Lexicon: Haut-Médoc to Müller-Thurgau
Haut-Médoc
A sub-region of Médoc in Bordeaux, France. Some think the red wines that
come from Haut-Médoc the best of the region, and some the best in the world.
Hazy
Describes a wine that's a bit cloudy.
Heady
Wine with a very "fragrant" aroma.
Hermitage
A wine from the Rhone in France, usually a red made from Syrah grapes but
can also be white.
Hollow
Describes a wine that lacks substance between the first taste and the finish --
a wine with no "magic in the middle."
Honey
A flavor and aroma description most associated with botrytis ("noble rot").
Hot
Describes a wine with lot of alcohol, usually too much.
J
Jammy
Most often associated with Zinfandels, jammy describes a fruity that's
reminiscent of jam or jelly.
Jurançon
Delicious dry, aromatic wine from the Pyrenees region of Southwestern France.
L
Languedoc
A region in southern France most noted for good but simple table wines.
Lead pencil
Descriptor for a flavor or aroma reminiscent of the lead in a good old No. 2
pencil. from Sometimes associated the Pauillac region in of Bordeaux in
France.
Lean
Like "acidic," usually associated with a wine that goes well with food.
Lees
Deposits of residual yeast and other particles that creep to the bottom of a vat
of wine after fermentation and aging.
Length
The length of time that the finish or aftertast" stays with you. Good wines
generally have greater length.
Light-bodied
The opposite of full-bodied.
Loire
A wine region in northeastern France that produces a wide variety of excellent
wines.
Luscious
A flavor descriptor -- often a compliment --- for a well-balanced wine full of fruit.
M
Mâcon
A large region in Burgundy, France, that produces generally good wines.
Madeira
A creamy fortified wine not unlike port or sherry from an autonomous
Portuguese island in the Atlantic also called Madeira. It was very popular in the
U.S. during 18th century and Thomas Jefferson's favorite wine.
Madiran
A small Languedoc appellation known for robust red wines.
Malbec
A red grape used in Bordeaux wines that adds to the wine's body, Malbec is
also sometimes used as red wines of Cahors and in some Argentine.
Malolactic
A process in which the wine is put through a fermentation that converts its
malic acid into lactic acid. The result is a soft, mellow, easy drinking wine. Most
wine snobs don't think much of it but they sell well among ladies who lunch.
Malvasia
An Italian white grape, often used in blends.
Manzanilla
A dry Sherry made near Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in Spain, on the sea, where
saltwater adds a ocean hint to the wine.
Marechal Foch
French-hybrid red grape used in the Eastern U.S.
Margaux
A sub-region of the Medoc in Bordeaux considered to produce some of the
best wines.
Marsanne
A white grape from the Rhone also planted in California.
Mataro
Spanish for Mourvèdre.
Mavrodaphne
A red grape from Greece usually used in a sweet, inexpensive fortified dessert
wine.
Meaty
A kind of "earthy" quality that hints at raw beef sometimes found in red Rhones.
Medicinal
Herbal aromatics that can make a wine taste "mediciney" "alcoholy" in a not
necessarily unpleasant way.
Medium-bodied
A wine in between light-bodied and heavy-bodied, obviously.
Medoc
A peninsula between the Gironde River and the sea in France. It is center of
the Bordeaux wine-making area.
Merde
Merde is French for "shit," and it is actually an "earthy" characteristic of some
wines, especially from Burgundy, France. And, believe it or not, it is not always
considered bed. Really. No shit.
Meritage
A descriptor used to distinguish wines that are made in the style of Bordeaux
but without infringing on that region's legally protected appellation. Maritages
are blended from the traditional "noble" Bordeaux varietals including: Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot and Malbec or Sauvignon
Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert. "Mertiage" is a trademarked named
owned by the Meritage Assn. (see below)
Meritage Association
An association of American vintners that identifies blended meritage wines.
See above. Go to the Meritage Association site.
Merlot
A ever popular red grape, key player to the Bordeaux blend and also grown as
varietal especially in California. Merlot was recently castigated in the movie,
"Sideways," as a beginner's wine.
Mid-palate
A technical term for the order in which flavors and sensations hits your palate.
As the name implies it is the sensation between first taste (the "attack) and
swallowing (the "finish").
Mineral
A "stony" quality sometimes found Chablis and Riesling. Take a rock and lick it
and you'll get the picture.
Minervois
A wine-growing region in Languedoc, France, known for cheap, fruity reds.
Mise en bouteille au Château
A French legal term that means "estate bottled." It means that the wine is
made from grapes grown on the property of the winery, bottle there, etc.
Mission Grapes
A grape variety introduced from Spain to the western coasts of North and South
America in the 1500s by Roman Catholic missionaries for use in making
sacramental wine and table wine. Still produced in a few vineyards in central
and southern California.
Moselle
A river valley running through Germany and Luxembourg white wines made
from Riesling grapes are produced. Moselle wines are considered some of
Germany's best Rieslings.
Mourvèdre
A red grape common in Southern France, Languedoc and the Rhone, Spain
and California. It is often associated earthy aromas. It's also one of my favorite
words in French. Don't ask me why.
Muscadet
A light, dry white wine from the Loire, in France, made from a grape of the
same name.
Muted
Not much flavor, even when all the elements are present -- usually not a good
thing.
Müller-Thurgau
A white grape widely planted in Germany and a little bit in England.
A sub-region of Médoc in Bordeaux, France. Some think the red wines that
come from Haut-Médoc the best of the region, and some the best in the world.
Hazy
Describes a wine that's a bit cloudy.
Heady
Wine with a very "fragrant" aroma.
Hermitage
A wine from the Rhone in France, usually a red made from Syrah grapes but
can also be white.
Hollow
Describes a wine that lacks substance between the first taste and the finish --
a wine with no "magic in the middle."
Honey
A flavor and aroma description most associated with botrytis ("noble rot").
Hot
Describes a wine with lot of alcohol, usually too much.
J
Jammy
Most often associated with Zinfandels, jammy describes a fruity that's
reminiscent of jam or jelly.
Jurançon
Delicious dry, aromatic wine from the Pyrenees region of Southwestern France.
L
Languedoc
A region in southern France most noted for good but simple table wines.
Lead pencil
Descriptor for a flavor or aroma reminiscent of the lead in a good old No. 2
pencil. from Sometimes associated the Pauillac region in of Bordeaux in
France.
Lean
Like "acidic," usually associated with a wine that goes well with food.
Lees
Deposits of residual yeast and other particles that creep to the bottom of a vat
of wine after fermentation and aging.
Length
The length of time that the finish or aftertast" stays with you. Good wines
generally have greater length.
Light-bodied
The opposite of full-bodied.
Loire
A wine region in northeastern France that produces a wide variety of excellent
wines.
Luscious
A flavor descriptor -- often a compliment --- for a well-balanced wine full of fruit.
M
Mâcon
A large region in Burgundy, France, that produces generally good wines.
Madeira
A creamy fortified wine not unlike port or sherry from an autonomous
Portuguese island in the Atlantic also called Madeira. It was very popular in the
U.S. during 18th century and Thomas Jefferson's favorite wine.
Madiran
A small Languedoc appellation known for robust red wines.
Malbec
A red grape used in Bordeaux wines that adds to the wine's body, Malbec is
also sometimes used as red wines of Cahors and in some Argentine.
Malolactic
A process in which the wine is put through a fermentation that converts its
malic acid into lactic acid. The result is a soft, mellow, easy drinking wine. Most
wine snobs don't think much of it but they sell well among ladies who lunch.
Malvasia
An Italian white grape, often used in blends.
Manzanilla
A dry Sherry made near Sanlúcar de Barrameda, in Spain, on the sea, where
saltwater adds a ocean hint to the wine.
Marechal Foch
French-hybrid red grape used in the Eastern U.S.
Margaux
A sub-region of the Medoc in Bordeaux considered to produce some of the
best wines.
Marsanne
A white grape from the Rhone also planted in California.
Mataro
Spanish for Mourvèdre.
Mavrodaphne
A red grape from Greece usually used in a sweet, inexpensive fortified dessert
wine.
Meaty
A kind of "earthy" quality that hints at raw beef sometimes found in red Rhones.
Medicinal
Herbal aromatics that can make a wine taste "mediciney" "alcoholy" in a not
necessarily unpleasant way.
Medium-bodied
A wine in between light-bodied and heavy-bodied, obviously.
Medoc
A peninsula between the Gironde River and the sea in France. It is center of
the Bordeaux wine-making area.
Merde
Merde is French for "shit," and it is actually an "earthy" characteristic of some
wines, especially from Burgundy, France. And, believe it or not, it is not always
considered bed. Really. No shit.
Meritage
A descriptor used to distinguish wines that are made in the style of Bordeaux
but without infringing on that region's legally protected appellation. Maritages
are blended from the traditional "noble" Bordeaux varietals including: Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot and Malbec or Sauvignon
Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert. "Mertiage" is a trademarked named
owned by the Meritage Assn. (see below)
Meritage Association
An association of American vintners that identifies blended meritage wines.
See above. Go to the Meritage Association site.
Merlot
A ever popular red grape, key player to the Bordeaux blend and also grown as
varietal especially in California. Merlot was recently castigated in the movie,
"Sideways," as a beginner's wine.
Mid-palate
A technical term for the order in which flavors and sensations hits your palate.
As the name implies it is the sensation between first taste (the "attack) and
swallowing (the "finish").
Mineral
A "stony" quality sometimes found Chablis and Riesling. Take a rock and lick it
and you'll get the picture.
Minervois
A wine-growing region in Languedoc, France, known for cheap, fruity reds.
Mise en bouteille au Château
A French legal term that means "estate bottled." It means that the wine is
made from grapes grown on the property of the winery, bottle there, etc.
Mission Grapes
A grape variety introduced from Spain to the western coasts of North and South
America in the 1500s by Roman Catholic missionaries for use in making
sacramental wine and table wine. Still produced in a few vineyards in central
and southern California.
Moselle
A river valley running through Germany and Luxembourg white wines made
from Riesling grapes are produced. Moselle wines are considered some of
Germany's best Rieslings.
Mourvèdre
A red grape common in Southern France, Languedoc and the Rhone, Spain
and California. It is often associated earthy aromas. It's also one of my favorite
words in French. Don't ask me why.
Muscadet
A light, dry white wine from the Loire, in France, made from a grape of the
same name.
Muted
Not much flavor, even when all the elements are present -- usually not a good
thing.
Müller-Thurgau
A white grape widely planted in Germany and a little bit in England.
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