Glossary

Aging in new oak barrels will add lots of oak flavours to the wine. This can add complexity of the wine.

French laws covering the use of Appellation Controlee names rarely permit the naming of grape varieties. It is a French geographical indication for wines.

In a good quality wine, the sweetness and the fruitiness will be in balance with the tannin and acidity.

It is a ‘mouth-feel’ of richness, weight or viscosity. This is contributed by a combination of tannins, sugars, flavour compounds extracted from the grape skins, and effects of alcohol.

A black grape variety that gives deeply coloured wine that has lots of tannin and acidity, and strong aromas. Because of these characteristic, it is a good variety for making wines that age well.

A Chateau name indicates that the wine has been made from a defined piece of land, rather than being assembled from bought-in wines. And it is one of the indicators of a premium quality wine of Bordeaux.

A rank of Bordeaux chateau, below Grand Cru Classe.

Grand cru is a regional wine classification in France that designates a vineyard known for its favorable reputation in producing wine. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, selected vineyards were classified into first growth to fifth growth.

A balanced, pleasant finish where the flavours linger is an indicator of a high quality wine.

A black grape variety that gives wines with less intense flavours and lighter tannins and acidity than Cabernet Sauvignon.

It is an indicator of how much sugar a wine contains. Very ripe grapes can have a slightly sweet flavour.

Soft, ripe tannins contribute to the viscosity and body of the wine. It is present in graph skins. Thick-skinned grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah) have much high tannin level. Wines with high level of tannin go well with roast meats, stews and steaks.

These regions produce large quantities of inexpensive wines.

This is the year in which the grapes were harvested.