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Grassy
Tasting term indicating a wine with the smell of freshly-cut grass.
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Green
Tasting term indicating a lack of ripeness, particular in red wine.
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Grey rot
Undesirable form
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Hard
Tasting term indicating a wine
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Herbaceous
Tasting term used to indicate the smell
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Hogshead
Barrel, usually of about 300
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Hybrid
Vine variety produced by crossing two parents of different species, normally with a view to achieving earlier ripening or improved disease resistance.
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IGT Indicazione geografica tipica
Italy wine designation, roughly equivalent to French Vin de Pays.
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Jug wine
Ordinary quaffing wine (of the type that might be served in a jug),
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Kabinett (Ger.)
German and Austrian quality wine designation, the base level in the QmP Pradikat system.
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Kir
Drink made by mixing white wine with a little blackcurrant liqueur.
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Legs
Tasting term used to describe the pattern formed when drops of wine trickle down the inside of the glass after the wine has been swirled.
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Liqueur de tirage (Fr.).
Mixture of wine, sugar and yeast, added to the base wine to induce the second,
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Liqueur d’expedition (Fr.)
Mixture of wine and sugar added to Champagne
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MA (Marque auxillire)
Champagne label term, indicating the name of the wine does not belong to the producer (for example on supermarket own-label Champagne).
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Maceration
Process of steeping grape skins in their juice, to extract flavour and, in the case of reds, colour and tannin.
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Maderized
Tasting term used to indicate a wine that has become over-mature,
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Musky
Tasting term used to indicate a floral, perfumed aroma,
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Musty
Tasting term used to indicate a stale,
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Nebuchadnezza
Bottle of 15 litres capacity, equivalent to 20 normal (75cl) bottles
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Negociant (Fr.)
(Wine)
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Negociant-manipulant
See
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NM (Negociant-manipulant)
Champagne label term, indicating that the wine was produced and sold by the same company.
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Noble rot
Anglo-saxon term for pourriture noble, or botrytis,
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Non-vintage
Wine with no specified vintage
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Nose
Tasting term used to indicate the aroma
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Nouveau (Fr.)
New. Wine sold very soon after the vintage, typically in November.
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NV
See
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Oak
Family of trees much associated with wine.
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Oaky
Tasting term indicating the presence of oak flavour on the nose or palate, typically a smell of freshly sawn wood, or vanilla.
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Oechsle
Widely used German scale
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Oenologist
Qualified