Air drying or partial desiccation of overripe grapes by heat. By dehydrating the grapes' grains one achieves maximum sugar concentration.

 

Sugared flavour. All wines have sugared substances that proceed from grapes and fermentation (alcohol and glycerine, in particular). Yeasts transform the grapes' sugars into alcohol, but some wines may have a more or less high level of unfermented sugars. To preserve this natural dose of sugar, fermentation is sometimes interrupted adding a small amount of vinic alcohol. This is performed, for instance, in Port wines.

 

Said of a wine that lacks sap, character, vivacity and grace. Wine without effervescence. Greased must, eliminated by addition of vinous alcohol.

 

Red variety grown in the vineyards of Tarn and Ariège (France). It produces an astringent, full bodied, honest wine with high alcohol content.

 

Red variety grown in California, Israel, Australia and Sourthwest France, also known as Petite Syrah. This vine, which uses Dr.Durif's name (the ampelography expert who selected it), as nothing to do with Syrah. It produces very simple, common wines.

 

Term used to describe a cloudy wine.