Wine Terms | La Boutique Du Vin

Wine Terms

Cru

Cru is a French term that refers to a grape growing site that is considered of superior quality due to conditions like soil, climate, altitude, and aspect. Translated as “growth”, it is used around th...

Jan 7, 2025

Malmsey

Malmsey refers to the sweetest style of Madeira, a fortified wine produced in Portugal. It is also the local name for the white Malvasia grape, which by law must make up at least 85% of the juice. To ...

Jan 2, 2025

Pergola

Pergola is a training system where the vine grows high above ground and the canopy and fruit hang horizontally, creating natural shade that keeps the ground cool while allowing for excellent air flow ...

Jan 1, 2025

Right Bank

Bordeaux, one of the most famous wine producing areas in the world, is divided by the Gironde Estuary, which connects two rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. The “right bank” is located to the east, or righ...

Dec 16, 2024

Left Bank of Bordeaux

Bordeaux, one of the most famous wine producing areas in the world, is divided by the Gironde Estuary, which connects two rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. The “left bank” is located to the west, or left,...

Dec 4, 2024

Legs or tears

Legs, or tears, are the viscous droplets of wine that drip down the sides of the glass after it has been swirled. They happen when the alcohol in the wine evaporates with movement and the remaining li...

Nov 27, 2024

Morrión or Muselet

The muselet is the metal wire cage that is used in bottles of sparkling wines to keep the cork in place and prevent it from popping out with the pressure coming from the bubbles. Before the invention ...

Nov 18, 2024

Primary Fermentation

Primary fermentation is the process that turns grape juice into wine through a series of chemical reactions. To put it simply, yeast (a microorganism) turns the natural sugar in the grape juice into a...

Nov 8, 2024

Fumé Blanc

Fumé Blanc is a term used in California to refer to a dry style of wine made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. It was first used by Robert Mondavi Winery in 1968 in an effort to differentiate this style fr...

Nov 6, 2024

Terroir

Derived from the Latin word ‘terra”, meaning “earth”, the term terroir has been used for centuries to describe the unique environmental factors found in a specific region and how they affect the wine ...

Oct 30, 2024

Whole cluster

Whole cluster fermentation refers to a winemaking technique that uses entire bunches of grapes instead of removing the individual grapes from the stems. Usually, grapes are harvested and separated fro...

Oct 29, 2024

Poniente and Levante

The “poniente” and “levante” are two wind currents that affect the vineyards of the Jerez region in southwestern Spain. The poniente blows from the Atlantic Ocean towards the east during the months of...

Oct 23, 2024

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