Wine vocabulary

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AEROBIC FERMENTATION: A fermentation conducted in the presence of air. Usually the
first part of the fermentation process.

ANAEROBIC FERMENTATION: A fermentation from which air is excluded; the second part
of the fermentation process.

BODY: The fullness of a wine.

CAMPDEN TABLETS: Useful in winemaking for various sterilisation or purification purposes.
They supply sulphur dioxide in convenient form.

CARBON DIOXIDE: The colourless, odourless gas given off by a fermenting liquor.

DRY: A wine is said to be dry when all the sugar in it has been used up by the fermentation: it is
also said to have "fermented right out"

FERMENTING (or "working"): The process brought about by yeast acting upon sugar to
produce alcohol and carbon dioxide,

FERMENTATION TRAP (or Am LOCK): A little gadget used to protect the fermentation
from Infection by the vinegar fly. Also called a "bubbler."

FINING: Removing suspended solids from a cloudy wine by filtering or adding wine finings.
FLOGGER: A wooden tool for banging corks home.

FORTIFICATION: Increasing the strength of wine beyond that possible by natural
fermentation by adding spirit.

HYDROMETER: An instrument for measuring the weight (or sugar content) of a liquid.

HYDROMETER JAR: The jar in which a hydrometer is floated for a reading to be taken.

JELLY-BAG: For straining wines thoroughly.

LEES: The deposit of yeast and solids formed during fermentation.

LIQUOR: The unfermented, sugar-containing liquid which will eventually be wine.

MALO-LACTIC FERMENTATION: See p. 36.

MUST: The pulp or combination of basic ingredients from which a wine is made.

NUTRIENT: Nitrogenous matter added to the liquor to boost the action of the yeast; yeast food.

PROOF: Proof spirit contains 57.1% alcohol. 70 deg. proof really means 70% of proof spirit.
Thus ordinary proprietary bottles of spirit will contain only 40% alcohol by volume

RACKING: Siphoning the wine off the lees to clear and stabilise it.

STABLE: A wine is said to be stable when there is no danger of further fermentation.

STOPPER: A cork or polythene bottle closure with a projecting cap.

VINEGAR: Wine which has "gone wrong."

VINEGAR FLY: The winemaker's biggest enemy. If a vinegar . fly gets at your wine it may turn
to vinegar.