Wine & Culinary Language:

Body | ( Wine Tasting Term) The impression of texture or weight in the mouth, comprising an amalgam of elements including ALCOHOL, EXTRACT, GLYCEROL, and ACID. A wine with a rich, complex, well-ROUNDED, lingering flavors is considered FULL-BODIED; one that's watery or lacking in body is called LIGHT-BODIED or THIN; a MEDIUM-BODIED wine ranks in between. Not all wines strive for a FULL-BODIED characteristic, namely those whose hallmark may be FINESSE, such as CHAMPAGNE. Dessert wines, like rich SAUTERNES, are considered full-bodied partly because the RESIDUAL SUGAR adds weight and texture.

Antojitos mexicanos [Spanish] | (Culinary Term) snacks; corn- or tortilla-based Mexican foods, including enchiladas, tacos and tamales.

Valpantena [vahl-pahn-TEH-nah] | (Wine Term) a term referring to the Pantena Valley, which lies within the VALPOLICELLA DOC area near Verona in Italy's VENETO region. The name can be used on the label as Valpolicella-Valpantena.

Daikon Radish | (Culinary Term) From the Japanese words dai (large) and kon (root). A large, long, white tubular radish with a sweet, fresh flavor. Eaten in many Asian cultures. Can be as fat as a football but is usually 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Use raw in salads, shredded as a garnish or cook in a variety of ways including stir-fry. Found in Oriental markets and some supermarkets.

grassy; grassiness | (Wine Tasting Term) Also sometimes referred to as GREEN, this is the characteristic smell of freshly cut grass or hay (found in some SAUVIGNON BLANCS). A balanced amount is pleasant; too much is detrimental.

Arborio rice | (Culinary Term) A short grain white rice from Northern Italy. The length of the grain is often less than two times its width. Used often in risotto because it absorbs flavor as it cooks, yet remains somewhat firm.

Vendemmia [vayn-DAYM-myah] | (Wine Term) Italian for "VINTAGE," referring to the time of the grape harvest. The Spanish equivalent is VENDIMIA; the French is VENDANGE.

Dandelion | (Culinary Term) A strong-tasting green that is among the most vitamin-packed foods on the planet; when young it's relatively mild, but when it matures, it's the most bitter of all greens.

fresh; freshness | (Wine Tasting Term) A well-balanced wine that's LIVELY, CLEAN, and FRUITY.

Arlasienne [French] | (Culinary Term) rings or slices of vegetables cooked in oil.

Winemaker | (Wine Term) An expert at making wine, who's usually in charge of all the steps of wine production at a winery. Also called an ENOLOGIST or VINICULTURIST.

Tatin | (Culinary Term) A famous French upside-down TART made by covering the bottom of a shallow baking dish with butter and sugar, then fruit and finally a pastry crust. While baking, the sugar and butter create a delicious CARAMEL that becomes the topping when the tart is inverted onto a serving plate.

floral; flowery | (Wine Tasting Term) An aroma reminiscent of flowers, such as violets, citrus blossoms, or roses. This impression can also be sensed on the palate. Floral characteristics are more likely to be found in white wines like JOHANNISBERG REESLING and GEWURTRAMINER than in reds, although those made from NEBBIOLO grapes are known to be suggestive of violets.

Armadillo | (Culinary Term) A game animal indigenous to the Southwest, it has a flavor comparable to duck.

Traisen [TRI-zen] | (Wine Term) A small wine-producing village located southwest of BAD KREUZNACH in Germany's NAHE region. It's best known for superb RIESLING wines produced from two EINZELLAGEN-BASTEI and Rotenfels.

Tapas | (Culinary Term) Spanish for appetizer.

fleshy | (Wine Tasting Term) Describes a full-bodied, smooth, wine with high ALCOHOL, EXTRACT, and usually, GLYCEROL. Fleshy is comparable to CHEWY, the opposite of LEAN.

Arroz [Portuguese] | (Culinary Term) rice. It is not a Spanish term.

tent | (Wine Term) An old English word (probably derived from the Spanish word TINTO, which means "red") that referred to POWERFUL red wines from Spain, particularly from the area in and around ALICANTE.

Arugula | (Culinary Term) Also known as Rocket, Arugula is the most strangely flavored of all greens, possessing a distinctive hot, peppery muddiness that may be an acquired taste. Younger, smaller arugula is milder; old arugula may be far too hot.

dry | (Wine Tasting Term) A term that describes wine that isn't sweet at all; its French counterpart is SEC. In a fully dry wine, all the sugar has been converted to ALCOHOL during FERMENTATION. A medium-dry wine has a small amount of RESIDUAL SUGAR, but not enough to prevent the wine from being enjoyed with a meal. A wine with the barest hint of sweetness is referred to as OFF DRY.

Sommelier | (Culinary Term) A French term used to describe the wine steward in a restaurant.

Shoot | (Wine Term) A grapevine's new growth, which develops from a bud as a bright green stem and eventually sprouts leaves, then flowers, then clusters of minuscule green grape berries.

Azafron | (Culinary Term) Used as a substitute for saffron; lacks flavor and is used only for color.

deep | (Wine Tasting Term) Many aspects of a wine (its COLOR, flavor, or BOUQUET) can be deep, which in the wine world, is a word that signifies intensity.

Wakame | (Culinary Term) A brown seaweed native to the coasts of China, Japan, and Korea, having a short stipe and pinnately divided blades, extensively used in Asian cooking.

Shelling | (Wine Term) When berries fall off a grape cluster, typically due to DISEASE, stress, or overripeness.

Aux fines herbes [French] | (Culinary Term) term applied to a dish to which a combination of delicate fresh herbs (usually tarragon, chervil, parsley, and chives) have been added.

crisp | (Wine Tasting Term) Wine that has a fresh, lively ACIDITY that, although noticeable, doesn't overpower the other components. Crispness is a desirable trait in white wines.

Couscous [North African] | (Culinary Term) A granular pasta originating in North Africa, usually made from semolina.

Aurore | (Culinary Term) A term associated with a pink cream sauce, colored with paprika or that have tomato puree or concasse added to it.

Secco [SHE-koh] | (Wine Term) Italian for DRY. Semisecco is the term for "semi-dry."

Wagyu | (Culinary Term) A breed of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling, and produces a high percentage of oleaginous, unsaturated fat. In its most famous form, Wagyu beef is known as Kobe Beef when it is raised in the Kobe prefecture of Japan.

Cloudy; cloudiness | (Wine Tasting Term) Describes a wine that's visually murky. Cloudiness is considered a defect in young wines and is most often due to faulty winemaking. An older wine with SEDIMENT, though not absolutely clear, should not be confused with a cloudy wine.

Tamarind | (Culinary Term) Also known as Indian date. Tamarind pulp concentrate is popular as a flavoring in East Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. It's used to season full-flavored foods such as chutneys & curries.

Seco [SAY-koh] | (Wine Term) Spanish and Portuguese for DRY. Semiseco means "semi-dry."

Bamboo leaves | (Culinary Term) Used in Asian cooking to wrap ingredients for steaming. They need to be reconstituted before use.

chocolaty; chocolate | (Wine Tasting Term) A rich chocolate aroma and flavor sometimes found in CABERNET SAUVIGNON, ZINFANDELS, and other red wines.

Tempura | (Culinary Term) A Japanese method of cooking vegetables and shellfish. They are coated with a light cornstarch batter and deep-fried.

de primeur [day pree-MUR] | (Wine Term) French term for wine that's sold and drunk young, such as BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU.

Ballottine | (Culinary Term) A dish in which forcemeat is stuffed back into the boneless carcass from which the forcemeat was made. This may include fish, poultry, game birds, or even some cuts of meat. The mixture is wrapped in muslin and poached or braised. These dishes may be served hot or cold.

buttery | (Wine Tasting Term) The smell and, sometimes, flavor of melted butter in a wine, most often used with mature CHARDONNAY. Buttery is also used to describe the golden color of some wines.

Paella | (Culinary Term) A Spanish rice dish originating in the town of Valencia. There is no exact recipe. The only ingredients that are necessary for paella are rice, tomatoes, and saffron. Other ingredients are chicken, chorizo, mussels, squid, peppers, and beans. More elaborate preparations may include shrimp, lobster, or duck.

Pigato [pee-GAH-toh] | (Wine Term) A white-wine grape grown primarily in Italy's LIGURIA region. Pigato, whose name refers to its blotchy (oddly pigmented) skin, is thought to have orginated in Greece. It produces attractive, full-bodied dry wines with floral and peach characteristics.

Bangers | (Culinary Term) British colloquial term for sausages. "Bangers and Mash" are sausages and mashed potatoes.

breed | (Wine Tasting Term) The best and most refined wines, prized for their CHARACTER, COMPLEXITY, and high quality. A wine of breed will have a superior heritage and be made from the best varieties. The French term for breed is race.

Keftedes | (Culinary Term) Fried Greek meatballs. Usually made of veal, lamb, beef, or a combination of the three along with onion, garlic, bread, mint, parsley and red wine.

parent vine | (Wine Term) A grapevine from which a CUTTING to propogate another vine is made.

Baklava [Middle Eastern - Greek] | (Culinary Term) A very sweet dessert made of layers of flaky pastry filled with a mixture of ground nuts (often pistachios) and sugar. The pastry is sliced, baked, and brushed with a honey syrup flavored with lemon or rose water.

bouquet | (Wine Tasting Term) The complex fragrance that develops in a wine through fermentation and aging, specifically bottle aging.

Antipasto | (Culinary Term) Italian for snacks served before a meal - an assortment of cold appetizer.

oaking | (Wine Term) The process of imbuing wine with oak flavors either by barrel AGING, soaking oak chips in the wine, or by inserting special oak staves into stainless steel tanks.

Baguette | (Culinary Term) A long, narrow loaf of French bread, usually with a crispy brown crust and a soft, but chewy interior.

Bite | (Wine Tasting Term) Assertive acid in a wine can give the FINISH a "bite." In rich, full-bodied wine, this can be positive, but overt acid in a lesser wine is a fault.

Bulgogi | (Culinary Term) A popular Korean beef dish. It is made from thinly sliced marinated steak that is cut into thin strips before cooking.

Nu [NEUH] | (Wine Term) French for "naked," which in the wine trade refers to the price of wine without cask or bottles.

Balsamic vinegar | (Culinary Term) A wonderful fragrant vinegar made from the juice of Trebbiano grapes. The juice is then heated and aged in wooden barrels, evaporating and concentrating in flavor. The resulting vinegar is deep rich brown with a sweet and sour flavor. Well aged balsamic vinegars are very costly, some reaching an astronomical $200 an ounce. Most balsamic vinegars found in the US are not "aceto balsamico tradizionale", but an aged balsamic vinegar. These vinegars lack in body and flavor that the well-aged balsamic vinegars possess, yet have a fair sweet and sour balance of flavor not found in any other vinegars.

Big | (Wine Tasting Term) A rich, full-bodied wine that's concentrated and intensely flavored. Such wines are typically high in ALCOHOL but well balanced. The term massive describes exceptionally big wines.

D�gustation | (Culinary Term) French term for any kind of tasting - cheese, wine, etc. (D�gustation menu: Tasting menu).

must | (Wine Term) The juice of freshly crushed grapes that will be FERMENTED into wine. Must can include pulp, skin, and seeds.

Baking soda | (Culinary Term) Also called bicarbonate of soda and sodium bicarbonate is a leavening agent which is used as an essential ingredient in baking powder. When used alone as a leavener, recipes must include some type of acid to neutralize the resulting sodium carbonate in the finished product. Buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, and citrus juice are adequate acid to use. You may also use baking soda to help neutralize the acid in recipes that call for large amounts of fruit.

Aroma | (Wine Tasting Term) In wine parlance, the established definition of aroma is the simple, fruity smell of the grape variety. Today's broader definition combines a wine's varietal fragrance plus any changes that develop during FERMENTATION and AGING. The traditional difference is that a young wine will show its varietal aroma in a more pronounced trinsic fragrance has been replaced by other characteristics-the smell transmutes into a BOUQUET.

Braais [South African] | (Culinary Term) are part of South African life and they are so much more than a barbecue. As well as boerewors, sosaties, pap en sous and roosterbrood, there may be any other kind of meat and fish. Crayfish braais are very popular.

house | (Wine Term) As used in France's CHAMPAGNE region, the word "house" refers to a company (such as Taittinger or Veuve Clicquot) that produces and sells its Champagne under its brand name.

Bobotie [South African] | (Culinary Term) is a traditional Cape Malay dish consisting of a fruity mince curry which is topped with egg custard and lemon or bay leaves, and baked.

Aftertaste | (Wine Tasting Term) The flavor that lingers in the mouth (sometimes detectable in the back of the throat and nasal passages) after a wine is tasted. A long aftertaste is the hallmark of a complex wine.

Bredie [South African] | (Culinary Term) is the Afrikaans term for a stew, usually mutton-based and served with rice. The most popular is tamatie bredie (tomato stew), and the most unusual is waterblommetjiebredie.

mutage [meu-TAZH] | (Wine Term) A French term for the process of stopping FERMENTATION either by using SULFUR DIOXIDE and sterile FILTERING or by adding grape alcohol or brandy. The latter technique is how PORT wines or VINS DOUX NATURELS are made.

Boerewors [South African] | (Culinary Term) is essential at a braai. It is a fatty, spicy beef sausage - there are loads of secret recipes all containing quite exotic spices such as coriander, cumin and others.

acidity; acidic; acid | (Wine Tasting Term) Terms describing levels of ACIDITY in a wine. When acidity is too high, a wine tastes tart and feels slightly harsh and acerbic on the palate; too low and wine tastes dull and flat-FLABBY. High acidity wines are often described as "acidic" or "acid."

koeksuster [South African] | (Culinary Term) is a sweet, syrupy, plaited confectionary not entirely unlike a doughnut but much richer. Great stuff if you have a very sweet tooth and fantastic with strong coffee.

Badisch Rotgold [BAHD-ish ROHT-golt] | (Wine Term) A quality ROSE wine that used to be quite popular in Germany's BADEN region. It's made by combining Rulander (PINOT GRIS) and Spatburgunder (PINOT NOIR) grapes and then PRESSING and FERMENTING them together.

Butternut squashes [South African] | (Culinary Term) are large, gourd-shaped vegetables which are very similar to pumpkins but with brighter orange, more solid flesh and a more intense taste. They are often cooked over the coals at braais or made into lightly curried soups.

Balaton [bah-lah-TAWN] | (Wine Term) Term that refers to Europe's largest lake, Lake Balaton, located in western Hungary. It also refers to the general wine-producing region surrounding the lake. Specific growing districts around Lake Balaton include Badacsony (BADACSONYI) and Balatonfured-Csopak.

Barbera d'Alba DOC [bar-BEH-rah DAHL-bah] | (Wine Term) DOC located in the PIEDMONT region in northwestern Italy near the town of Alba. The wines from this area are regarded as some of the best made from the BARBERA grape. Although they're some of the more robust of the Barberas, they should be drunk within 3 to 4 years of the VINTAGE date.

fructose [FRUHK-tohs; FROOK-tohs] | (Wine Term) One of the two main sugars found in grapes (the other being GLUCOSE). Frucose is approximately twice as sweet as glucose.

Fume Blanc [FOO-may BLAHN; BLAHNGK] | (Wine Term) Term originally coined by the Robert Mondavi Winery and another name for Sauvignon Blanc. Many feel that Mondavi's extensive marketing campaign for it's dry, oaky-aged style of Sauvignon Blanc is what established this variety as California's second most popular white-wine grape after chardonnay.

Barbera d'Asti DOC [bar-BEH-rah DAH-stee] | (Wine Term) Wines produced in Italy's PIEDMONT from the vineyards around the towns of Asti, Alexandria, and Casale Monferrato. These wines are generally regarded as slightly less full-bodied than those from BARBERA D'ALBA, even though both are made from the BARBERA grape. They should be drunk young.

classico [KLA-sih-koh; KLAH-see-koh] | (Wine Term) 1. Italian for "classic." 2. An area within a larger geographic region defined by the Italian classification system (DOC); also the wines from that area. Such a territory is usually the oldest in terms of grape cultivation and wine production and often has the best wines within the larger region. The famous CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG, located within the larger CHIANTI DOCG, is such an area.

cooperage; cooper [KOO-per-ihj] | (Wine Term) 1. The work, as well as the place of business of COOPER, a craftman who makes or repairs BARRELS or CASKS. 2. Cooperage also describes the articles (barrels, ect.) made by a cooper. 3. In wineries, cooperage refers to the wine storage capacity in such containers.

Corvina [kohr-VEE-nuh] | (Wine Term) This Italian red-wine grape is the principal ingredient in the VALPOLICELLA and BARDOLINO wines of the VENETO region. In both of these wines, Corvina is blended with Rondinella and Molinara to produce light-colored, light-BODIED wines that are characterized by a tart, cherry flavor and a slightly bitter almond character. This grape is also called CORVINA VERONESE and CRUNINA.

long-vatted | (Wine Term) A winemaker's term for wine made from grape juice that's had extra vat time with the grape skin during FERMENTATION, the end result of which is a deep red color. SHORT-VATTED wine has spent little time with the grape skin.

Louisiana (USA) | (Wine Term) This southern state has one designated VITICULTURAL AREA, the MISSISSIPPI DELTA AVA, and only four wineries. The wines vary from FRUIT WINES made from blueberries and mayhaw (a small fruit resembling a crab apple) to those made from HYBRIDS like SEYVAL BLANC and VIDAL BLANC. One winery brings in CABERNET SAUVIGNON grapes grown in the TEXAS HIGH PLAINS AVA around Lubbock.

Loupiac AC[loo-PYAHK] | (Wine Term) Sweet white-wine APPELLATION located in France's BORDEAUX region, where it sits on the Garonne River inside the larger PREMIERES COTES DE BORDEAUX AC, directly across from BARSAC. Made from SEMILLON, SAUVIGNON BLANC, and MUSCADELLE, Loupiac wines from SAUTERNES and BARSAC.

Loureiro[loh-RAY-roo] | (Wine Term) Portuguese white-grape variety popular in the VINHO VERDE DOC in northern PORTUGAL. This high yielding, fairly high-ACID grape has a distinctive aroma similar to bay leaves. It's usually blended with Trajadura and sometimes ALVARINHO. In the RIAS BAIXAS DO in northwestern SPAIN, this grape is known as LOUREIRA. In other areas of Portugal, it's called BRANCO, MARQUES, and REDONDO.

Sparkling Burgundy | Wine Term) In France, sparkling Burgundies are always the lower-quality wines-red, white or rose - that are processed by either METHODE CHAMPENOISE or the CHARMAT PROCESS. In the United States, this term usually describes an inexpensive, lower-quality red wine made by the charmat process.

stem retention | (Wine Term) A technique used by some winemakers in the making of red wine (particularly PINOT NOIR) where some of the grape stems are added back into the MUST in order to make the wine richer, as well as more TANNIC and VICOUS. The risk with this process is in making the wine too ASTRINGENT.

mistelle [mees-TEHL] | (Wine Term) French term for grape juice in which FERMENTATION has been stopped by the addition of ALCOHOL. Because only small amounts of the grape sugars have usually been converted to alcohol, mistelle is very sweet. It's used mainly as a base for APERITIFS, particularly VERMOUTH. The Spanish equivalent is MISTELLA or MISTELA.

Vin de garde [van duh GAHRD] | (Wine Term) A French term that means "wine for guarding" or "keeping," referring to a wine with the proper attributes for long AGING. A vin de garde will improve and develop character as it matures.

vineyard designated | (Wine Term) A term indicating that a wine is made with grapes from the specific vineyard named on a wine's label. In the United States, a vineyard name on a label means that 95 percent of the grapes in the wine came from the named vineyard and that the named vineyard is located in the AVA indicated on the label.

weeper | (Wine Term) Term describing a bottle of wine that is leaking slightly (weeping) around the cork. This can be caused by a faulty cork or by poor storage where a cork that wasn't kept moist shrank. Weepers aren't necessarily bad bottles of wine, although it's possible that spoilage could have occurred.

Yvorne [ee-VAWRN] | (Wine Term) A wine named for a village in the CHABLAIS district in Switzerland's VAUD canton. Yvorne wines are produced from CHASSELAS grapes, locally called DORIN. They're known for their ripe fruit and FLINTY character and are considered some of the best of the district.

white wine | (Wine Term) Any wine that's made from light-skinned grapes or from dark-skinned grapes whose juice doesn't contain any extracted color (which happens when the juice is immediately separated from the grape skins, seeds, and pulp). A white wine's hue may range from almost no color to very pale yellow to golden yellow to amber. As white wines age, they tend to darken.

Vila Nova de Gaia [vee-lah noh-vah deh GAH-yah] | (Wine Term) A quaint old town in northen Portugal that sits on the Douro River across from the city of OPORTO. PORT wines have been stored and matured in the LODGES (Warehouses) in Vila Nova de Gaia for over 200 years.

Valpantena [vahl-pahn-TEH-nah] | (Wine Term) A term referring to the Pantena Valley, which lies within the VALPOLICELLA DOC area near Verona in Italy's VENETO region. The name can be used on the label as Valpolicella-Valpantena.

starter | (Wine Term) A term used for YEAST culture added to fresh grape MUST to "start" the FERMENTATION process. Many winemakers use commercially developed yeast culture with specific characteristics to ensure that fermentation proceeds in a desired fashion.

spitzenwein [SHPIHTS-ehn-vine] | (Wine Term) The Austrian term for "top-quality wine."

Spritzer [SPRIHT-ser] | (Wine Term) A tall, chilled drink, customarily made with wine and soda water.

Sori [SOHR-ree] | (Wine Term) Piedmontese for a hill or slope that has the best exposure to the sun and therefore produces riper grapes and the best wines. Sori is often used with the vineyard names, like SORI SAN LORENZO and SORI VIGNA RIUNDAS.

scion [SI-uhn] | (Wine Term) Another name for a cutting taken from a vine and grafted onto a root system from another vine.

cutting(s) | (Wine Term) In the world of VITICULTURE, a cutting refers to a short, woody shoot removed from a grapevine to propogate a new plant through GRAFTING. The plant from which a cutting is taken is called a "parent vine."

Schaumwein [SHOUM-vine] (Wine Term) SCHAUM means "froth" or "foam," and SCHAUMWEIN refers to the lowest category of SPARKLING WINE in GERMANY. The highest category is called QUALITATSCHAUMWEIN and is popularly known as SEKT.

Rhein [RINE] | (Wine Term) The German name for the Rhine River, which appears in many of the country's regional names.

regisseur [ray-zhee-SEUR] | (Wine Term) The manager in charge of a CHATEAU'S vineyard and cellar operations in France's BORDEAUX region.

Les Presuses [lay PREWZ] | (Wine Term) One of the seven GRAND CRU vineyards in CHABLIS. Positioned between BOUGROS and VAUDESIR, Les Preuses consists of just under 29 acres. The land benefits from being higher up the grand cru slope and therefore receiving more sun.

nu [NEUH] | (Wine Term) French for "naked," which in the wine trade refers to the price of wine without cask or bottles.

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