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Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is a red wine grape variety similar to Cabernet Sauvignon. This variety tends to be softer and has less tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon, although the two can be difficult to distinguish. Its typical aromas include a herbaceous and a pronounced peppery nose, even in ripe fruit, and something like tobacco. |
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Cabernet Sauvignon
Considered the most important red wine grape throughout the world, Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety of red grape that, along with Chardonnay, is one of the most widely-planted of the world's noble grape varieties. The principal grape in many Bordeaux wines, it is grown in most of the world's wine regions, although it requires a long growing season to ripen properly and gives low yields. |
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Canopy management
The viticultural techniques used to balance shoot growth, number and density of leaves and fruit development to maximize the varietal character and quality of the grapes. |
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Cap
A layer of skins and seeds that forms on top of the juice during fermentation of red wines. |
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Capsule
The plastic or foil that covers the cork and part of the neck of a wine bottle. |
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Carbonic maceration
A winemaking practice of fermenting whole grapes that have not been crushed. |
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Chaptalization
A winemaking process where sugar is added to the must to increase the alcohol content in the fermented wine. This is often done when grapes have not ripened adequately. |
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Character
A tasting term used to describe the impression of a wine having integrity and substance. Also describes specific flavour or structure profile of certain wines from a given region. |
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Chardonnay
One of the "noble" white varietals, Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape used to make a white varietal wine. Widely planted and used for dry, often barrel-aged table wines, as well as for fine sparkling wines. |
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Charmat process
The Charmat process is a method where sparkling wines receive their secondary fermentation in large tanks, rather than individual bottles as seen in méthode champenoise. |
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Claret
A typically British name to describe Bordeaux wine. Is also a semi-generic term for a red wine in similar style to that of Bordeaux. |
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Clarification
A winemaking process involving the fining and filtration of wine to remove suspended solids and reduce turbidity. |
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Clarity
Clearness in the wine. |
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Cleanskin
Wine bottled without a label. |
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Climate
Along with soil, grape variety and the skill of the winemaker, climate contributes to the character of a wine. The climate decides the quality and quantity of the vintage. Spring frost or bad weather at flowering will reduce the crop; lack of sunshine gives unripe grapes. The right amount of sunshine and rain contribute to a great vintage. |
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Clone
The term used to describe vines that are descended from the same individual vine. One single vine, if found to have especially desirable characteristics, may be propagated by grafting or budding to produce a whole vineyard that is identical to the original vine. |
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Cold stabilization
A winemaking process where wine is chilled to near freezing temperatures to encourage the precipitation of tartrate crystals prior to bottling. |
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Compact
A descriptor used to describe a wine that is intense but not full. |
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Complex
Having many different facets of taste and smell. Not simple or straightforward. A sign of quality. |
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Concentrated
A term to describe aromas and flavours that are dense and tightly knit. |
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Cooper
A person who makes or repairs wooden barrels. |
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Cork taint
The term used to describe a wine that has been spoiled in the bottle by a cork that contaminated by mould growth during processing. Cork taint only becomes detectable by smell and taste after the bottle is opened for serving. |
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Corked
A tasting term for a wine that has cork taint. |
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Crackling
Slightly effervescent, semi-sparkling wine. |
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Creamy
A term used to describe a characteristic of a wine. Often associated with a wine that has undergone malolactic fermentation. |
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Crémant
French sparkling wine not made in the Champagne region. |
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Crisp
A tasting term for wine that feels clean and slightly brittle in the mouth, usually from high acidity. |
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Crush
The process of breaking the grape skins prior to pressing and/or fermentation, after stems are removed. The term also applies to the time of the year when this occurs. |
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Crust
Sediment, generally potassium bitartrate, that adheres to the inside of a wine bottle. |
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Cuve
A large vat used for fermentation. |
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Cuvee
The pressing, or a blending of several wines. |
