Acidity
naturally occurring in grapes, acidity indicates the quality of tartness or sharpness of a wine. Acids in proper proportion give wine balance and character. Generally, the cooler the region, the higher the level of acid in the grapes.
Appellation
a recognized wine-growing region governed by the rules and regulations established by its federal and/or local government. In the United States, appellations are referred to as American Viticultural Areas (AVA). Washington State has nine AVAs (Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Puget Sound, Red Mountain, Columbia Gorge, Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope, and Rattlesnake hills).
Balance
the interplay between sugar, acid, tannin and alcohol. In a well-balanced wine, none of these elements will dominate the wine.
Body
the sensation of the wine’s weight on the palate, ranging from light to heavy.
Botrytis
botrytis cinerea, also called “noble rot” is a beneficial mold that occurs under specific conditions, causing grapes to shrivel, concentrating and heightening sugar and flavor while allowing acid levels to remain high, providing balance to the intense sweetness of the wine.
Brix
the measurement of sugar content in unfermented grape juice which is used to indicate the estimated alcohol a wine will produce on fermentation.
Dry/Off-Dry
indicates a style of wine, no sugar = dry, a little residual sugar = off-dry (see residual sugar below)
Fermentation (Primary)
the process by which grape juice becomes wine; a chain reaction of chemical processes whereby sugars in the grape juice are converted by the enzymes in yeasts into alcohol and carbon diox¬ide. This process is called primary fermentation as some wines undergo a secondary fermentation process as well.
Fermentation (Secondary)
also called malolactic fermentation, a secondary fermentation turns malic acid (think apples) into lactic acid (think cream, vanilla, butter and milk) adding another dimension to the wine. While all red wines undergo malolactic fermentation, white wines do not; this is essentially a stylistic preference accorded the winemaker who may choose for the wine to undergo a full or partial secondary fermen¬tation, or none at all.
Fruit
Fruit the single most important element in wine, it is the winemakers goal to capture the true essence of the varietal used.
Ice Wine
wine made from grapes frozen on the vine and then pressed before they thaw. The juice from these grapes is very concentrated, high in sugar and acid with the resulting wines sweet, intense and rich in flavor with excellent aging potential.
Late Harvest
grapes picked late in the season for maximum sugar content and typically for sweet or dessert wines.
Oak
wines fermented and/or aged in oak barrels take on toasty qualities and flavors of butter and vanilla in white wines, coffee and tobacco in reds.
Residual Sugar
natural grape sugar that is either unfermented at the end of the fermentation process or added back into the wine as with dosage for sparkling wine. Residual sugar (r.s.) ranges from 0.1-0.2% in dry wines to as high as 28-30% in late harvest wines.
Steel
wines fermented and/or aged in steel tanks typically have clean, bright flavors emphasizing fresh fruit.
Tannin
comes from the skin, seeds and stems of the grapes, adding longevity, structure and complexity to wine.
Varietal
refers to the type of wine grape; Chardonnay, Merlot, etc.
Vinifera
vitis vinifera is the vine species that produces wine grapes.