WINE GLOSSARY

You needn't be a specialist in Bordeaux wine or fluent in French to speak about and choose these wines intelligently.

This short vocabulary list of basic wine terms will ease your initiation into Bordeaux.

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.)

Loosely translated, this means "controlled name of origin." It is a strict set of carefully enforced French laws that specify wines by geographical origin and minimum production conditions. The more specific the appellation, the better the wine. From general to specific, appellations are as follows: Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, district name (such as Médoc or Saint-Èmilion), and finally commune or village name (such as Listrac or Pauillac). There are 57 appellations in Bordeaux.

Château (Chateaux, pl.)

In the Bordeaux wine-producing region, "château" (or alternatively Clos, Cru, or Domaine) specifically means a vineyard of a regulated size that has winemaking and storage facilities on the property. Château-bottled wines ("mis en bouteille au château," which you will see on the label and sometimes on the cork) means the wines were bottled at the estate. There are over 9,000 individual châteaux in Bordeaux.

Chêne Oak

"Elevé en fûts de chêne" on the label means aged in oak barrels.

Clairet

A little known Bordeaux wine made like a red wine from red-wine grapes, but the juice (called "must," see below) is left on the skins for a very short time yielding a pale red color wine slightly darker than a rosé with light tannin qualities.

Claret

The British term for red Bordeaux wine.

Côtes and Coteaux

Hillsides planted with vineyards.

Cru

Growth or high-quality vineyard. "Grand Cru Classé" on the label means the wine comes from an excellent vineyard that has been officially classified as such.

Cru Bourgeois

This classification on the label indicates a château-bottled wine from the Médoc district that has met specific technical and qualitative standards. These wines are good value because they are fine wines that don't fetch 1855 classification prices.

Cuvée

A blend of wines. Bordeaux wines are, for the most part, blended.

Fining Agent

A substance added to wine during wine production after fermentation and before bottling that removes suspended particles and clarifies the wine.

Marc

The skins, pulp, and pips that remain after grapes have been pressed.

Must

The juice extracted from pressed grapes.

Noble Rot

Refers to a mold, Botrytis cinerea, allowed to develop on Sémillon grapes to be used in making sweet Bordeaux white wines, the most famous and prized of which is Château d'Yquem, a truly wonderful Sauternes.

Sommelier or Wine Waiter

The person in a restaurant responsible for the wine service, wine list, and wine cellar. A great source of information and advice.

Tannins

Organic compounds in grape stems, seeds, and skins that add richness and character to wine and act as a preservative for proper aging of red wines.

Véraison

Color change in the berries.

Vinify

The making of wine from grapes.

Vintage

The year in which the grapes were picked.