Red White & Bubbly
 Wine A to Z
Have you ever flipped open an encyclopedia or dictionary to a random page? It can be quite an entertaining and educational exercise to discover the origins and alternate definitions of words like “fulcrum.” Today, for some strange reason, I jotted down the letters A through Z in my notebook. I then undertook a wine A to Z exercise—writing wine-related terms for each letter of the alphabet (Can you believe how exciting my life must be?!). Below are the A to Z highlights of my brief dalliance into wine encyclopedia authoring. Get familiar with a few of the terms and at the next party you attend, drop them into conversation during one of those awkward pauses. Learning is fun.
A
Aldehydes A class of aromatic chemical compounds that, coupled with esters, make wine smell like, well, wine. Take the aldehyde Vanillin. It’s what makes a vanilla bean smell like vanilla. Vanillin is also present in the lining of French oak. Thus, when wine is aged in oak barrels, it often offers up scents of vanilla.
B
Bacchus The Greek god of wine. It was always said amongst residents of Mt. Olympus, “If the Bacchus hizz-ouse is a-rockin, grab a 750, and be sure to come a-knockin!”
C
Cassis French for blackcurrant. Often used to describe the scent of Cabernet Sauvignon. Try Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon, ’03 ($14) for a simple introduction to Cassis-scented Cabernet.
D
Dealcoholized Wine You can get this at the local supermarket. It’s made by removing alcohol from normally fermented wine. It’s the de-caf of the wine world. I have no idea what it tastes like. I haven’t yet been able to bring myself to sample “de-caf wine.” Would you?
E
Élevage A French word that has no exact English translation. It can be approximately translated as rearing/breeding/raising. This word is simply fun to say. Say it slowly after taking a sip of wine, “A fine el-e-vaazh this wine is.” You’ll sound something like a French Yoda.
F
Fendant The major Swiss white wine grape, also called Chasselas. It’s light, fruity, and slightly herby. Try Gilliard Fendant Valais ($16). You may develop the urge to climb on top of your roof and blow an alphorn until you’re blue in the face.
G
Grenache The world’s most planted wine grape. Grenache is huge in Spain and in southern France. It’s getting bigger in Australia and California. Try Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha, ’03 ($8) from Spain. It’s easy-drinking, fruity, and tastes fine slightly chilled.
H
Heurigen The Austrian term for Viennese wineries with attached taverns. Vienna is one of the only cities with vineyards right inside its limits. If you ever find yourself in Austria, head to Vienna, find a few Heurigen, and enjoy a fabulous wine sipping experience.
I
Icewine One of the world’s most unique wines. Individual grapes are picked, usually during the middle of the night, just as they freeze. The frozen grapes are then quickly pressed. Because much of the grapes’ liquid is still frozen, the resulting wine is highly concentrated and very sweet. Canada is becoming a big producer of icewine. Sip Paradise Ranch Riesling Icewine ($50). It’s pricey stuff but makes for an intense experience.
J
Jumilla A wine-producing region in central Spain. Jumilla produces a number of simple, easy-to-like red wines that are also wallet friendly. For eight bucks, I’ll take a bottle of Carchelo Tinto, ’03 any day of the week.
K
Kabinett If you’re not a fan of the Blue Nun style of German Riesling, grab a bottle with this word on the label. Kabinett wines are usually dry or slightly off-dry. Wines in this category aren’t allowed to be sweetened with unfermented grape juice as are many entry level German Rieslings. Get your Kabinett groove on with Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett, ’03 ($19).
L
Lake Effect Large bodies of water have a moderating influence on climate. This allows grapes to be grown in otherwise overly chilly locations. Take, for example, upstate New York’s Finger Lakes. Nearly all the vineyards in this region are ringed around the lakes. Thanks to the lake effect, we can all enjoy Salmon Run Chardonnay, ’03 ($12) from Konstantin Frank. I’m dreaming of the day when we can offer visitors a glass of Great Salt Lake Seagull Chardonnay.
M
Merlot I’m not going to write about any #$%^#ing Merlot! See Sideways and you’ll understand.
N
Non-vintage This term is usually associated with sparkling wine. Most sparkling wines are a blend of wine from various vintages, hence the letters “NV” on your bottle of bubbly. Back when I first began drinking wine, a friend asked me what the ‘NV’ meant on our bottle of California sparkling wine. Wanting to impress, I took a thoughtful, serious look at the bottle and said, “I believe it means Napa Valley.” She rolled her eyes and forced me to admit I actually had no idea what “NV” meant. Now I do, and you do as well.
O
Oxidation Your bottle of Bordeaux may have one ugly looking cork, covered in green mold. Don’t fear; the wine is still likely to be fine. However, if you open a bottle and the cork is so brittle you make cork confetti trying to open the bottle, beware. A dry/brittle/cracked cork may allow air into the bottle. This will cause wine to be oxidized. And oxidized wine has more in common with vinegar than wine fit for drinking.
P
Petite Sirah This grape is neither petite nor Syrah. Many think it’s actually the blasé French grape called Durif. Actually, most Petite Sirah from California is likely a mix of one or more of the following grapes: Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Grenache, Mourvedre, Peloursin, or Zinfandel. Whatever it is, David Bruce makes a Jim-Dandy P.Sir. Enjoy an inky, deep, plumy glass of David Bruce Petite Sirah, ’03 ($20).
Q
Qupé Qupé is a truly unique California winery located in Santa Barbara County. It specializes in interesting, unique white and red blends. Qupé’s Bien Nacido Cuvée, ’02 ($28) is a blend of Viognier and Chardonnay. If you’re in a California Chardonnay rut, sip this concoction and bring excitement to your taste buds.
R
Retsina Are you a brave soul? Then close your eyes and take a sip of this Greek wine. It’s been around for over 2700 years. Retsina is a white wine that has been infused with pine resin. It packs quite a unique flavor-punch. Some might say it’s an acquired taste like, say, pine needles. See if you are able to train your tongue to like Boutari Retsina ($8).
S
Secondary Fermentation Thank Bacchus for this process. Champagne makers stumbled upon this process after putting recently-fermented wine into glass bottles. They discovered that after some time, their wine contained “stars.” The conditions were right for the remaining grape sugar to be fermented by yeast. In a sealed bottle, the yeast-belched carbon dioxide bubbles were trapped. And thus we have bubbly. Hooray.
T
TCA or Trichloranisole If this chemical compound is present in your wine bottle’s cork, kiss it goodbye. Unless of course you enjoy wine that smells of flooded basement, wet cardboard, or stagnant puddle. In which case, Salud!
U
Ugni Blanc This is the grape used to produce Cognac. Since Ugni Blanc-based white wine is doubly distilled in the Cognac-making process, you can imagine that these grapes generally don’t produce wines that are exactly tasty.
V
Vintner The term vintner can be used to refer to either wine merchants or wine makers. Of course, wine makers are sometimes called oenologists. Keep in mind, however, that “vintner” is different from the term “viticulturist.” Viticulturist refers to a wine grower. I constantly confuse these terms. This is why I am simply a vinbibere (wine drinker)
W
Wood Wood and wine have been together for ages. Nowadays the most well known form of wine-wood relations is oak barrels. French oak barrels impart scents and flavors of vanilla, clove and caramel. Some Spanish and Australian wines are fermented in American oak barrels. American oak is often considered to impart more spicy scents than French oak.
X
Xarel-lo This is the native Spanish grape that makes Cava (Spanish bubbly) smell slightly like asphalt, or rubber cement. Of course this is actually a good scent—I promise. Take a whiff and sip of Aria Brut ($12) and see if you don’t agree.
Y
Yeast Without yeast, we would all be drinking spoiled grape juice. Yeast is the microorganism that converts grape sugar into alcohol. And where would we be without alcohol in wine (see D above)?
Z
Zweigelt Ah ha! I avoided using Zinfandel for my “Z” entry. Like Zinfandel, Zweigelt is a red grape. It is grown in Germany and Austria. Think of it as a light, refreshing cherry-laden little number. Summertime is the time to try Umathum Zweigelt, ’03 ($20).
Now, the next time you hear a knock at your door, it just might be me peddling wine encyclopedias. Be kind, and if you don’t want Volume 2, tell me you’ve already got Volume 1. Cheers.
Beau Jarvis is a sommelier and wine educator. He operates basicjuice.com, a wine review and info website. He also runs basicjuice.blogs.com
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