The Wine Terminologies of Various Regions
You can easily get confused by the various Wine Terminologies. In 2020, global wine consumption will hit 234 million hectoliters. To help you understand the meaning and value of liters here is a conversion scale for those who are not big fans of mathematics — 1 hectoliter equals 100 liters. If you do the mathematics correctly, you will get 23400000000 liters; now, that’s a lot of zeroes.
As huge as this value seems, it was still a significant decline from what was consumed in the previous year. In 2019, an estimated 241 million hectoliters of wine were consumed. Many viticulturists and winemakers around the world identify the pandemic and its negative impact on the global economy as the primary reasons behind the decline. However, there are chances that another contributing factor played its role; i.e., wine consumers not “knowing their wines.”
Did you know that “Doux” is a specific wine terminology used to describe the level of sugar in wines and is often used to describe sweet wines? How about “Propriétaire” and “Côte”? These are a few wine terminologies. These two wine terminologies refer to a “winery owner’ and wines manufactured from grapes grown on the banks of the Rhone river, respectively. Now, you know. These are a few terminologies among many wine names and terms you should learn to know. Knowledge of these terminologies will help you understand various types of wine. Based on this knowledge, you can promptly order the best wines from across the world.
Before we delve into the various names or descriptions of wine, let’s quickly take a look at the world’s highest wine consumers. The top three countries on the list are the United States, Italy, and France. If we turn the spotlight to the top countries with the highest wine consumption per capita, the list will wear a new look — France, Italy, and Portugal.
Some other countries on the list of top wine consumers alongside the United States (33Mhl), France (25 Mhl), and Italy (24.4 Mhl) are Germany (19.8Mhl), the United Kingdom (13.3 Mhl), China (12.4 Mhl), Russia (10.3Mhl), Spain (9.6 Mhl), Argentina (9.4 Mhl) and Australia (5.7 Mhl). There you have it, the top ten largest wine-consuming countries in 2020 presented the order of their consumption [from the highest to the lowest, in a million hectoliters (Mhl)][1]
History of wine description in France
If you have a know-how of wine history, you would know that even though winemaking already existed in France, the Roman were primarily responsible for planting vines across various winemaking French regions. Accordingly, many French grape varieties were soon noticed around the world; thanks to the wine quality they produced. It should also be noted that the Roman Catholic Church and the monks of Burgundy played a key role in preserving and enhancing the winemaking tradition through the Middle Ages in France.
The famous wine varieties manufactured in France include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay. The monks in Burgundy put a tremendous amount of work into researching France’s terroir and identifying the best regions to site vineyards. Furthermore, they ascertained which vineyards produced the best wines and birthed the France appellation system in 1935 —the Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) system. In 2012, the AOCs system was replaced by the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) system that clearly spelled out the variety of grapes and winemaking practices approved in France’s appellations; vineyards, regions, and villages.
To help us refresh our memories, here is a list of major French wine regions: Bordeaux, Burgundy (also known as Bourgogne), Champagne, Languedoc-Roussillon in the southeast, Val de Loire (popularly known as Loire Valley, and Côtes du Rhône (Rhone valley). Other regions lie on the boundary of France with its neighboring countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain.
Other important wine regions include Alsace in neighboring Germany, Savoie and the Jura (sitting next to neighboring Switzerland), and Southwest France, where the country is bounded by Spain. Then there are some other well-known winemaking regions in Europe, including Savoy, Picardy, Provence, Normandy, Corsica, Brittany, and Beaujolais.
All these significant winemaking regions have distinct terroir and manufacturing techniques responsible for their distinct tastes and price. These characteristics range from famous expensive bottles like the renowned Bordeaux and rare Burgundy wines to the decently priced wines found within the country, such as the Languedoc-Roussillon wines.
Common descriptions of Cabernet Franc
The Cabernet Franc is a famous French grape variety that originates from France. It has gained global attention due to its unique properties and its blending potential with Merlot, Bordeaux, and Cabernet Sauvignon to give pale red wine several aromas. These aromas range from bell peppers, tobacco, violet, Cassis, and Raspberry depending on the region it is planted and the method of winemaking in that region. These wines are also called Breton, Bouchy, and Bouchet.
Wine description in Italy
Almost similar to the French word for wine (Vin) is the Italian word for wine; i.e., “Vino.” As we know that in Italy, there are countless wine varieties in Italy. Hence, diverse types of wine go by different names — Vino Rosso is used to describe red wine, while Vino Bianco is used to describing white wine. Old wine and young wine are called Vino Vecchio and Vino Giovane.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, the word “vino” is not merely used to describe wines that are produced from fermented grapes. It is also utilized to describe alcoholic beverages manufactured from other fruits or plants. For instance, wines made from apples are called Vino de Mele, while rice wine is called Vino do Riso. Not to turn this piece into an Italian lecture, let’s move on to famous Italian wines you should try out on special occasions.
Barolo: the king of Italian wine
This wine originates from the Piedmont region in Northern Italy. It is produced from a small, thin-skinned variety of grapes known as Nebbiolo grapes. This wine is packed with tannins and acids, which provide a distinctive bitter note (which eases off as the wine ages.) Often described by sommeliers and winemakers as “complex and full-bodied,” this Italian red wine is dubbed the King of Italian wines. Moreover, it is also classified as “Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia,” which can be translated as the highest wine classification in Italy.[3]
The pronounced terroir coupled with the winemaker’s technique and age of the wine makes the process of producing this wine even more complex — and as far as Barolo is concerned, “complexity” is a good feature because wine enthusiasts and consumers would have to take their time to understand the basics of this delight and learn its origins.
Cannonau di Sardegna
Another well-known Italian wine variety is the Cannonau di Sardegna, which originates from Sardinia Island. This wine is manufactured from the Cannonau grape, which the locals also call Grenache grape. Like Barolo, this wine is usually aged for at least two years before it is released to the market retail. It is packed with antioxidant compounds that are utilized to enhance heart health. Interestingly, locals living on the island (i.e., Sardinia Island) with more consumption of Cannonau di Sardegna have been reported to have a longer life than those who do not drink it. They often live up to 90 years and, in rare cases, beyond 100 years.
Other famous wines you should not miss are the earthy Barbaresco, the Italian Champagne, Franciacorta, Lambrusco (produced from Lambrusco grapes), and Nebbiolo. But that’s not all; there is also the famous Chianti Classico, Fiano di Avellino, and Veneto’s region pride, Amarone della Valpolicella. Other well-known varieties are Collio and Colli Orientali, Vino Santo and Vin, Vermentino di Gallura and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
On this Day
5 March 1133 — Henry II of England, also known as Henry Plantagenet or Henry FitzEmpress, was born on this day. He ruled over England between 1154 and 1189 before his death. Bordeaux wine was served at the royal wedding of Henry II and Eleanor Aquitaine, who was the heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine. This event brought the Bordeaux wine region into the spotlight, and since then, the region has grown into a city and started exporting its wine to England in 1302.
14 October 1644 — On this date, English noblemen, colonial proprietors, and writers planted a vineyard in Pennsylvania with only French Vinifera. The vineyard was interbred with Vitis Lambrusco vine to create a French-American hybrid grape called the Alexander grape.
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Reference
- Karlsson, Per. 2022. “Wine Consumption In The World 2020 In Decline, A Detailed Look”. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlsson/2021/12/31/wine-consumption-in-the-world-2020-in-decline-a-detailed-look/?sh=51311ddd3f71.
- Gasquet, Mathieu. 2022. “Italian Word Of The Day: Vino (Wine) – Daily Italian Words”. Daily Italian Words. https://dailyitalianwords.com/italian-word-for-wine-vino/#:~:text=The%20word%20for%20wine%20in,(masculine%2C%20plural%20vini).&text=As%20you%20can%20imagine%2C%20there,vino%20rosso%20%3D%20red%20wine.
- “Get To Know The King Of Italian Wines: Barolo”. 2022. Made In Italy. https://www.italianmade.com/ca/get-to-know-the-king-of-italian-wines-barolo/.
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