Knipperlé is a small grain grape variety which was one of the common grape varieties in Alsace where it lost a lot of ground in recent decades. It was replaced a lot by so-called “noble” grape varieties and also because of the natural tendency of its grains to rot. It Read more…
The “Ban des Vendanges” is a French expression which used to designate the proclamation which warned the winegrowers of the opening of the harvest. Not only did it warn them, but it even forced them not to harvest until then. This constraint was aimed at obtaining quality wines, by requiring Read more…
It is a French expression which formerly designated, in the Sauternes region, the richest wines obtained by the first selection, especially qualitative, of the harvest. This scanty first sort was composed almost exclusively of “noble rot” affected grains (Botrytis Cinirea), which reached an exceptionally high sugar content of up to Read more…
A “Vin du Midi” is a French expression. It is a very tricky expression because if you translate it literally it would mean “Lunch Wine”; however, most of the time, French people use this expression in a totally different sense than the literal one. Geographically, “Le Midi” encompasses the whole Read more…
The term “Délestage” is a French word which can be translated as “Unballasting”. It is used to describe the process of totally emptying a tank from any liquid while leaving the skins at the bottom and only then spraying the juice over the skins. It usually takes place during the Read more…
The term “Remontage” is a French word which can be translated as “Pumping Over”. It is used to describe the process of pumping the grape juice over the skins during the maceration and/or fermentation phase of a grape must. In order to extract as much juice as possible, a spray Read more…
The term “Pigeage” is a French word that can be translated as “Punching Down”. It is used to describe the process of pushing down the skins inside a must during the maceration and/or the fermentation phase. The must cap, which is composed of grape skins that have been propelled to Read more…
The term “Vieilles Vignes” is French and literally means “Old Vines”. Therefore, you will most often find this term on the front label of some French wines made from old vines. However, there is no real legal definition of that term, which implies that from producer to producer, the threshold Read more…
The first vineyards in this wine-growing state of the United States were planted east and west of Cincinnati, along the Ohio river, by German settlers. The steep banks of this torrential river undoubtedly reminded them of their native Rhine…
It is a dessert wine from Romania which once shared the fame of Tokay in Europe. It was served in Parisian restaurants under the name of “Pearl of Moldavia”. The vineyard that produces it, one of the oldest in the country; covers the Carpathians foothills in the North East of Read more…