Wine glossary

Terms

DO and DOP

DO stands for Denominación de Origen: the grapes come from a defined area, and the wine follows that area's own rules, from which grape varieties are allowed to how long the wine must age. DOP, Denominación de Origen Protegida, is the European umbrella term that includes it, so a label may show either. It tells you where a wine comes from and which rules it followed, not whether you will like it.

See also: DOCa and DOQ, Vino de Pago, Vino de la Tierra / IGP

DOCa and DOQ

DOCa, Denominación de Origen Calificada, is a stricter step above the ordinary DO, and just two regions have reached it: Rioja and Priorat. Priorat labels often use DOQ instead, the same title in Catalan. It signals tighter rules, not a particular style: each region makes everything from fresh young wines to bottles aged for years.

See also: DO and DOP

Vino de Pago

Pago means a single estate. A Vino de Pago comes from one estate whose soil and climate are distinctive enough to be protected as an origin of its own, and only grapes from that estate may go into it; the label pairs the estate's name with Vino de Pago or simply Pago. Only a small number exist: Castilla-La Mancha has the most, and Navarra and the Valencia region have some too.

Vino de la Tierra / IGP

The usual Spanish label wording for an IGP, Indicación Geográfica Protegida: the words Vino de la Tierra plus the name of a place. The named area must supply at least 85% of the grapes, and the rules on grape varieties and blends are looser than in a DO. Some producers choose it on purpose for that freedom, so read it as fewer rules, not a lesser wine.

See also: DO and DOP

Joven

The label word for a young wine. It reaches the shelves within a year or so of the harvest and has spent at most a short time in oak, so expect fresh, bright fruit rather than vanilla or toast. Some labels say sin crianza (without ageing) instead, or carry no ageing word at all. It is meant to be opened young, so a recent vintage is usually a good sign.

See also: Roble

Roble

Spanish for oak. On a label it points to a young wine that has had a brief spell in barrel, typically a few months, so a hint of vanilla or toast sits alongside the fruit. It is far less tightly defined than Crianza, so the time in wood varies from one producer and DO to another.

See also: Crianza

Crianza

A legal guarantee of time. A red Crianza is aged for at least 24 months in the winery before it is sold, 6 or more of them in oak barrels (12 or more in Rioja and Ribera del Duero). For white and rosado Crianza the minimum is 18 months, again with 6 in oak. Expect fruit first, with a little vanilla or toast and a slightly smoother feel than a joven.

See also: Reserva, Gran Reserva

Reserva

Three years before release, by law: a red Reserva needs 36 months of ageing or more, at least 12 of them in oak barrels and the remainder in bottle. White and rosado Reservas need 24 months, 6 of them in oak. Time swaps some fresh fruit for notes of dried fruit, leather and sweet spice. The word measures time in the cellar, not quality, and outside Spain it may promise much less.

Gran Reserva

The top rung of Spain's ageing ladder for still wine. A red Gran Reserva can't be sold until it has aged for 60 months, five years, with 18 or more of them in oak barrels (24 or more in Rioja and Ribera del Duero); white and rosado need 48 months, 6 in oak. Expect mellow, savoury aromas and a silky feel. On a Cava label the term works differently: at least 30 months resting on the lees.

See also: Lees

Seco, semiseco, semidulce, dulce

Four label words for sweetness in still wine, defined in EU rules in grams of sugar per litre: seco (dry), up to 4, or up to 9 if the wine's acidity balances it; semiseco, up to 12, or 18 with high acidity; semidulce, up to 45; dulce, 45 or more. The words are optional, so many dry wines leave them off: if the label says nothing about sweetness, the wine is most likely dry.

See also: Brut nature to dulce: sweetness in sparkling wine

Brut nature to dulce: sweetness in sparkling wine

Every sparkling wine label must carry one of these words. From driest to sweetest, in grams of sugar per litre: brut nature, under 3, with none added; extra brut, 0–6; brut, under 12; extra seco or extra dry, 12–17; seco or dry, 17–32; semiseco or demi-sec, 32–50; dulce or doux, over 50. Watch out: on sparkling wine, extra seco and seco are both sweeter than brut.

See also: Seco, semiseco, semidulce, dulce

Acidity

The tangy freshness that makes your mouth water, like a squeeze of lemon over grilled fish. Grapes from cool or high vineyards usually keep more of it. It keeps a wine lively, balances sweetness and cuts through fried, oily or salty food; a wine short of it tends to feel soft and dull. Don't confuse it with dryness: dry only means not sweet.

See also: Tannin

Tannin

The grip you feel on your gums after a sip of some reds, drying your mouth the way over-brewed black tea does. It comes from grape skins and seeds, and to a lesser degree from oak barrels; reds are made with their skins and whites usually without, so reds have much more. Age softens it, and so does food such as red meat or hard cheese, while serving a red too cold makes it feel harsher.

See also: Acidity

Body

How weighty a wine feels in your mouth: think of the difference between a clear broth and a creamy soup. Alcohol does most of the work, so the higher the % vol on the label, the fuller a wine tends to feel, though sugar, oak and tannin add weight too. Body is a style, not a measure of quality, and a handy guide for food: lighter wines with lighter dishes, fuller wines with richer ones.

Vintage: añada and cosecha

The year in which the grapes were harvested. Spanish labels show it as a bare number or after añada or cosecha, two words for the same thing, and EU rules require at least 85% of the grapes to come from the year shown. For young whites, rosados and joven reds, look for a recent year; in wines built to age, each year's weather shapes the style. Many Cavas, and Sherries from a solera, blend several harvests and carry no year.

See also: Solera

Lees

The yeast left over after fermentation, which settles as a fine sediment. Leaving a wine in contact with it for months or years gives it a rounder, creamier texture and can add a smell of fresh bread or pastry; sobre lías on a label means this. Cava must rest on its lees for at least 9 months (Cava de Guarda), 18 for a Reserva, 30 for a Gran Reserva and 36 for a Paraje Calificado.

See also: Traditional method

Traditional method

The bubbles form in the same bottle that ends up on your table: a still wine gets a little yeast and sugar, is sealed, and ferments again, so the gas dissolves into the wine. After a rest on its lees, the yeast is removed and the final sweetness is set. Cava and Champagne are made this way, and labels may say método tradicional. Most Prosecco gets its bubbles in large sealed tanks instead.

See also: Lees

Fortified wine and vino generoso

Fortified means grape spirit has been added, making the wine stronger than a table wine, usually 15% vol or more. Vino generoso is the Spanish term for the classic dry wines of this family from Jerez, Montilla-Moriles and a few other places: Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Oloroso. Sherry has a sweet reputation, but these are dry; the sweet side is Pedro Ximénez and blends such as Cream. Their strength suits small pours.

See also: Solera, Vino de licor and mistela

Solera

A way of ageing wine through rows of barrels of different ages, used above all for Sherry. Wine for bottling is drawn from the oldest barrels, which are refilled with slightly younger wine from the next row, and so on down to the youngest. Each bottle therefore holds a blend of many years, which is why Sherry rarely shows a vintage and tastes much the same from one bottling to the next. In Spanish the full name is criaderas y solera.

Vino de licor and mistela

Vino de licor, liqueur wine, is the legal category for wines made stronger with added grape spirit, usually reaching 15% vol or more; you may spot it in small print on some sweet Moscatels. A mistela is made by adding the spirit to grape juice before it has had much chance to ferment, so nearly all the grape's sweetness stays. Moscatel de Valencia is the classic local example. Small pours suit them.

See also: Fortified wine and vino generoso