The French phrase “sur souches” literally translates to “on the stumps” or, in the case of buying a future crop of wine, “on the vine.” The Bordeaux trade has occasionally purchased futures in a crop before it was even harvested during periods of especially strong sales.
“Passing the Porto” refers to the old custom that requires Porto wine, in particular a decanter of vintage Porto, to be passed from the right to the left of a dining table. It is considered one of the most beloved traditions in the wine industry. No real satisfying explanation of Read more…
The French term “passerillage” refers to the process of drying, shriveling (see the définition of “flétri” here), or raisining grapes on the vine in order to concentrate their sugar content. It serves as an alternative to wine with high sugars from botrytis (where the noble rot plays a crucial role Read more…
Up until a specific time of the year, typically set by local habits, the “right of banvin” allowed the lord to sell his own wine before that of his vassals (the time during which the sale of wines other than those belonging to the lord were banned varied greatly from Read more…
French wine terminology for “medium-sweet” wines is “Demi-Sec.” Demi-Sec wines are sweeter than “Sec” wines but less sweet than wines labelled as “Mouelleux” or “Doux”. Specifically Chenin Blanc wines from the French wine areas of Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine as well as some sparkling wines (champagnes, crémants) are referred to Read more…
When making sparkling wine using the traditional method (méthode Champenoise), bottles may be kept after the second fermentation is finished but before they are disgorged. They can be kept on their necks, upside down, so that the lees stay in the bottle’s neck (“sur pointe”) (which makes the disgorgement process Read more…
“Dessert wines” is usually used to designate sweet wines. They are defined by American regulations as any wine containing between 14% and 24% alcohol, which includes a growing number of dry, unfortified wines.
Although over-extraction is becoming a regular mistake nowadays because people correlate quality with color, “extraction” in the context of wine typically refers to the extraction of valuable phenolics from grape solids before, during, and after fermentation. Wines with excessive extraction lack balance and fruit expression.
Grapes that have been dried, or partially dried, before fermentation to raise the sugar level are referred to as “flétri” in French. It is most regularly used in France, Switzerland, and sometimes in the Valle d’Aosta.
The process that causes tiny particles to group together is called “flocculation.” The traditional method (Méthode Champenoise) of manufacturing sparkling wine involves this intended process. The lees will flocculate and gradually travel toward the bottle neck during the second fermentation that takes place in the bottle (i.e., the traditional method).