The Wine Awards by Cosmo Middle East and MMI Dubai returns for its second edition this month.
Cosmo will celebrate the winning wines on Tuesday February 13 at ICD Brookfield Place’s Josette.
Ahead of the winners being revealed Cosmo ME is on a mission to help readers brush up on their wine knowledge, we started with the ultimate do’s and don’ts and now we are presenting a wine glossary.
Get ready to show off on your next night out with the girls, as once you learn the A-Z of wine drinking you’ll sound like a sommelier.
Aeration: When you open a bottle of wine, the aeration process begins. Oxygen helps sulphites and ethanol evaporate, which enhances the wine’s flavours and aromas.
Acidity: An important component of wine, acidity provides a crisp sensation that stimulates salivation and leaves you wanting more.
Aged: Aged wine is a wine that has been stored in a cool, dark place for several years after being bottled.
Alcohol percentage: The alcohol content of a bottle of wine is expressed as a percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV).
Aroma: The aroma is the smell of the wine. It can be citrusy, floral, earthy, fruity, or have other familiar scents, depending on the grape variety and the fermentation process.
Bouquet: A term used to describe the complex wine aromas such as leather, caramel, smoke, and roasted almonds, that develop during the maturing or ageing process.
Breathing: Also known as aeration, breathing is the process of exposing the wine to air to enhance its flavour. The duration of this process varies depending on the type of wine.
Corked: A wine is considered “corked” when it’s been contaminated with cork taint. You can recognize it easily by its musty, mouldy, or wet cardboard smell instead of a floral or fruity aroma.
Fruity: A fruity wine is made solely from grapes, but has a strong, predominant aroma of fruit.
Full-bodied: Full-bodied is a term that refers to a wine that has a rich, complex, well-rounded flavour that lingers in the mouth.
Sommelier: A trained and knowledgeable wine professional who specializes in the study and service of wine.
Vintage: Refers to the years in which the grapes have been harvested. This information is found on the label.
Wine legs: A term used to describe the droplets that form on the inside of a glass of wine after it has been swirled and then resettled to the bottom. These droplets are also known as “wine tears” or “cathedral arches” and can indicate some of the wine’s structural characteristics, but not necessarily its quality.
Nose: Term used to refer to the various aromas and scents that can be detected in wine.
Fermentation: A complex, multi-stage process to transform grape juice into wine.
Brix: The measure used to estimate the ripeness of grapes before harvest and the sugar content in the fermenting wine.
Wine pairing: The art of wine pairing consists of selecting a wine that enhances the flavours of your food.
Finish: A term used to describe the lasting impression that the wine leaves on the palate.
Decanting: Decanting is the process of pouring wine into a new container, taking care not to disturb the sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
Appellation: An appellation is a legally defined and protected area, often used in relation to the geographical origin of wine grapes.
Bordeaux: Red wine produced in the Gironde region, southwest of France, around the city of Bordeaux.
Brut: Term used to refer to a very dry, crisp and refreshing sparkling wine.
Cava: High-quality Spanish sparkling wine made through a similar process as Champagne, but with a different variety of grapes.
Champagne: Sparkling wine produced according to specific rules in the Champagne region of France.
Chardonnay: A white grape variety originating from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, and now widely planted around the world.
Dessert wine: Usually sweet, with a higher alcohol content than others, and typically served post-meal.
Merlot: A variety of black wine grapes originated from the Bordeaux region in France that makes one of the world’s most popular wines!
New World Wine: Refers to wines produced outside the traditional wine-growing countries of Europe and the Middle East.
Old World Wine: Wines produced in European and Middle-Eastern countries where winemaking is believed to have originated.
Pinot: Pinot grapes produce three types of wine. Pinot Noir (black), Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc (white).
Red wine: Wine made with the pulp and skin of dark types of grapes.
White wine: Wine produced by fermenting the pulp of grapes (no matter their skin colour), without skin contact.
Rosé wine: To produce rosé wine, the pulp of red grapes needs to be macerated with their skins for a few hours, or by skilfully mixing red and white wine.
Sparkling wine: Wine with a significant level of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy.
Table wine: Wine of average quality and low alcohol content, considered suitable for drinking with meals daily.
Zinfandel: Red wine made of the Zinfandel dark-skinned variety of grapes, mainly grown in California.