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Amber: this is the colour of many dessert wines, sweet passito wines made with raisins and liqueur wines
Aroma: olfactory sensation perceived after swallowing the wine
Aromatic: wine with a marked nose, obtained from aromatic grape varieties such as Muscat or Malvasia
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Bacchus: in Roman mythology, the God of wine, parties and inebriation; also called Dionysus in ancient Greece
Balance: indicates the harmonious proportion between the components of a wine, in particular between the alcohol and acidity in white wines, and between the alcohol, acidity and tannins in the reds
Barrique: small barrel, normally in oak, with a 225-litre capacity. Used for refinement, it is typical of the Bordeaux region
Body: the overall structure of the wine, which can be more or less rich in tannins, acidity, alcohol and extracts
Boisé: French term that indicates the nuances that are conferred by the wood (from the cask or barrique) to the wine
Bouquet: French word used to indicate the breadth and complexity of scents that a wine acquires with ageing (literally meaning bunch of flowers)
Brut: dry sparkling wine, with very little residual sugar
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Classic Method: a method of producing sparkling wine also called "bottle refermentation"
Cru: French term indicating a vineyard or even just a certain area within a vineyard, where particularly high qualitative merits have historically been recognised
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Ethereal: the typical scent of aged wines, somewhat pungent and alcoholic
Fermentation: the process during which the yeasts (micro-organisms also known as ferments) transform the sugars present in the wine into alcohol
Fine: harmonious and refined wine
Fragrant: refers to the aroma of a wine that has a bouquet of flowers, mature fruits or even freshly baked bread
Fruity: a scent typical of young wines that have perfumes and flavours that recall fresh fruit
Full: term used to describe a wine with a complex nose rich in nuances.
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Garnet: dark red. The typical colour of great reds for ageing
Glycerine: one of the alcohols naturally present in wine, on which the soft and enveloping taste sensation depends in part
Goudron: in French this means tar. It is used to indicate a scent which is typical of aged red wines
Grape mix: the combination of grapes of different types, which ferment together to give a unique wine. Synonymous with assemblage and coupage
Grape variety: type of plant, and therefore of the grape, from which a certain wine is made
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Harmonious: wine characterised by a perfect balance between aroma and flavour
Intense: a strong wine both in terms of perfume and flavour
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Liqueur-like: a wine with added alcohol which, in terms of its alcohol content, structure and sweetness, is similar to a liqueur
Lively: a fresh wine with the presence of carbon dioxide
Must: the product obtained from the pressing of the fresh grapes
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Passito: a wine obtained from raisins with a high alcohol and sugar content
Perlage: the so called "chain" of carbon dioxide bubbles forms in a glass filled with sparkling wine. The finer the bubbles, the better the sparkling wine.
Persistence: duration of the flavour and olfactory sensations produced by a wine. This is directly proportional to its quality
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Refinement: red wines destined to a long ageing process in bottles are first stored in wooden containers (casks or barriques) for a period which varies from 12 to 36 months. In this phase, thanks to the contact with the wood, the wine acquires new aromatic substances that enhance its bouquet
Sapid: wine rich in acidity and minerals
Semi-sweet: a slightly sweet wine with a limited sugar content
Soft: a balanced wine with a rounded flavour owing to the abundance of alcohol and glycerine
Sour: a wine that is insufficiently mature, with a rather sharp flavour
Sour: a coarse and astringent wine owing to the excessive quantity of tannin. Synonym of tannic
Still: a wine with no traces of carbon dioxide
Straw yellow: wine of a pale yellow colour similar to that of straw
Structure: a wine's components as a whole
Sweet: a term that indicates the presence of a sweet flavour that is more marked than in the medium-sweet types
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Tannin: an organic substance which the grape peel yields to the wine (especially if red). It creates a rough, astringent sensation to the palate which softens with age
Tasting: examination and evaluation of the characteristics of a wine. This is carried out using the senses of sight, taste and smell.
Terroir: the set of factors (territory, climate, grape variety, traditional vinification techniques) which determine the unique character of a particular wine-producing area
Typical: a wine which is recognisable and can be traced back to a determined area or grape variety
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Velvety: synonym of soft
Winy: a young wine with a nose that recalls the must of the wine cellar
Year: the year of the harvest in which the wine was produced. Also called "millesimo" in Italian
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