Wine Glossary: A Useful Guide for Enotourism
YasyaIf you are planning a trip to the vineyards, you have probably noticed a few unfamiliar words. Therefore, we have compiled a small glossary of popular wine terms to make your journey clearer and simpler.
Autochthonous varieties: this phrase is often encountered. This refers to local, indigenous varieties that originated, developed, and grow only in a specific region. Some grape varieties were able to adapt to new conditions and therefore migrated to other lands. Among them are the well-known Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc. However, for example, Italian Nebbiolo is grown only in Piedmont.
Garage wines — produced in small batches, without industrial scale or scope, from high-quality grapes. This is mainly undertaken by enthusiasts. These wines do not store for long; they should be drunk young, but their taste is bright, full-bodied, tart, and concentrated.
Pet-Nat – natural sparkling wine, from the French pétillant naturel, abbreviated pét-nat. This wine is made using an ancient technology — allowing the must to finish fermenting in bottles, without adding dosage liqueur. That is, the future sparkling wine is bottled before the fermentation process is complete. A wonderful drink for those who prefer lighter wines.
Sabrage — a way to open a bottle of sparkling wine in the most spectacular way — hussar-style, with a saber!
Terroir — refers to all climatic and soil characteristics of an area that influence the taste and quality of the final beverage. The concept includes relief, wind rose, soil composition, vegetation, the presence or absence of nearby bodies of water, and so on, down to the animal world.
Still wines — those without carbon dioxide and its characteristic bubbles. Simply put, the opposite of sparkling wines; all those that do not fizz or foam, but behave quietly.
