C

California cult wines
Certain California wines for which consumers and others pay higher prices than those of Bordeaux’s First Growths (Premiers Crus).
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety of red grape mainly used for wine production, and is, along with Chardonnay, one of the most widely-planted of the world’s noble grape varieties.
Capsule
The plastic or foil that covers the cork and part of the neck of a wine bottle.
Carbonic maceration
A winemaking practice of fermenting whole grapes that have not been crushed.
Cellaring
To age wine for the purpose of improvement or storage. Cellaring may occur in any area which is cool (12-15°C), dark, free from drastic temperature change, and free from vibrations. Bottled wines are typically cellared on their sides.
Champagne flute
A piece of stemware having a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top.
Chaptalization
A winemaking process where sugar is added to the must to increase the alcohol content in the fermented wine. This is often done when grapes have not ripened adequately.
Chardonnay
A type of wine, one of the “noble” white varietals.
Charmat process
The Charmat or bulk process is a method where sparkling wines receive their secondary fermentation in large tanks, rather than individual bottles as seen in Méthode champenoise.
Château
Generally a winery in Bordeaux, although the term is sometimes used for wineries in other parts of the world, such as the Barossa Valley.
Claret
British name for Bordeaux wine. Is also a semi-generic term for a red wine in similar style to that of Bordeaux.
Clarification
A winemaking process involving the fining and filtration of wine to remove suspended solids and reduce turbidity.
Cleanskin
In Australia, wine bottled without a commercial label, usually sold cheaply in bulk quantities.
Cold Duck
A mixture of red and white sparkling wine that has a high sugar content.
Cold stabilization
A winemaking process where wine is chilled to near freezing temperatures for several weeks to encourage the precipitation of tartrate crystals.
Cork
A wine bottle stopper made from the thick outer bark of the cork oak tree.
Corked
A tasting term for a wine that has cork taint.
Corkscrew
A tool, comprising a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle, for drawing Corks from bottles.
Cork taint
A type of wine fault describing undesirable aromas and flavours in wine often attributed to mould growth on chlorine bleached corks.
Country wine
See “Fruit wine”.
Crackling
Semi-sparkling wine; slightly effervescent. Also called frizzante.
Crémant
French sparkling wine not made in Champagne region.
Crust
Sediment, generally potassium bitartrate, that adheres to the inside of a wine bottle.
Cult wines
Wines for which committed buyers will pay large sums of money because of their desirbility and rarity.
Cuve
A large vat used for fermentation.
Cuvee
The pressing, or a blending of several wines.

D

Decanting
The process of pouring wine from its bottle into a decanter to separate the sediment from the wine.
Dégorgement
The disgorging or removal of sediment from bottles that results from secondary fermentation.
Demi-sec
Moderately sweet to medium sweet sparkling wines.
Devatting
The process of separeting red must from pomace, which can happen before or after fermentation.
Dessert wine
Varies by region. In the UK, a very sweet, low alcohol wine. In the US by law, any wine containing over 15% alcohol.
Diurnal temperature variation
The degree of temperature variation that occurs in a wine region from daytime to night.
DO
1. The abbreviation for Denominacion de Origen, or “place name.” This is Spain‘s designation for wines whose name, origin of grapes, grape varieties and other important factors are regulated by law.
2. The abbreviation for dissolved oxygen, the degree of oxygen saturation in a wine, which strongly affects oxidation of the wine and its ageing properties.
DOC
The abbreviation for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or “controlled place name.” This is Italy‘s designation for wine whose name, origin of grapes, grape varieties and other important factors are regulated by law. It is also the abbreviation for Portugal‘s highest wine category, which has the same meaning in that country.
DOCG
The abbreviation for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or controlled and guaranteed place name, which is the category for the highest-ranking wine in Italy.
Doux
The French word for sweet. Usually refers to the sweetest category of sparkling wines.
Drawing off
see Devatting.
Drip dickey
A wine accessory that slips over the neck of a wine bottle and absorbs any drips that may run down the bottle after pouring – preventing stains to table cloths, counter tops or other surfaces.
Dry
Wines with zero or very low levels of residual sugar. The opposite of sweet, except in sparkling wines, where dry means sweet.

E

Eiswein
German for ice wine, a dessert wine made from frozen grapes.
en Tirage
French for “in pulling“, refers to the period of time in which bottled sparkling wine is rested in contact with lees generated during secondary fermentation. Part of the M?thode Champenoise process.
Enology
American English spelling of oenology, the study of wine.
Estate winery
A United States winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site, sometimes known as a Farm winery.
Extra dry
A champagne or sparkling wine with a small amount of residual sugar (slightly sweet). Not as dry as Brut.