorated with water, sugar, yeast nutrients, and possibly acid and tannin, but usually not pectic enzyme. Sulfites, however, should be introduced at once to achieve and unbound sulfur level of 45-55 ppm. A second wine cannot usually be made in the same volume as the original wine from which the pomace or pulp was obtained, but a volume of 1/3 to 2/3 the original is usually attained.

Sec
French for dry. A wine becomes dry when all or most of the sugar within it has been converted through fermentation into alcohol and carbon dioxide. A wine is usually perceived as dry when residual sugar is at or below a specific gravity of 0.999.

Rotling
A rose-colored wine made by mixing red and white grapes together at the crush.

Sachet
A paper, foil, mylar, or plastic packet of dehydrated, freeze-dried, dried, or active dried yeast. A sachet typically holds 5 grams of product, although 35- to 100-gram sachets of some products are available.

Sauerkraut
An odor in wines, attributed to lactic acid, that have undergone excessive malo-lactic fermentation. This fault is most often found in wines made from malic-dominate bases (such as blackberry) which undergo unchecked malo-lactic fermentation.

Ros
Any pinkish, rose-colored wine made from red grapes by allowing only brief skin contact during the first 2-3 days of fermentation, or even less for a strongly-pigmented juice.

Riddling
The process of turning a bottle of sparkling wine-in-the-making in a certain way, so as to migrate the lees in the bottle into the neck and against the cork. The bottles are initially tilted downward at a 45-degree angle and every third day are given a slight shake, turned a quarter-turn, and dropped back into the riddling rack. The process takes 6-8 weeks to complete unless extended bottle-aging sur lie is ndertaken. See Remuage.

Residual Sugar
The amount of sugar, both fermentable and unfermentable, left in a wine after fermentation is complete or permanently halted by stabilization. Fermentation is complete when either all the fermentable sugar has been converted by the yeast into alcohol and carbon dioxide as byproducts or when the concentration of alcohol produced reaches a level that is toxic to the yeast and they die. Fermentation is permanently halted by stabilization through several means involving intervention by man.

Refresh
Adding a fuller, younger wine to an older one in order to give the latter something to prolong its life.

Remuage
French for moving, stirring. In the making of champagne and other sparkling wines, an operation for shifting the deposit or sediment onto the cork of the bottle. During this operation each bottle is placed neck downwards in a rack which, after the bottle is given a sharp quarter-turn, is tilted gradually until the bottles are perpendicular in the rack and the deposit has settled on the inside face of the cork, at which time it can be disgorged. See Riddling, the American term.

Racking Hose
A flexible, clear plastic hose, usually 3/8 inch in inner diameter, used to siphon wine from one vessel to another. It is used in both Racking and Bottling operations.

Punt
The concave indentation in the bottom of a wine or champagne bottle.

Pungent
The hot taste of capsaicin -- the compound in chiles (jalapeno, etc.) that gives them their fiery heat -- in a chile wine or mead,

Pulp
The soft, juice-laden flesh of the grape or other fruit.

Punching Down
The process of pushing the cap of skins, seeds and pulp down into the juice during fermentation. This facilitates extraction of color, flavor, and tannins and ensures that the cap doesn't dry out and develop unwanted mold or bacteria.

Primary Fermentation Vessel
A crock, bowl, bucket, pail, or other non-reactive, food-safe vessel in which the initial, or primary fermentation takes place. The primary should be capable of containing 1/4 to 1/2 more volume than the volume of the must it will contain to allow for a rising of the cap and a sufficient ullage above the cap to allow a good aerobic fermentation. Thus, a 1-1/2 gallon pail is about right for a 1-gallon batch of wine, although a larger vessel is okay. Typically, the primary has a large mouth to allow easy access. It should be covered during fermentation to prevent dust and airborne bacteria, molds and wild yeast from settling into it, but should not initially be closed air-tight as it is desirous for the must to have exposure to plenty of air during the first 48-72 hours of fermentation. Also known as the primary.

Primary Fermentation
The initial, main alcohol fermentation by yeast. It is usually begun by adding an active yeast starter to a must or juice in a covered primary fermentation vessel, but may begin spontaneously from wild yeast on the grapes or fresh fruit base. After a period of vigorous fermentation, the must is pressed or strained and/or the juice is transferred to a secondary fermentation vessel (e.g. a carboy or demijohn) and covered by an airlock. Even though the wine is now in a secondary fermentation vessel, the alcohol fermentation taking place is a continuation of the primary fermentation. See Secondary Fermentation for contrast.

Primary
A crock, bowl, bucket, pail, or other non-reactive, food-safe vessel in which the initial, or primary fermentation takes place. The primary should be capable of containing 1/4 to 1/2 more volume than the volume of the must it will contain to allow for a rising of the cap and a sufficient ullage above the cap to allow a good aerobic fermentation. Thus, a 1-1/2 gallon pail is about right for a 1-gallon batch of wine, although a larger vessel is okay. Typically, the primary has a large mouth to allow easy access. It should be covered during fermentation to prevent dust and airborne bacteria, molds and wild yeast from blowing into it, but should not be air-tight. Also known as the primary fermentation vessel.

Press
To use pressure to force juice out of fruit pulp, or a device used to achieve this result.

Potential Alcohol
The potential amount of alcohol that can be expected from a given must based on its measured specific gravity. See Brix and Specific Gravity.

Potassium Bitartrate
A salt of potassium and tartaric acid which can precipitate out of a wine as crystals under chilled conditions. Cold processing white, ros

Potassium Metabisulfite
One of two compounds which may be used to sanitize winemaking equipment and utensils (the other being sodium metabisulfite). Potassium metabisulfite is the active ingredient in Campden tablets. Its action, in water or wine, inhibits harmful bacteria through the release of sulfur dioxide, a powerful antiseptic. It can be used for sanitizing equipment and the must from which wine is to be made. For equipment, a 1% solution (10 grams dissolved in 1 liter of water) is sufficient for washing and rinsing. After using the solution, the equipment should not again be rinsed. For sanitizing the must, a 10% solution is made (100 grams dissolved in 1 liter of water). Three milliliters of this 10% solution added to a U.S. gallon of must will add approximately 45 ppm of sulfur dioxide (SO2) to the must. One should wait at least 12 hours after sanitizing the must before adding the yeast. Both bottles of solution (1% and 10%) should be clearly labeled as to strength and active compound to prevent disastrous mistakes, and both may be stored in a cool place for up to one year without effecting potency. Also see Campden Tablet and Sodium Metabisulfite.

Port
Strictly speaking, a wine made in an area of the Douro Valley, Portugal, 50 miles inland from the port town of Oporto. The name is an abbreviation of the Portuguese name Vinho do Porto or wine of Oporto. More generally, a type of wine made in the style of Port. The wine is commercially made by adding sufficient brandy at the time of fermentation to bring the strength up to some 18 percent alcohol. This is sufficient to stop further natural fermentation, which means that the wine remains sweet. After aging several years, more brandy is added to bring the alcohol up to 20-22%. Port styles are

Piquant
French for a wine which has a slight tendency towards turning to vinegar, and / or a wine which is showing a secondary fermentation. Strictly speaking, it is a purely tactile sensation which is noticed when the wine touches the mouth.

Pomace
The residue of pressed pulp, skins and pips of apples, grapes or any fruit after pressing. When pressed under great pressure, a pomace cake or brick results. Pomace from appropriate fruit can be ameliorated with sugar, acid, water, and yeast nutrients (possibly acid and tannin will also be required) and a second wine can be made. The pomace provides enough flavor for a reduced volume of wine and should contain enough viable yeast (assuming the pulp was pressed after an initial period of fermentation) to continue fermentation.

Pectinase
An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of pectin molecules.

Peppery
A spicy odor sometimes found in white table wines and perhaps related to sub-threshold sulfur dioxide. Not considered a fault unless excessive.

Perl
French term for a lightly effervescent wine, less than p

pH
A chemical shorthand for [p]otential of [H]ydrogen, used to express relative acidity or alkalinity in solution, in terms of strength rather than amount, on a logarithmic scale. A pH of 7 is neutral; above 7 is increasing alkalinity and below 7 is increasing acidity. Thus, a pH of 3 is 10 times more acidic than a ph of 4. See Acidity.

Pateux
French for pasty, sticky. A wine of thick substance which fills the mouth and seems to stick to the palate.

Pectic Enzyme
The enzymes such as pectinase that hydrolyze the large pectin molecules.

Pectin
A heavy, colloidal substance found in most ripe fruit which promotes the formation of gelatinous solutions and hazes in the finished wine. Fermenting fruit pulps with high pectin content, such as apples, should be treated with pectic enzyme, especially if the pulp is boiled to extract the fruit flavor (boiling releases the pectin, while pectic enzymes destroy it).

Pasteurize
The process of killing bacteria by heating wine or must to moderately high temperatures for a short period of time and then rapidly cooling it to 40

Off
An unexpected, nondistinct, slightly offensive odor or taste in a wine and considered a minor fault.

Ordinaire
A wine having no vices and no virtues. Applied to vins du pays, usually natural wines without any fortification.

Oxidation
The process of reaction between many molecular components of wine with oxygen, resulting eventually in a darkening (browning) of the wine and the development of undesirable odors and flavors.

Nose
The smell of a wine, combining both its aroma and bouquet, thereby revealing the character of the base from which it was made and the character of its maturation.

Oechsle
German standard scale for fixing a wine's sugar content.

Oenology
The science of winemaking; from the Greek oinos, wine.

Mutage
French for stopping fermentation.

Mut
A partially fermented grape juice whose fermentation has been stopped deliberately. This juice is then used to sweeten or body-fortify another wine.

Mycoderma
A bacteria that converts ethyl alcohol into acetic acid and ethyl acetate, resulting in a vinegary flavor and odor.

Mousseux
French term for highly effervescent wine. Also see Sparkling Wine.

Mousy
An disagreeable odor in wines made from late-harvested grapes or low-acid musts and caused by bacteria.

Must
The combination of basic ingredients, both solid and liquid, from which wine is made. The liquid content of must is called liquor or simply juice, while the solids, when pushed to the surface by rising carbon dioxide, is called the cap. When the alcohol content reaches 8 or 9%, the liquid component is more accurately referred to as wine.

Mordant
French for biting. A wine which has a trace of bitterness, plus acidity, plus a tiny prickliness on the palate. In a blend, however, a mordant wine can improve a weak wine, although its pungent characteristic will come through.

Mou
French for flabby. A wine which lacks body and sprightliness -- one which has little alcoholic strength and tannin.

Methylated Spirits
Denatured alcohol. Used to check if a haze is pectin in origin. Add 3-4 fluid ounces of methylated spirit to a fluid ounce of wine. If jelly-like clots or strings form, then the problem is most likely pectin and should be treated with pectic enzyme.

Mincer
A powered or manual device for chopping fruit, grain vegetables, or meats into very small pieces. The size of the pieces can usually be regulated by changing chopping blades. This device is very useful for chopping large quantities of fruit, especially dried fruit and raisins.

Methanol
Synonym for methyl alcohol, found in very small traces in wine and produced during fermentation.

Maturation
The process of aging in bulk or in bottles or both, to achieve smoothness (in acidity), mellowness (in tannins and other phenols) and unique character and complexity. The major activities in this process are the chemical reduction of certain compounds into others, primarily by hydrolysis or oxidation, and the joining together of short molecular chains into longer ones. Volatile esters, ethers and acids create bouquet, which is not the same as aroma.

Mercaptan
The skunky odor of methyl and ethyl sulfides.