Have trouble understanding wines or winemaking? Do you know what racking refers to and if chaptalisation is an actual word or a misspelled one? Every wine lover will benefit from learning basic terms, whether you’re an intrepid adventurer or a cautious novice! If anything, it will give you confidence at your next Hunter Valley day tours. What better way to break the ice and start the party?
Brief Glossary To Loosen Your Tongue
Aeration
In this process, the wine is exposed to air by decanting into a serving vessel or poured into a wineglass and swirled. The oxygen draws aromas from the wine and releases the flavours.
Acidification
Wine can be fine-tuned to compensate for grapes of lower quality by adding corrective additives within legal limits. In this process, tartaric or malic acid increases a wine's acidity and stabilises it so it lasts longer.
Bouquet/Nose
Imagine a bunch of fragrant flowers. In aerated wine, the bouquet refers to the multitude of aromas. Also known as the nose, it refers to the scents detected.
Chaptalisation
Like acidification, this is a tweaking process in winemaking whereby sugar is added to unfermented grapes. During fermentation, yeast is fuelled by sugar, which increases the alcohol content in the final product.
New World Wine
This term refers to wines produced in non-traditional regions like Africa, Argentina, Chile and Australia. It’s also used to describe wines made using modern techniques.
Oaked
This is an external flavour influence that enhances wine flavour. Oak infuses certain flavours into wine, such as vanilla, caramel, toffee, mocha and honey. White wine becomes more yellow with oak as it sits in the barrel. Reds become more intensified.
Racking
The filtration of grape juice or wine (depending on the stage of the winemaking process) by transferring from one vessel to another. This process removes sediment.
Wine Legs
Refers to the streaks or drops on the wine glass after swirling or sipping the wine. This happens when the alcohol component of the wine moves down faster than the water, thus leaving these streaks on the glass, which are referred to as wine legs or tears.
Understanding Wine On Your Terms
It’s great fun to “speak wine”. With some terminology and plenty of enthusiasm, you'll be well-prepared for your Hunter Valley winery tour. Visiting a wine farm is a great way to learn about a grape's journey from vine to glass! Whether it's a by-the-hour, a day tour or a special packaged tour, we will ensure you indulge in superb cuisine and wine as we explore this incredible region.
Contact us and book customisable Hunter Valley day tours packages to suit your needs and budget. You will love our commitment to service and passion for all things vinery!