|
Cabinet |
See Kabinett |
|
Calcareous |
Lime-rich. |
|
Cantina |
Italian for wine cellar or
wine store. |
|
Cantina Sociale |
An Italian term for a
cooperative winery. |
|
Carbonic Maceration |
The process of filling a
vat with uncrushed grapes, where the grapes at
the bottom of the vat are gradually crushed
under pressure from the top grapes. Juice is
released from the bottom grapes and begins to
ferment. This fermentation releases carbon
dioxide, which causes the uncrushed top grapes
to ferment within their skins. This process is
commonly used with young fruity wines with low
tannins such as Beaujolais Nouveau. |
|
|
|
Casa Vinicola |
An Italian term used for
wine firm. |
|
Cava |
A Spanish sparkling wine
made by the traditional method, similar to
Champagne. Cava is produced primarily in the
Penedès region of Spain and is made from Xarel-lo,
Parellada and Macabeo grapes. |
|
Cave |
French for cellar, but
used regularly for an underground wine storage
facility. |
|
Cellar |
A wine storage area,
historically underground, but now located in a
temperature-controlled room. |
|
Centrifuge |
An apparatus consisting of
a compartment spun about a central axis to
separate contained materials. Used to separate
yeast cells from a wine before fermentation is
complete. |
|
Chai |
A French term describing a
cellar in which wine is stored and aged. |
|
Chaptalization |
Named after Dr. Chaptal,
who developed this process of manually adding
sugar to a wine before or during the
fermentation process to increase the wine's
alcohol level. This technique is practiced in
cooler regions and for poor vintages, and is
banned in most hot regions. |
|
Charmat |
Frenchman Eugène Charmat
developed the Charmat process, a bulk method for
producing sparkling wines which involves faster
and less expensive production techniques. |
|
Château |
French for castle, but
used more to refer to a wine estate or farm.
Primarily used in the Bordeaux region of France. |
|
Chiaretto |
A light, pale red Italian
wine. |
|
Cinquième Cru |
A French term meaning
fifth growth, a Médoc category specified in the
Classification of 1855. |
|
Claret |
Originates from the French
clairet, meaning light red wine. Used in the
English language to signify a dry red wine from
Bordeaux. |
|
Clarity |
Used to describe the a
wine that is not hazy or murky, but visually
clear. |
|
Classico |
An Italian term used to
describe the central production area of a DOC
wine. |
|
Clavelin |
A short, squat 62
centiliter bottle traditionally used for the
wines of Jura, France, and more specifically Vin
Jaune. |
|
Clos |
A French term meaning
enclosed, but more specifically a walled
vineyard. |
|
Colheita |
Portuguese for vintage. |
|
Complexity |
Describes a wine with
multiple layers of flavors and bouquet that are
well balanced. A common attribute of a classic
wine. |
|
Concentration |
The process of removing
water from the must of a grape before
fermentation to produce a more concentrated
fruit flavor. |
|
Consorzio |
An Italian vinegrowers
association. |
|
Copita |
A tulip-shaped glass glass
that is ideal for drinking Sherry. |
|
Corkage |
The fee charged by a
restaurant to open a bottle of wine brought into
the restaurant by a patron. |
|
Cosecha |
Spanish for vintage. |
|
Coulure |
The non-pollination of
vine blossoms, often caused by cold or wet
weather at the time of flowering. |
|
Cream Sherry |
A style of Sherry made by
sweeting an Oloroso with large amounts of Pedro
Ximénez. |
|
Crémant |
A French term for a
moderately-sparkling wine; less sparkling than
Champagne, but more than a pétillant wine. Used
for French sparkling wines produced outside of
the Champagne region in the méthode champenoise. |
|
Crianza |
A Spanish wine aged a
minimum of 2 years after harvest, with at least
6 months storage in oak. Each DO has its own
specifications that must be fulfilled to use
this term. |
|
Cru |
Literally translated from
French as growth. Refers to the quality level of
land plots. |
|
Cru Classé |
A French term for class
growth, which is used to categorize the quality
of producers. Refer to the 1855 Bordeaux
Classification System. |
|
Cryo-extraction |
Force-freezing grapes to
extract sweeter concentrated juice. |
|
Cuvaison |
The maceration of the
grape skins during fermentation of red wine in
order to transfer aroma, color, and tannin to
the wine. |
|
Cuve |
French for vat or tank. |
|
Cuve Close |
See Charmat |
|
Cuvée |
A French term used for
blend, particularly used in the production of
Champagne. |
|
Cuvier |
The building within a
château where the wine is made. |
