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 Alsace
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Very perfumed, aromatic dry white wines with
spicy flavours; white varietals – Riesling,
Gewürztraminer, Tokay-Pinot Gris, Muscat (and
some Sylvaner, Chasselas and Pinot Blanc).
Reds – Pinot Noir. Most of these are bottled
as single varietals, with the exception of
Edelzwicker (see below). |
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 Amarone
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A strong, dry, long-lived red from the Veneto
region, made from a blend of partially dried
red grapes. |
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Armangac
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The 'klein krokodil' of brandies, but still a
krokodil. It is produced in Armangac, to the
South of Bordeaux |
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Asti
Spumante |
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A slightly sweet sparkling wine. |
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 Auslese
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A white wine made from selected bunches of
grapes that are very ripe and thus high in
sugar, and in the best years have been
affected by noble rot. The word Auslese means
"selection." |
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Banyuls
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An unusual dessert wine made from late-harvest
Grenache grapes. The steep hillside vineyards
in the small village of Banyuls are above the
Mediterranean at the southern limit of
Roussillon. |
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Bardolino
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A light, red, slightly-sweet wine produced in
the Veneto region, blended from several grapes
and sometimes lightly sparkling. The wine is a
garnet color, dry and slightly bitter.
Bardolino is best drunk when young. |
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Barolo
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One of the most highly regarded Italian reds,
made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in Piedmont.
The wine is dark, full-bodied and high in
tannin and alcohol; it can improve over
decades of aging. |
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Barsac
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A sweet wine from Bordeaux, Barsac (a
neighbour of Sauternes) may call its wine
either AOC Barsac or AOC Sauternes. Also made
from botrytis-affected Semillon and Sauvignon
grapes, Barsac wines are often slightly less
sweet and more fruity than Sauternes. |
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Beaujolais
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Mostly red wines made from Gamay grapes.
Synonymous with fresh, fruity, easy drinking
light wines that are versatile, and an
excellent choice with meals. Some white and
rosé Beaujolais are also made. |
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Beerenauslese
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Exceedingly rare, individually picked grape
berries. Very rich and rare dessert wine. |
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Bergerac
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Dordogne, south-western France. Bergerac blanc
is either a crisp or full-bodied, slightly
sweet white blend of Sauvignon, Sémillon and
Muscadelle. The reds are made from Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. |
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Bordeaux
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White Bordeaux: a blend of Sauvignon Blanc,
Semillon and sometimes Muscadelle. Red
Bordeaux: a blend of varying ratios of
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Sometimes Petit Verdot and Malbec as well. |
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Burgundy
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White Burgundy – Chardonnay and some Aligoté.
Red Burgundy - Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir |
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 Cava
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A popular sparkling wine made using méthode
Champenoise, the traditional French method of
bottle-fermenting champagne. |
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Chablis
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Burgundy’s steely, flinty wines with higher
acid. By appellation rules, the wines are 100%
Chardonnay |
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Champagne
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Sparkling wine produced in the Champagne
region using the traditional method (Méthode
Champenoise) Pinot Noir and Meunier and/or
Chardonnay. Styles – white and rosé, vintage
and non-vintage. By treaty, other European
countries may not use the name for their
sparkling wines. |
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Chianti
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Medium to full bodied red table wine of
Tuscany in Italy. Chiantis are usually mainly
Sangiovese blended with Canaiolo Nero/Colorino/Cabernet
Sauvignon and/or Merlot. |
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Chianti
Classico |
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A DOC (Quality designation) red from a
designated inner portion of the Chianti wine
district. To be labeled Chianti Classico, both
the vineyards and the winery must be within
the delimited region. |
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Cognac
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The 'groot krokodil' of all brandies, produced
in Congac, to the North of Bordeaux. |
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Crémant
d’Alsace |
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Alsace. Crisp, dry sparkling wines made from
Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir (Auxerrois,
Chardonnay and Riesling are also permitted),
using the traditional method. |
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Edelzwicker
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Alsace. Light-bodied white blend, based mainly
on Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc. |
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Eiswein
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A sweet, literally "ice wine", made from
grapes harvested and crushed after they have
frozen on the vine. The freezing concentrates
the sugars in the grapes prior to harvesting.
True German Eisweins are rare and costly.
Elegant and rich, but not as intense as a
Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese. |
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Fino
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The lightest and driest Sherries. |
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Frascati
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A fruity, golden white wine from the hills
around Rome; made from a blend of Trebbiano,
Malvasia and Greco it can be dry or sweet. |
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Gattinara
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A red made in the Piedmont region from
Nebbiolo blended with other grapes. A
powerful, long-lived wine, though less so than
Barolo. |
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Grappa
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A spirit distilled from grape skins. Dry and
high in alcohol, it is typically consumed
after dinner. |
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Kabinett
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Light, very dry white wines made without
additional sugar that are relatively low in
alcohol (7%-9%). Can also refer to the driest
wine from a given vineyard or producer in any
vintage. |
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Liebfraumilch
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A blended white, semi-sweet and fairly
neutral, which accounts for up to 50% of all
German wine exports. |
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 Madeira
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A rich, white fortified wine resembling Sherry
originally produced on and named after the
Portuguese island on which its grapes are
grown. |
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Marsala
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Produced on the island of Sicily, Italy’s most
famous fortified wine. Usually contains about
17% to 20% alcohol. May be dry or sweet and is
commonly used in cooking. |
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Orvieto
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A blend of Trebbiano, Verdello, Grechetto,
Canaiolo Bianco and Malvasia. |
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Pouilly-Fuissé
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The Mâcconnais region, Burgundy. Distinctive
Chardonnay wines that are rich and full-bodied |
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Rhône
blend |
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White Rhône blend: Marsanne, Roussanne and
occasionally Viognier. Red Rhône blend:
Grenache blended with Cinsaut, Carignan,
Mourvèdre and Syrah. |
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Rioja
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(pronounced ri-o-ha) Red blend: Tempranillo,
Garnacha and sometimes, Graciano and Carignan.
White blend: Macabeo, Garnacha Blanco and
Malvasia. |
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S
Rhône blend |
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White blend – Bourboulenc, Clairette, and
Grenache Blanc. Red blend– Grenache, Carignan,
Cinsaut, Mourvèdre and Syrah |
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Sauternes
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Bordeaux. Sweet wine made from botrytis
grapes, blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
Chateau d’Yquem is considered one of the
greatest sweet white wines of the world. |
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Sèlection
de Grain Nobles |
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An outstanding wine from Alsace. Similar to
Vendange Tardive (see below) but the grapes
have been affected by botrytis or noble rot.
Sweetness levels vary dramatically but the
wines are rich in flavour. |
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Sherry
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A fortified wine made in Sherry, Spain, mainly
from Palomino. Much of the best South African
‘sherry’ is however made from Chenin Blanc. |
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Soave
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A blend of mainly Trebbiano and Garganega. |
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Spätlese
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Late harvest, riper, fuller-bodied and
generally sweeter. |
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Strohwein
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Very sweet wines rich in extracts which are
pressed from fully-ripe grapes that were
previously stored and dried on reeds or straw
in warm, well-aerated rooms. Nowadays, instead
of storing the grapes on straw or reeds, the
grapes are dried on wire trellises. |
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Tavel
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Produced in the S Rhône, France’s most famous
dry rosé. |
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 Tokay/Tokaji
Aszú |
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Hungary’s famous sweet wine. Blend of Furmint
and Hárslevelü and Muscat, comparable to a
highly aromatic, dramatically vital Sauternes
with a searing finish. Also dry table wine of
character. |
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Trockenbeerenauslese
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Individually picked grapes left on the vine
until they become raisins. Made only in great
vintage years. |
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Vendange
Tardive
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The other outstanding wine from Alsace. Made
in outstanding vintages from late-picked
grapes of that single vintage, can be made
from one of four varietals: Riesling, Muscat,
Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. The wines can
vary from ultra dry to sweet. If the grapes
are affected by Botrytis or Noble Rot, the
wine is known as Sèlection de Grain Nobles . |
