Wine glossary

What do DOCG, bâtonnage or residual sugar mean? Here we explain the words you meet on wine labels and in wine descriptions, briefly and plainly.

Fields on the wine page

Acidity: Acidity is the amount of acid in the wine, given in grams per litre, and it is what gives the wine freshness and structure on the palate.
Ageing potential: Ageing potential states how long a wine can develop or hold in the bottle before it passes its peak, usually given in years.
Alcohol content: Alcohol content is the share of the wine's volume that is alcohol, given as a percentage; most wines are between 11 and 15 per cent.
Classification: Classification is the official designation a wine may carry, such as DOCG or AOP, showing where the wine comes from and which rules it follows.
Closure: The closure is what seals the bottle, such as natural cork, screw cap or glass stopper, and it affects how the wine develops in the bottle.
Colour: Colour describes the hue and intensity of a wine in the glass, such as lemon, gold, ruby or garnet, and hints at grape, method and age.
Fermentation: Fermentation is the process in which yeast turns grape sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide; the field often shows the vessel and yeast used.
Food pairing: Food pairing states which dishes a wine suits, based on how its acidity, sweetness, tannin and body meet the flavours of the food.
Harvest: Harvest describes how and when the grapes were picked, by hand or by machine, and its timing decides the grapes' sugar, acidity and ripeness.
pH value: The pH value measures how strong the acidity in a wine is; most wines are between pH 3.0 and 3.8, and the lower the value, the sharper the acidity.
Residual sugar: Residual sugar is the grape sugar left in the wine after fermentation, in grams per litre; up to 4 g/l a wine counts as dry.
Serving temperature: Serving temperature is the temperature at which a wine shows best; often 6–8 °C for sparkling, 8–12 °C for white and 15–18 °C for full-bodied red.
Soil: Soil is the ground the vines grow in, such as limestone, clay, granite or slate, and it affects how the vine gets water and warmth.
Storage: Storage describes how and for how long the wine matured before bottling, for example in oak barrels, stainless steel or amphora.
Sulphites: Sulphites are sulphur compounds that protect wine from oxidation and bacteria; in the EU the label must say ‘contains sulphites’ above 10 mg/l.
Sweetness: Sweetness states how sweet a wine is, in categories such as dry, medium dry, medium sweet and sweet, based on the wine's residual sugar.
Terroir: Terroir is the full set of a vineyard's natural conditions, such as soil, climate, aspect and slope, together with the traditions that shape wine there.

Classifications

AOC: AOC, Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, is France's protected designation of origin: the wine comes from a defined area and follows its rules.
AOP: AOP, Appellation d'Origine Protégée, is the EU name for a protected designation of origin in France and in practice means the same as AOC.
DAC: DAC, Districtus Austriae Controllatus, is Austria's system of designations of origin, in which a wine must be typical of its area and its grapes.
DO: DO, Denominación de Origen, is Spain's most common protected designation of origin: the wine comes from a defined area and follows its rules.
DOC: DOC is a protected designation of origin in Italy and Portugal: the wine comes from a defined area and follows its rules on grapes and yields.
DOCa: DOCa, Denominación de Origen Calificada, is Spain's highest designation of origin, held only by Rioja and Priorat.
DOCG: DOCG is Italy's highest designation of origin, with stricter rules than DOC and an official check before the wine may be sold.
DOP: DOP is the EU's protected designation of origin in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, covering national levels such as DOC, DOCG, DO and DOCa.
IGP: IGP is the EU's protected geographical indication: the wine comes from a stated area but follows looser rules than a designation of origin like AOP.
IGT: IGT is Italy's protected geographical indication: the wine comes from a stated region but follows looser rules than DOC and DOCG.
Landwein: Landwein is the protected geographical indication of Germany and Austria: wine from a larger named area, with looser rules than Qualitätswein.
Prädikatswein: Prädikatswein is the German and Austrian quality level where the grapes' ripeness at harvest earns the wine a Prädikat, from Kabinett to Trockenbeerenauslese.
Qualitätswein: Qualitätswein is German and Austrian quality wine from a named wine region that has passed an official analysis and tasting.
Vin de France: Vin de France is French wine without a geographical indication: the grapes may come from anywhere in France and the rules are the loosest in the system.
Vino de la Tierra: Vino de la Tierra is Spain's protected geographical indication: the wine comes from a stated area but follows looser rules than a DO.

Closures

Glass stopper: A glass stopper is a glass plug with a sealing ring that closes the bottle with no risk of cork taint and can be put back after opening.
Natural cork: Natural cork is a stopper punched from the bark of the cork oak; the traditional closure, letting very small amounts of oxygen into the bottle.
Screw cap: A screw cap is an aluminium cap with a sealing liner that keeps the wine fresh and carries no risk of cork taint.

Barrels and vessels

Amphora: An amphora is a clay vessel in which wine ferments or ages; the clay breathes slightly and gives the wine texture without adding wood flavour.
New oak: New oak means oak barrels used for the first time; they give the wine clear notes of vanilla, toast and spice and extra tannin.
Old oak: Old oak means oak barrels that have been used before; they give the wine oxygen and softness without the barrel flavour taking over.
Stainless steel: Stainless steel means the wine was fermented or aged in a steel tank, an airtight, neutral vessel that keeps fresh fruit and gives a clean wine.

Methods

Bâtonnage: Bâtonnage means stirring the lees in the barrel or tank during ageing, giving the wine more body and a creamier texture.
Filtration: Filtration means the wine passed through a filter before bottling, removing yeast, bacteria and particles to make it clear and stable.
Hand-picked: Hand-picked means the grapes were harvested by hand, making it possible to select healthy, ripe bunches and keep them whole.
Skin contact: Skin contact means the grape skins were left in the juice or wine for a time, giving colour, tannin and aroma from the skins.
Spontaneous fermentation: Spontaneous fermentation means the wine was fermented by the wild yeasts found naturally on the grapes and in the cellar, not by added cultured yeast.
Unfiltered: Unfiltered means the wine was bottled without passing through a filter, which can leave a slight haze or sediment in the bottle.

Styles

Biodynamic: Biodynamic wine comes from organic farming that treats the estate as a whole, with its own preparations and a planting calendar, often certified by Demeter.
Natural wine: Natural wine is wine made with as little intervention as possible: organic grapes, wild yeast, no additives and little or no added sulphur.
Orange wine: Orange wine is white wine fermented with its grape skins, the way red wine is made, which gives an amber colour, tannin and more texture.
Organic: Organic wine is made from grapes grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers and produced under the EU rules for organic production.
Vegan: Vegan wine is made without animal products, for example without fining agents such as gelatine, casein, egg white or isinglass.