GENERAL WINE TERMS
Other glossaries available here
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Blanc de Blancs |
French term (white from white)-white wine made from white grapes (i.e. most white wine). |
| Blanc de Noirs |
French term (white from black)-white wine made from black grapes. Particularly used for Champagne made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (with no Chardonnay). |
| Blanco |
Spanish term for white. |
| Bleichert |
German term for Rose wine. |
| Blush |
U.S. term for pink wine. |
| Bocksbeutel |
German term for squatty, flagon-shaped bottle used for wines from Franken and sometimes north Baden. |
| Bodega |
Spanish term for wine-making cellar, winery. |
| Body |
Tasting term used to indicate the weight of the wine in the mouth. |
| Bordeaux Mixture |
Copper-based spray used to treat vines against disease. |
| Botrytis |
Fungus which attacks grapes. Essential for the finest sweet whites, where the fungus ('noble rot') allows water to evaporate from the berries leading to a concentration in sugar content. Otherwise undesirable. |
| Botte |
Italian term for large barrel. |
| Bottle Age |
Period that a wine has spent ageing in bottle, which may be months, years or decades. See 'ageing'. |
| Bottle Fermented |
Sparkling wine in which the second, bubble-forming fermentation took place in bottle (rather than in tank). Always the case for Champagne. The term is found on labels of other quality sparkling wines. |
| Bottle Sickness, Stink |
Disagreeable smell or taste sometimes found in wine immediately after it is bottled. Should disappear rapidly. |
| Bouquet |
Tasting term used to indicate the smells that develop with ageing. |
