Wine dictionary

Altitude: height with respect to sea level. At higher altitude higher quality. The vineyards of Grandes Vinos are located between 320 and 850 meters above sea level, rooted in a very unique terrain.

Astringency: sensation that is perceived in the mouth when tasting a wine and that refers to dryness and roughness that the tannins give off. An excess of tannins in the wine gives us the feeling that it is chewed, rather than drunk.

Balanced: it is said of wine that, both in the mouth and nose, is harmonious in its proportions and has no defects.

Bitartrate or potassium bitartrate, also known as “cream of tartar”, it is a salt derived from tartaric acid that forms the wine’s crystals.

Bouquet: A French word used in wine slang to refer to the sensations of aroma and taste that occur in a wine during its aging. Like the aroma, the bouquet may be primary (grape), secondary (fermentation) or tertiary (aging).

Caudalie: unit of measure in the tasting that corresponds to a minute of persistence in the mouth.

Decant: action of pouring a wine on another container, which can be a decanter, name given to the specific jug used for this purpose. The purpose of decantation is to separate the sediments from the wine that may be in the bottle and to aerate the wine to facilitate the expression of its qualities and aromas.

Fermentation: key biological process in the creation of wine produced by microorganisms. There are two types of fermentation: alcoholic, by which the must´s sugar is converted into alcohol by the action of yeast; and malolactic, also known as second fermentation, whereby the malic acid present in the wine is transformed into lactic acid, which is softer, by the action of bacteria.

Must: it is the juice of the grape without fermenting. The must can be flower or yolk, which is extracted with the simple crushing of the grape, without any mechanical pressure or press must, obtained when we start to make a stronger pressure with the press until we get the skin without liquid.

Retronasal: persistence of the aroma of a wine while it is in the mouth and after having ingested it. It is due to the action of the volatile particles of some wines, rather consistent, as they pass through our nostrils and larynx.

Sommelier: word of French origin that means a person who is in charge of the liquor service. In the wine sector, he is the wine expert who can advise us on which wine to choose according to our preferences and the food we are going to eat.