Wine Glossary

An adjective used to describe wines served at temperatures higher than appropriate (with a warm feeling) and also those containing outstanding alcohol, i.e. alcohol not entirely integrated in the flavours.

Wine that has been exposed to too much air and has lost its strength. This applies to the colour, the aroma and the flavour.

The name given to an unbalanced, thin wine lacking extract or alcohol. Resembles wine diluted with water.

Wine with indistinct or unpronounced characteristics. Synonym: corto.

Fluid that has “wept” from the cuts made during pruning at the end of the winter season, before the new buds emerge.

Wine with well-combined and defect-free tastes and smells, which reflect quality.

Basic classification of wine, by colour, with the predominant yellow colour blended with a wide range of green or golden hues.

Alcoholic liquid produced by the fermentation of the juice of the fruit of vitis vinifera, i.e. the grapes, freshly picked or slightly ripened in the sun, with an acquired natural alcohol content of not less than 9% vol. There are some exceptions to this last point such as the white chacolís, which have a minimum alcoholic strength of 7% vol. and natural sweet wines whose must be not less than 8% vol.

Committee of expert wine evaluators who act as judges in wine contests.

Wood from some trees, particularly oak, but also chestnut and others, is used to make containers in which wine is aged. A madera (woody) is a term used to describe aromas and flavours of wines that have been in contact with healthy, prepared ageing wood. A madera nueva (of new wood) is an intense sensation found in wines that have been in contact with containers made from new, unprepared wood. A madera húmeda (of damp wood), a mouldy smell caused by the wine being in contact with old or out-of-condition containers. Exceso de madera (overly woody) is an expression used to describe the exaggerated presence of the smell and taste of wood used to age the wine, even though it is quality wood.