Understand Wine Terms:
Balance to Bunghole defined and explained.
- Balance — a term for when the elements of wine – acids, sugars, tannins, and alcohol – come together in a harmonious way
- Barrel — the oak container used for fermenting and aging wine
- Barrique — a 225-liter oak barrel used originally for storing and aging wines, originating in Bordeaux
- Bitter — a taste sensation that is sensed on the back of the tongue and caused by tannins
- Blend — a wine made from more than one grape varietal
- Body — a tactile sensation describing the weight and fullness of wine in the mouth. Wine can be light, medium, or full-bodied.
- Bordeaux — the area in Southwest France, considered one of the greatest wine-producing regions in the world. See French wine regions.
- Botrytis — a beneficial mold that pierces the skin of grapes and causes dehydration, resulting in natural grape juice exceptionally high in sugar. Botrytis is largely responsible for the world’s finest dessert wines. (see “noble rot”)
- Bouquet — a term that refers to the complex aromas in aged wines
- Breathing — exposing the wine to oxygen to improve its flavors (see “aeration”)
- Brettanomyces — a wine-spoiling yeast that produces barnyard, mousy, metallic, or bandaid-ish aromas
- Brilliant — a tasting note for wines that appear sparkling clear
- Brut — french term denoting dry champagnes or sparkling wines
- Bung — the plug used to seal a wine barrel
- Bunghole — the opening in a cask in which wine can be put in or taken out
Credit source: Wine School & Glossary by Vinology
Understanding Balance in Wine?
…Balance – a term for when the elements of wine – acids, sugars, tannins, and alcohol – come together in a harmonious way.”
