Wine

Countries

Mendoza (accounts for about 60% of the national production), San Juan		Argentina
Kamptal, Kremstal, Wachau, Wagram		Austria
Barossa, Clare, Eden and Hunter valleys		Australia
Struma Valley, Thracian Valley, Rose Valley		Bulgaria
Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley		California
Elqui & Limari, Aconcagua, Casablanca, San Antonio, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curicó, Itata, Biobio (Bio Bio), Maule, Rapel – all Valleys – are wine–growing regions of		Chile
Concha y Toro – founded in 1883 by the lawyer Melchor de Concha y Toro, and now the largest wine producer in Latin America (best–known brand Casillero del Diablo – 'the Devil's Locker') is based in		Chile
Retsina		Greece
Bull's Blood (Egri Bikaver) and Tokay come from		Hungary
DOCG is a quality assurance label used for wines of		Italy
Barola and Orvieto are wines of		Italy
Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough and Cloudy Bay are wine–producing regions in		New Zealand
The world's southernmost commercial wine growing region is in		New Zealand
Dao, Colares, Barcelos, Bairrada, Douro and Leziria are wine–producing regions of		Portugal
Vinho Verde comes from		Portugal
Stellenbosch, Constantia, Elgin, Franschoek, Paarl, Robertson, Swartland, Walker Bay and Worcester are wine–producing regions in		South Africa

Other

Standard capacity of a normal–sized wine bottle – often used to indicate the relative capacity of bottles of other sizes (e.g. a magnum is two bottles)		75 cl
Highest percentage of alcohol allowed in table wine		14
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée: introduced in the year		1960

Medium–sweet sparkling Italian wine named after a town in Piedmont		Asti spumante
Town on the Garonne, 50km from Bordeaux, famous for its sweet white wines		Barsac
French wine region, described on its own website as "Located north of Lyon in eastern France, [overlapping] Burgundy in the north and Rhône in the south"		Beaujolais
Film of shining scales found on the surface of wine		Beeswing
The Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde are the principal rivers of (French wine region)		Bordeaux
'Claret' is the traditional English name for the light red wines of
Medoc, St. Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac are appellations of
Lafite Rothschild, Margaux, Haut–Brion, Latour and Mouton Rothschild are the five chateaus that have been assigned the highest rating of Premier Cru (First Growth), since 1855, in
Used to fortify red wine for port		Brandy
Egri Bikaver (wine from Eger in Hungary): bikaver means		Bull's Blood
Beaune – famous for its annual wine auction – is the wine capital of; Fleurie, Macon, Chablis, Cote d'Or and Maconnais are other wines of		Burgundy
Cote d'Or, Saone–et–Loire and Yonne are the main areas of		Burgundy
Grape variety: name is derived from the French word for crimson; one of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux; now rarely found in France, but widely grown in the Central Valley of Chile		Carménère
Sparkling wine from Catalonia, sometimes referred to as Spanish Champagne		Cava
Town, 80 miles south–east of Paris, famous for its good quality Chardonnay–based white wine		Chablis
French term for wine served at room temperature		Chambré
France's most northerly wine region; major centres are Epernay and Rheims		Champagne
Adding sugar to fermenting wine to increase the alcohol content		Chaptalisation
Principal grape used to make white burgundy		Chardonnay
English name for the light red wines of Bordeaux		Claret
Charge in a restaurant for serving wine bought off the premises		Corkage
Camel Valley is the largest vineyard in		Cornwall
French term, used for sparkling wines from the Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Loire regions (among others)		Crémant
French word for a vat of blended wine of uniform quality		Cuvée
Word used in France, particularly in Burgundy, for an estate that makes wine from grapes grown in its own vineyard		Domaine
Port is made (from grapes grown) in the valley of the		Douro
(German) wine produced from grapes that were picked when frozen		Eiswein
Adjective used to describe wines to which a distilled spirit such as brandy has been added – for example port, sherry, Marsala, Madeira or vermouth		Fortified
A wine described as "robust" has		High alcohol content
Word used to describe German wines of high quality		Kabinett
First recorded mise–en–bouteille au Château (1846)		Château Lafite
Produced since ancient times in Emilia–Romagna and Lombardy: its most famous variety is a frothy, slightly sparkling red, designed to be drunk young; exported in huge volumes in the 1970s and 1980s		Lambrusco
Minervois and Corbiéres are wines of (French region)		Languedoc
LBV		Late Bottled Vintage
German wine: name literally means 'milk of the beloved woman'		Liebfraumilch
London–based exchange for investment–grade wines, founded 1999 (stands for London International Vintners Exchange)		Liv–ex
Muscadet, Anjou, Saumur, Bourueil, Chinon, Vouvray, Sancerre and Pouilly–Fumé are wines of (French region)		Loire
'Rainwater' is a pale variety of		Madeira
Sercial, Verdelho, boal and malmsey, in ascending order of sweetness, are wines of		Madeira
Grape variety – originally French – believed to be named after the Hungarian peasant who spread it around France; now associated particularly with Argentina		Malbec
Sweet Madeira wine, named after the port in Greece that such wines were historically shipped from		Malmsey
One of New Zealand's 18 regions: produces over 75% of the country's wine – especially famous for the Sauvignon Blanc grape		Marlborough
Champagne is made (from grapes grown) in the valley of the		Marne
Dark, sweet dessert wine named after a port in Sicily		Marsala
The rivers Saar and Ruwer are tributaries of the		Mosel
French term (literally 'sparkling'), used for sparkling wines that don't qualify to be described as Champagne or crémant		Mousseux
Appelation of the upper Loire valley (near the city of Nantes): name (unusually) comes not from a location, or from a grape, but from the perceived taste of the wine		Muscadet
The wire that keeps the cork in a bottle of sparkling wine		Muselet (muzzle)
California's most highly–regarded wine–producing area: in 1976, its wines (including Stag's Leap cabernet sauvignon and Chateau Montelena chardonnay) caused a sensation when they were judged superior to the top–rated French entries in a specially–arranged blind tasting in Paris		Napa Valley
Sicily's "most important red wine grape": named (partly) after a town near Syracuse, in the south–east corner of the island; its wines are compared to New World Shirazes, with sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavours		Nero d'Avola
Common name for the results of grapes being infested by the fungus Botrytis cinerea – producing, if properly controlled, particularly fine and concentrated sweet wines, such as Sauternes from France or Tokay from Hungary		Noble rot
Beaujolais nouveau is released on the third Thursday of		November
Blind Benedictine monk, cellarman at the Abbey Haut Villiers, 1668–1715; said to have invented Champagne		Dom Perignon
Dreaded vine louse, native to North America, which feeds on vine leaves and roots and destroyed most of Europe's vines in the 1860s		Phylloxera
Italian region: home to Barolo, Barbaresco and Asti		Piedmont
South Africa's signature red wine grape variety: created at Stellenbosch University in 1925		Pinotage
Main grape for red burgundy; also used in champagne		Pinot noir
Word defined by the Oxford Companion to Wine as "[a v]ague and derogatory English term for wine of undistinguished quality ... a term of Australian slang that has been naturalized in Britain"		Plonk
Associated with the River Douro; can by Ruby or Tawny (q.v.)		Port
Popular sparkling wine from the Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia: made from at least 85% Glera grape (previously known by the same name as the wine); the main ingredient of the true Bellini cocktail		Prosecco
The dimple in the bottom of a wine bottle		Punt
Popular Greek wine flavoured with pine resin		Retsina
Hock comes from the (German river vally / region)		Rhine
French river valley / region: home of Chateauneuf–du–Pape and Crozes–Hermitage		Rhône rhone
Sake		Rice wine
Principal wine region of Spain		Rioja
The cheapest and most extensively produced type of port wine; stored in stainless steel (or concrete) tanks after fermentation, to prevent oxidative aging and to preserve its rich claret colour		Ruby
Famous Japanese rice wine, often drunk warm		Sake (sah–kay)
Italian grape: name derived from the Latin for 'blood of Jupiter'		Sangiovese
White wine of Bordeaux, mainly Semillon grape – "the world's greatest sweet white"		Sauternes
Syrah, a grape traditionally grown in the Northern Rhône region of France, is known in Australia (where, in the late 20th century, it became the most popular red wine grape), and in many other New World regions, as		Shiraz
French–born wine merchant, gourmet, and prolific writer about wine (1877–1970): described by Hugh Johnson as "the charismatic leader of the English wine trade for almost all of the first half of the 20th century, and the grand old man of literate connoisseurship for a further 20 years"; wrote "Just as there are good, bad and indifferent people, so there are good, bad and indifferent wines"		Andre Simon (1877–1970)
Petillant, cremant, mousseux (to ascending degrees); sekt in Germany or Czech		Sparkling
Found in grape skins, responsible for the bitter taste (also in tea)		Tannin
Principal acid found in grapes and wine		Tartaric
Term used for port wines made from red grapes and aged in wooden barrels, exposing them to gradual oxidation and evaporation so that they gradually mellow to a golden–brown colour		Tawny
Major grape variety used in Rioja – also known as Cencibel. Name is Spanish for "little early one"		Tempranillo
German for 'dry' – including wines		Trocken
Region of Italy in which Chianti is produced		Tuscany
Gap between the wine and the cork		Ullage
'Brut' means		Very dry
Champagne house, based in Reims, affectionately known as 'The Widow' – named after the widow of the son of its founder, who took over the company in 1805 (33 years after its foundation) following her husband's death		Veuve Clicquot
Liebfraumilch wines came originally from vineyards near (German city)		Worms
"The signature grape of American wines" (according to pacificwines.co.uk): DNA analysis has revealed that it's genetically equivalent to the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Apulia (the 'heel' of Italy), as well as Croatian and Montenegrin varieties		Zinfandel

You are here:

On this page:

Wine

Countries

Other