Fine California wine & accoutrements from the Napa Valley since 1995
Acidity: Acidity is naturally occurring in all wines. It helps keep wine lively tasting rather than flat. When designated with 'VYD' CalWine refers to the acidity at harvest or at start of fermentation. When 'BTL' is used it signifies the acidity in the finished wine at bottling. With experience, taking Acidity, Alcohol, and pH into consideration, one can gain insight into the style and weight of a wine.
Alc and Alcohol: All wine naturally contains alcohol. Alcohol is created when yeasts eat sugars in the fermenting grape must and create alcohol and CO2. The result is the age old beverage of wine we enjoy so much.
Appellation: A specific legally defined area for grape growing. For example, Napa Valley, Russian River Valley, Chianti, Burgundy, Chablis, Barossa Valley, and many many more.
Brix: see sugar
Composition: Refers to the makeup of grapes in a bottle of wine.
Density: Density refers to how densely planted the vineyard is. When combined with vineyard quality and Yield one can gain insight into the concentration of flavor to be expected in the grapes and wine.
pH: (coming soon)
RS: see sugar
Soil: Describes the type of soil found in the vineyard. Different grape species prefer different soil types and this effects wine quality and flavor.
Sugar: Sugar exists in all fruits and is converted into alcohol to make wine. Brix is a term used to describe the level of sugar in the grapes. The higher the sugar level, the higher the potential alcohol of the finished wine. When combined with pH and Acidity, optimum harvest time can be determined. Residual Sugar, or RS, is the percentage of sugar left in the finished wine. Generally people can begin to perceive sweetness at about 0.7%. The most popular wines in America tend to be made at about the 0.7% threshold level. A fruity quality is not an indication of sweetness.
Trellis: Trellises are wood and wire frames that support the grapevine. Different trellis and pruning methods can affect the way wine tastes. This is accomplished by controlling the amount of light and air that reach the grapes and circulate through the vineyard.
Vintage: This refers to the year in which the grapes were harvested.
Winegrower: This is the person who is in charge of the vineyard and maintaining the health and vine maintenance strategy in accordance with the style sought by the winery and/or winemaker. This is a very important position as the better the grapes, the better the wine can be. In larger wine production environments this job is under the auspices of many Vineyard Managers.
Winemaker: The person responsible for the winemaking process. Generally this starts at harvest and continues until the cork is in the bottle.
Yield: Yield refers to how much grapes were harvested from a particular vineyard.
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