Habersham Wine Dictionary

Tafelwein (Tah-fel-vine) - German for "table wine"

Tawny Port - aged Port that has acquired an amber-tinged color; generally more expensive due to the fat that they are rounder and softer

Tavel (Tah-vel) - French Rosè wine made primarily of the Grenache grape

Tempranillo (Temp-rah-NEEL-yo) - Excellent Spanish red-wine grape. Like Nebbiolo and Sangiovese in Italy, it historically takes a second place to Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir in the world "noble grape" sweepstakes but probably shouldn't; it makes wines in Rioja and Ribera del Duero (which see) that are arguably world-class. Black fruit is the usual descriptor, although most Tempranillo-based wines show spicy oak as an integral component, and are also characterized by the hearty, robust and acidic structure that the grape imparts.

Terlano (Tair-lahn-no) - Italian white wines made in the village of the same name

Termeno (Tair-meh-no) - home of the Traminer grape

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

Terroir (Tehr-wahr) - Literally "soil" in French, a term widely used by wine hobbyists (sometimes as gout de terroir) in reference to the flavors and aromas that soil and geography impart to a wine.

Tinta (Teen-ta) - name given to a family of red wine grapes that produce full-bodied wines

Tinto (TEEN-toe) - Spanish term for red wine.

Tocai Friulano (Toh-KYE Fr'yoo-LAH-noe) - Italian white-wine grape grown in the far Northeast, no kin to Hungarian Tokay, but capable of producing a delightfully distinctive and aromatic white wine with a unique floral scent; also occasionally seen in California.

Tokay (Toe-KAY) - Respected Hungarian dessert wine, reaches its pinnacle in Tokay Aszù ("Ah-zhu"), the sweetest style, affected by botrytis, which see. In my limited experience, Tokay shows a distinctive golden-raisin character that differs from Sauternes and other classic dessert wines.

Torrontés (Tohr-ROHN-tayss) - White grape from Galicia in Spain, gaining recent there and in Argentina for producing racy and aromatic white wines of real character.

Trebbiano (Treb-YAH-no) - Widespread but rather forgettable Italian white grape, producing a neutral dry white wine.

Trentino-Alto Adige (Tren-TEE-noe Ahl-toe AH-dee-jay) - Mountainous wine region of the Italian North, reaching the Alpine foothills above Trentino and Bolzano. Best known for excellent dry whites.

Trocken (TROCK-en) - German for "dry." Usually seen on the label of modern efforts to produce traditional German quality wines in a new style without residual sugar, more closely approximating the French and Italian style of dry table wines. In my opinion, few have been particularly successful. See also "Halbtrocken," above.

Trockenbeerenauslese (TROCK-en-BEHR-en-OWS-lay-zeh) - Tongue-twisting name for the sweetest and most expensive quality level of German wine, literally "dried individual grapes picked out," hand-selected and botrytis-affected.

Troja (TRO-ya) - dry, full-bodied Italian red wine grape used for blending

Tuscany (TUSS-can-ee) - Wine region of Central Italy, surrounding Florence, ancient home of Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile, also increasingly known for modern, pricey "high-tech Tuscans" made using creative blends of the local grapes, Cabernet and others.

Umbria (Oom-bree-ah) - Italian region famous for producing Orvieto

Vacqueras (Va-kay-ras) - wine-producing town in the northern Rhone valley

Valdadige (Vahl-DAH-dee-jay) - light red table wine produced in Italy

Valpolicella (Vahl-poe-lee-CHELL-ah) - Lightweight but refreshing red wine from the Veneto of Northeastern Italy. As Recioto della Valpolicella, a thoroughly different wine, powerful and robust, may be sweet or dry (Amarone).

Valtellina (Vahl-tell-LEE-nah) - Northern Italian wine region in Lombardy, on the Swiss border, making excellent red wines from Nebbiolo and other grapes.

Varietal (Vah-RYE-uh-tal) - Wine named for the specific grape from which it is made, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

Vecchio (Veck-ee-o) - Italian for old

Vendange (VawN-dawN) - French for "vintage." (Vendange Tardive ["Tahr-Deev"] is "late harvest" or "delayed harvest".)

Vendemmia (Ven-DEHM-ee-ah) - Italian for "vintage"

Vendimia (Vehn-DEE-mee-ah) - Spanish for "vintage."

Veneto (VAY-nah-toe) - Wine region of Northeastern Italy, around Venice and Verona.

Ventoux (Vawn-too) - wine-producing mountainous section of the lower Rhone valley

Veraison (Vay-ray-zoN) - First appearance of color in ripening grapes.

Verdelho (Vair-DEL-ho) - grape variety of Madeira used to produce fortified wines

Verdicchio (Vehr-DEEK-yo) - Italian white-wine grape from the Adriatic coast of Central Italy; at its best, tart and suffused with an appealing bitter-almond quality.

Verdiso (Vehr-DEE-zo) - Italian white wine grape used to produced dry whites

Vermentino (Vehr-men-TEE-no) - Italian dry, tart white wine

Verona (Vehr-RO-na) - Italian wine-producing region

Vesuvio (Veh-SOO-vee-o) - dry white wine produced near Naples

Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Vehr-NAHCH-ya dee Sahn Jee-mee-NYAH-noe) - Dry white wine of ancient heritage from the picturesque Tuscan village of San Gimignano. The town is known for its many towers; the wine, at its best, is crisp and dry and pleasantly bitter in the finish.

Vidal Blanc (Vee-dahl BlahN) - French-hybrid white-wine grape widely used in Eastern U.S. wines, sometimes crisp and dry but with a sometimes unfortunate pine resin or turpentine quality.

Vieux (Nee-uh) - French for "old"

Vignoles (Vee-NYOLE) - Also Ravat 51, a French-hybrid white-wine grape seen in the Eastern U.S. One of the most successful French hybrids, in my opinion; I've seen it vinified as a luscious sweet wine and also, with lightly toasted oak, as a full-bodied dry white of real quality.

Villard Blanc (Vee-yar BlahN) - Yet another white French-hybrid grown in the Eastern U.S. Usually rather neutral in quality.

Vin (Van) - French for "wine"

Vin Blanc (Van Blaw) - French for "white wine"

Vin Gris (VaN Gree) - Pink wine (see "rosé").

Vin de Pays (VaN deh Pie-ee) - Literally, "wine of the country," a category of French wines considered lower in status than Appellation Controllée, but because it's considered less "desirable," may offer particularly good value if well-chosen.

Vinho (VEEN-ho) - Portuguese for "wine"

Vinho Verde (VEEN-yoh VEHR-day) - Literally "green wine," a reference to youth rather than color; a refreshing, light and often slightly sparkling Portuguese white wine. Always look for the youngest available, preferably no more than a year old.

Vino (VEE-no) - Italian and Spanish word for "wine"

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Vee-noe NOH-bee-lay dee Mohn-tay-pool-CHAH-noe) - Excellent Tuscan red wine made from a blend of Sangiovese and other red grapes; neighboring to Chianti but distinctly different.

Vino Santo (VEE-no SAHN-toe) - Italian white wine made from grapes that have been allowed to partially raisin

Vintage (VIN-tij) - For wines so designated, the year in which the grapes were grown.

Viognier (Vee-ohn-yay) - Long a seldom-seen grape used only in the rather rare French Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet, this white grape is gaining considerable attention as a varietal in California and, now, Southern France. It makes a light, lean wine with a very characteristic floral scent, not meant for aging but best consumed early.

Vitis Vinifera (Vee-tis Vi-NIFF-eh-ra) - Grape species including virtually all of the most desirable wine grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, etc.

Vouvray (Voov-ray) - Outstanding Loire white, based on Chenin Blanc; table wines may range from dry through slightly sweet, and it also makes spectacular dessert wines.

Wein (Vine) - German for "wine."

Weinberg (VINE-bairg) - German term used to describe a vineyard property

White Riesling (Reese-ling) - Sometimes seen in the U.S. (and required in Oregon) for Riesling. "Johannisberg Riesling" is also often used as a California marketing term to heighten the grape's German heritage.

White Zinfandel (Zin-fahn-DELL) - "Blush" wine, usually California, usually simple and often slightly sweet, made by removing red Zinfandel grapes from the juice before they impart significant color. See Zinfandel, below.

Wiltingen (VIL-ting-en) - German wine-producing town located on the Saar river; produces high-quality Rieslings

Zeltingen (Tsel-ting-gen) - German vineyard town famous for producing excellent, full-bodied Riesling

Zinfandel (Zin-fahn-DELL) - Declared the American wine grape because it reaches its highest level in California, it's now been shown to be the same as the Southern Italian Primitivo, and it's thought that both may go back to an earlier Balkan progenitor. At its best, it makes an exuberantly fruity, ripe and big red wine full of mixed blackberry and raspberry scents (known botanically as "bramble fruit").

Zucco (Zoo-co) - Sicilian Muscat wine