Habersham Wine Dictionary

Edelfäule (Ay-del-foy-leh) - "Noble rot" in German; see "botrytis."

Egrappage (Eh-grah-pahj) - process of removing the grapes from their stems prior to pressing or fermentation

Einzellage (EYE'N-tzel-lah-geh) - Single vineyard, in German.

Eiswein (ICE-wine) - Just as it sounds in English, wine made from late-harvested grapes allowed to freeze on the vine, concentrating the sugars. Originated in Germany, also becoming a star attraction of the Ontario, Canada, wine region.

Erzeugerabfüllung (AIR-tsoy-gur-AHB-few-loong) - "Estate bottled" under German wine law.

Estate Bottling - process where vineyard owners bottle the unblended product of their vines; can be an indication of high-quality

Faugères (Fow-ZHER) - Languedoc region and the red wine made there.

Fendant (FaN-daN) - Swiss dry white wine made from the Chasselas grape.

Fermentation - process by which sugar is transformed into alcohol

Fermentation (Malo Lactic) - secondary fermentation that releases additional carbon dioxide and tends to make wines less harsh

Fiano (Fee-YAN-o) - southern Italian white wine grape that shows promising aging potential

Fillette (Fee-yet) - French term describing a half-bottle of wine

Fino (Fee-noe) - Sherry in a dry, light-bodied style.

Fleurie (Fluh-ree) - town in Beaujolais France famous for its fruity red wine

Fortified - British term for wines in which spirits have been added before bottling to increase alcohol content

French Colombard (Cole-um-bar) - Productive white-wine grape used primarily in California's Central Valley to make cheap, neutral jug wines.

Frizzante (Free-DZAHN-tay) - Slightly sparkling, in Italian wine. Similar to the French "Pétillant."

Fumé Blanc (Foo-may BlahN) - U.S. synonym for Sauvignon Blanc, invented by Robert Mondavi during the 1970s as a marketing ploy and widely imitated. Originally denoted a dry style, but any past distinction between Fumé and Sauvignon is lost.

Furmint (FOOR-mint) - Hungarian white-wine grape, used to make the renowned dessert wine Tokay (which see).

Gamay (Gam-may) - Red-wine grape of Beaujolais, a light, fresh and fruity red wine from the region of the same name in Southern Burgundy, France. Source of some confusion, as the grape grown in California as "Gamay Beaujolais" is actually a clone of Pinot Noir, while the California grape known as "Napa Gamay" is probably Valdiguié.

Garganega - white grape used to make Soave wines in Veneto; produces wines that are fruity, crisp, and round

Garnacha (Gahr-NAH-cha) - Spanish for "Grenache," a red-wine grape.

Gattinara (Gaht-tee-NAH-rah) - Excellent red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape in Northwestern Italy's Piemonte region.

Ga vi (Gah-vee) - dry Italian white wine produced in a town of the same name

Gewürztraminer (Geh-VERTZ-trah-mee-nur) - White wine grape best-known in Alsace, Germany, the U.S. West Coast and New York; the tongue-twisting name has been jokingly suggested as a good one to use in field sobriety testing. Highly aromatic, makes wines (often off-dry to sweet, though less so in Alsace) with much concentration, although the alleged "spice" (literal translation of the German "Gewurz") may be hard to find.

Gigondas (Jhe-gone-dah) - red or rose wine produced in the French village of the same name

Grand Cru, Grand Cru Classé (GrahN Crew Clah-say) - "Great growth" or "great classed growth." In France, legal terms for specific vineyards identified as historically producers of exceptional wine.

Gras (Grah) - French term describing soft, full wines with a fair amount of glycerine

Graves (Grahv) - Sub-region of Bordeaux, named for its gravelly soil, known for both red wines and Bordeaux's most classic dry, racy whites made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

Grenache (Gray-NAHSH) - Red-wine grape commonplace in Languedoc and the Rhone, also California and, as Garnacha, in Spain. Typically makes hearty, peppery wines.

Grosslage (GROSS-lah-geh) - Literally "large vineyard," a German wine-law designation for a group of individual vineyards whose fruit may be assembled into a wine sold under the Grosslage name.

Gruner Veltliner (GREW-ner Felt-LEE-ner) - Excellent Austrian grape, producing light but crisp and racy dry white wines.

Halbtrocken (HALP-trock-en) - "Half-dry" in German; wines intentionally made with less than the typical amount of residual sugar. See also "Trocken."

Haut (O) - French for "high" (regarding wine growing altitudes)

Haut-Médoc (Oh May-dawk) - Major subdivision of the Médoc region of Bordeaux, and source of many of its greatest red wines.

Hectare (Hec-tar) - metric measure of an area equal to 10,000 square meters (often used in France to describe vineyard size)

Hermitage (Air-mee-tahj) - One of the top wines of the Rhone, usually red (made from Syrah grapes) but also white, allegedly created by a Crusader who returned from the Holy Land bearing Syrah vines and declaring that his days of war were behind him and that this vineyard would be his hermitage. Also, pronounced in English ("HER-muh-taj") the long-time name of Grange Hermitage, one of Australia's most noteworthy reds; but the "Hermitage" was dropped around 1990 to satisfy European import criteria.

Insolia/Inzolia - Sicilian white grape variety; fruity with good acidity

Jerez (Hair-eth) - Spanish city where Sherry was born

Johannisberg - German wine-producing village

Julienas (Zhule-yea-nahs) - distinctive wine of Beaujolais

Jurançon (ZHOO-rahn-sone) - Delicious dry, aromatic wine from the Pyrenees region of Southwestern France.

Kabinett (Kah-bee-NET) - Lightest and least sweet quality level for German wines.

Keller (Kel-ler) - "cellar" in German

Kosher (wine) - made and supervised under rabbinical law

Lagrein - Italian red wine grape with a natural bitterness (corrected while aging); generally produces reds that are fruity and round with light tannin

Lambrusca - North American grape used in Concord

Lambrusco (Lom-bruce-co) - Italian red wine made primarily from the grape of the same name

Languedoc (Lahn-geh-dawk) - Southern French region, long lightly regarded as the source of simple table wines, more recently gaining recognition for wines of interest and value.

Lees - heavy sediment found in young wines before bottling

Liebfraumilch (Leeb-frau-milsh) - German wine that is usually synonymous with Rhine wine

Loire (Lwahr) - Northeastern French wine region along the river of the same name, known for its scenic beauty and impressive chateaux as well as a wide variety of delicious wines.

Lombardy (Lohm-bahr-dee) - wine-producing region of northern Italy

Lubéron (Lew-bay-raw) - area in France famous for Rosé production