Glossary of winemaking terms
This glossary of winemaking terms lists some of terms and definitions involved in making wine, fruit wine, and mead.
A
;Acetaldehyde;Acetic acid
;Acetification
;Acetobacter
;Acidity
;Active acidity
; Actual alcohol
;Aerobic conditions
;Aging barrel
;Alcohol
; Alcoholic fermentation
;Aldehyde
;Alternative wine closures
;Amino acids
;Amphora
;
; Analyzer
;Angel's share
; Anreicherung
;Anthocyanin
;Antioxidant
;Aromatized wine
;Ascorbic acid
;Aseptic
;Assemblage
;Atmosphere
;Autolysis
B
;Back-Blend;Barrel fermented
; Barrique
;Baumé
;Beeswing
;Bentonite
;Blanc de Blancs
;Blanc de Noirs
;Blending
; Blue fining
;Blush wine
; Bonne chauffe
;Botrytized grapes
; Botte
; Bottiglia
;Bottle Age
;Bottle shock
;Bottle variation
;Box wine
;Brettanomyces
;Brix/Balling
; Brouillis
;Brut
;Bung
;Burnt wine
;Butt
C
;Cap: The layer of grape skins that are forced by rising carbon dioxide gas to the top of the fermentation vessel during cuvaison.;Carbonic acid: Carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the water content of wine. It is a volatile acid that held in equilibrium with the dissolved carbon dioxide gas and can not be isolated in a pure form.
;Carbonic gas: A natural by product of the fermentation process in which yeast cells convert sugar into nearly equal parts alcohol and carbonic gas. While a small amount stays presence in the wine as carbonic acid, most of the gas will rise to the surface of the fermentation vessel and attempt to escape into the air. If the fermentation vessel is closed, the gas will dissolve into the wine and when released will make the wine sparkling.
;Carbonic maceration: A winemaking practice of fermenting whole grapes that have not been crushed. This intracellular fermentation tends to produce fruity, deeply colored red wines with low tannins
;Casein: A fining agent derived from a milk protein.
;Cask: A wood barrel or storage vessel, often made from oak, that is used in winemaking for fermentation and/or aging
;Cask-strength: A term sometimes seen in Cognac production to denote a Cognac that has not been watered down to reduce its alcohol level. Like whiskeys these Cognacs will usually be unfiltered and with a high alcohol proof over 40% ABV
;Casse: An unwanted haze in wine caused by various unstable compounds that can develop into a wine fault if not corrected before bottling
;Charmat method : Sparkling wine production method where the secondary fermentation takes place in a tank as opposed to the traditional method where it takes place in the individual wine bottle that the consumer eventually purchases
;Chauffe-vin: An optional attachment to the Cognac still that heats the wine prior to the first distillation
;Cellaring:To age wine for the purpose of improvement or storage.
;Centrifugal force filtration: The process of separating unwanted particles from the wine by use of centrifugal force.
;Ceramic filtration : A filtration process of the wine that utilizes perlite and is able to fine the wine to an ultrafine degree.
;Chaptalization : A winemaking process where sugar is added to the must to increase the alcohol content in the fermented wine. This is often done when grapes have not ripened adequately.
;Charmat process : The Charmat or bulk process is a method where sparkling wines receive their secondary fermentation in large tanks, rather than individual bottles as seen in Méthode champenoise.
;Clarification: A winemaking process involving the fining and filtration of wine to remove suspended solids and reduce turbidity.
;Col de cygnet :The swan's neck shaped portion of a pot still used in Cognac production that transports the vapors from the pot to the condenser
;Cold stabilization: A winemaking process where wine is chilled to near freezing temperatures for several weeks to encourage the precipitation of tartrate crystals.
;Compte :Classification system used in the Armagnac and Cognac region based on the age of the spirit ranging from 00 for a newly distilled spirit to 2 for a VS, 4 for a VSOP Reserve, 6 for a Napoleon XO and 10 for the longest aged XO. Congeners that are produced throughout the winemaking process from fermentation through maturation and even distillation for spirits such as a Cognac. These compounds include aldehydes, esters and ketones which can influence the aroma and flavor of wine.
;Cork: A wine bottle stopper made from the thick outer bark of the cork oak tree.
;Cork taint: A type of wine fault describing undesirable aromas and flavors in wine often attributed to mold growth on chlorine bleached corks.
;Coupage: A custom of "enormous antiquity" of mixing a little good wine with much bad wine and calling it good. "The result of this operation is that the best qualities of the good are destroyed without a trace."
;Courbe de fermentation : French term for plotting the temperature and must density/sugar levels of an individual vat or tank of fermenting must to track its progress from the initiation of fermentation to dryness.
Crossflow filtration: A highspeed form of microfiltration that has the wine flow across a membrane filter rather than through it.
;Crown-cap: A beer bottle cap used as a temporary closure for a sparkling wine as it undergoes a secondary fermentation.
;Crush: After harvest, and prior to pressing, grape are "crushed" or broken up so that the juice is released and allowed to macerate with the skins prior to and during fermentation. In viticultural terms, "Crush" is used as a synonym for harvest time.
;Cryoextraction: A mechanical means of concentrating the grape must by chilling the must until its water content freezes into ice crystals that are then removed. This production method is used to make so called "ice box wines" in a style similar to ice wines which are produced by the grapes naturally freezing on the vine before harvest
;Cut: A blending term used to refer to either blending a wine with one distinct characteristic into a wine that currently dominated by the opposite characteristic. It can also mean blending a red wine with a white wine in order to make a rosé. Cutting may also refer to the illegal practice of diluting a wine with water. The French term tailles or "cut" refers to the point during pressing when the quality of the grape juices degrades. The first tailles is the free-run juice followed by successive pressing.
;Cuve: A large vat used for fermentation.
;Cuve Close: Alternative name for the Charmat method of sparkling wine production.
;Cuvée: A wine blended from several vats or batches, or from a selected vat. Also used in Champagne to denote the juice from the first pressing of a batch of grapes.
D
;Debourbage;Dégorgement
;Délestage
;Demi-muid
;Depth filtration
;Devatting
;Diatomaceous Earth
;Doble pasta
;Doppelstück
;Dosage
;Drawing off
;Dry
E
;Egg white fining;Enology
;En Tirage
;Enzyme
;Esters
;Estufagem
;Ethanoic acid
;Ethanol
;Extract
;Extra dry
F
;Fall bright;Fatty acids
;Fault
;Feints
;Fermentation
;Feuillette
;Filtration
;Fining
;First pressing
;Fixed acidity
;Fixed sulfur
;Flash Pasteurization
;Flor
;Foreshots
;Fortification
;Foudre
;Fractions
;The separate parts that are released at different boiling points during the distillation process in the production of Cognac. These include the "heads", "heart" and "tails" with each fractions containing different alcohol levels and flavor compounds
;Free sulfur
;Free run juice
;Fruit wine
;Fuder
;Fully fermented
;Fusel alcohol
;Fût
G
;Gelatine;Geosmin
;Governo
;Grape juice
;Gyropalette
H
;Heads;Hearts
;Halbfüder
;Halbstück
;Hogshead
;Hydrogen sulfide
I
;IsinglassJ
;JuiceK
;KieselguhrL
;Lactic acid;Lagar
;Late disgorgement
;Leaching
;Lees
;Lees stirring
;Lieu dit
;Liqueur de tirage
;Liqueur d'expedition
;Low wines
M
;Maceration;Madeirized
;Maillard reactions
;Malic acid
;Malolactic fermentation
;Mannoprotein
;Marc
;Mead
;Membrane filtration
;Mercaptans
;Méthode Champenoise
;Méthode Rurale
;Microoxygenation
;Microvinification
;Mistelle
;MOG
;Mosto cotto
;Mud
;Muid
;Must
;Must weight
;Mutage
N
O
;Oak;Oechsle
;Oenology
;Off-dry
;Orange wine
;Organic winemaking
;Osmotic pressure
;Oxidation
;OTR
P
;Pad filtration;Passito
;Pasteurization
;Pectic enzyme
;Perlant
;Perlite
;pH
;Phenolic compounds
;Pipe
;Polishing
;Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone
;Pomace
;Post-disgorgement aging
; Potable alcohol
;Potassium sorbate
; Potential alcohol
;Pot still
;Pre-fermentation maceration
;Proof
;Protein haze
;Puncheon
;Pupitre
;Puttonyos
;Pyrazines
Q
R
;Racking;Rancio
;Ratafia
;Rectifier
;Remontage
;Reserve cuvee
;Remuage
;Residual sugar
;Reverse osmosis/RO
;Riddling
;Ripasso
;Rosé wines
S
;Saccharometer;Saignée
;Screwcap
;Sec
;Secondary fermentation
;Skin contact
;Solera system
;Sorbic acid
;Souped up
;Sparging
;Spinning cone column
;Stabilization
;Stabilizer
;Stretching
;Still wine
;Stoving wine
;Stück
;Stuck fermentation
;Sulfites
;Sulphur dioxide
;Sur lie
;Sur pointe
;Süssreserve
;Sweetness of wine
T
;Tails;Tank method
;Tannin
;Tartaric acid
;Tartrates
;TCA
;Terpene
;Téte de Cuvée
;Toast
;Tonneau
;Topping
;Total acidity
;Traditional method
;Transfer method
;Triage
;Tun
U
;UllageV
;Vacuum distillation;VA lift
;Vanillin
;Varietal
;Véraison
;Viertelstück
;Vin de goutte
;Vin de liqueur
;Vin de paille
;Vin de rebèche
;Vin de presse
;Vin doux naturel
;Vin d'une nuit
;Vin gris
;Vinegar
;Viniculture
;Vinification
;Vin jaune
;Vinimatic
;Volatile acidity
;Volatile phenols
W
;Wash;Wine
;Wine cave
;Wine cellar
;Wine fault
;Winemaker
;Wine-press
;Winery
;Wood lactones
Y
;YAN;Yeast
;Yeast enzymes