Wine Glossary- C & D
From: The Wall Street Journal
July 18, 2011
Here are some terms that are helpful in understanding wine.
Cava -Spanish sparkling wine.
Chablis - French region (part of Burgundy) making special, seafood-friendly wines from Chardonnay. Used in U.S. to mean “cheap, generic white.”
Champagne - French region making the world’s best sparkling wine from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay grapes.
Chardonnay - Great white grape of Burgundy. No. 1 “varietal” wine in America.
Chenin Blanc - Fine grape for dry and sweet wines. Sometimes used in U.S. to mean “cheap white,” but sometimes a fine varietal.
Chile - Up-and-coming wine exporter best-known for value-priced Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Classification of 1855 - Famous ranking of Bordeaux wine by “growth” — based on quality, price and politics — that’s still important today.
Corked - Wine that’s tainted by a bad cork. Tends to smell like wet cardboard or a wet dog.
Cult Wine - Symbol of ’90s bubble. Hard-to-find, excellent, very expensive and generally red California wines more often bought and sold than drunk.
Disgorge - Process in Champagne in which the sediment is popped out of the bottle before the final cork is inserted.
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) - Italian symbol of highest quality, though it can be hit-or-miss.
Dom Perignon - Monk important in early Champagne-making, though he didn’t really “invent” Champagne. Also the name of a fine, expensive Champagne.
Duboeuf, Georges - French winemaker and brilliant marketer who did much to popularize Beaujolais Nouveau around the world.
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