Glossary of Wine Terms
You can browse our topics using the letters below, or search for a term.
Word |
Description |
|---|---|
| Pruning | The annual vineyard chore of trimming back plants from the previous harvest. |
| Primeur (en) | A French term for wine sold while it is sill in the barrels; known as 'futures' in English-speaking countries. |
| Press | The process by which grape juice is extracted prior to fermentation; a machine that extracts juice from grapes. |
| Premier Cru | French for 'first growth;' a high-quality vineyard but one not as good as grand cru. |
| Port | A sweet, fortified wine made in the Douro Valley of Portugal and aged in the coastal town of Vila Nova de Gaia; variations include Vintage, Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage, Ruby, White, and others. |
| Pomace | The mass of skins, pits, and stems left over after fermentation; used to make grappa in Italy and marc in France. |
| Plonk | A derogatory name for cheap, poor-tasting wine. |
| Pinotage | A hybrid between Pinot Noir and Cinsault thatis grown almost exclusively in South Africa. |
| Pinot Noir | The prime red grape of Burgundy, Champagne, and Oregon. |
| Pinot Gris | Also called Pinot Grigio, this is a grayish-purple grape that yields a white wine with a refreshing character. |
| Pinot Blanc | A white grape popular in Alsace, Germany, and elsewhere. |
| Piedmont | An area in northwest Italy known for Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Moscato. |
| Phylloxera | A voracious vine louse that over time has destroyed vineyards in Europe and California. |
| pH | An indication of a wine's acidity expressed by how much hydrogen is in it. |
| Oxidized | A wine that is no longer fresh because it was exposed to too much air. |
| Organic | Grapes grown without the aid of chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. |
| Oaky | A term used to describe woody aromas and flavors; butter, popcorn, and toast notes are found in 'oaky' wines. |
| Nose | Synonymous with bouquet; the sum of a wine's aromas. |
| Negociant | A French term for a person or company that buys wines from others and then labels it under his or her own name; stems from the French word for 'shipper.' |
| Nebbiolo | A red grape popular in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy; the grape that yields both Barolo and Barbaresco. |
-->