Plastic or authorised metal piece in the form of a hood that is used to protect the cork and the neck of the bottle. When decorking the bottle, one should cut the capsule under the rim of the bottle's neck, in order not to let it come into contact with the wine.

 

Wine with aroma and flavour of caramel.

 

Unpleasant chemical smell often exhaled by harvests affected by the Botrytis cinerea fungus.

 

Gas produced during every fermentation process, contributing to the tumultuous aspect of the must. The effervescence in sparkling wines is also due to the release of carbon dioxide.

 

Substance that, diluted in wine, produces a slight prickle on the tongue and endows young wines with freshness, nerve and vivacity.

 

Winemaking system that is mainly used in special Beaujolais or Dão Novo red wines. It allows to obtain very fruity (banana, strawberry), floral and aromatic wines (fruit candy, kirsch). In 1972, Pasteur had already mentioned the possibility of technically conducting the spontaneous and "self fermentation" of whole grapes using closed tanks containing carbon dioxide. When grapes are subject to this anaerobic metabolism, their acidity diminishes and fermentation starts inside the berries. As the skins become more fragile, there's a greater diffusion of the skins' polyphenols into the pulp. After a couple of days they are taken out of the tank. Press and free run wines are added and fermentation is allowed to proceed. The wines obtained are delicate and aromatic. This technique adapts especially well to the production of wines that are drunk young.

 

Inferior quality sparkling wine that is made by addition of artificial carbon dioxide.

 

Wine in which a certain dose of carbon dioxide was kept so as to cause a lasting formation of bubbles. A natural carbonated wine shouldn't contain industrial carbon dioxide. The best carbonated wines are obtained by the traditional method.

 

Inferior quality sparkling wine that is industrially carbonated.

 

Demarcated in 1908, this is the smallest of all demarcated regions in Portugal. Recommended grape varieties are: Whites - Arinto, Boal Ratinho and Galego Dourado; Reds - Periquita and Preto Martinho. It is located about 10km from Lisbon and is completely surrounded by urbanisations. Carcavelos produces a fortified wine that results from the blending of abafado wine with dry wine, both produced through fermentation off skins. As happens in other regions, it is under the threat of extinction.