A

A.O.C.
Abbreviation for Appellation d'Origine, (Appellation of controlled origin), as specified under French law. The AOC laws specify and delimit the geography from which a particular wine (or other food product) may originate and methods by which it may be made. The regulations are administered by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO).
ATTTB
Abbreviation for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a United States government agency which is primarily responsible for the regulation of wines sold and produced in the United States.
Appellation
A geographically delineated wine region.
Auslese
German for "select harvest"

B

Ban de Vendage
The official start of the harvest season in France.
Basal area
The cross-sectional area of all the stems of a species or all the stems in a stand measuerd at breast height and expressed per unit of land area.
Beerenauslese
A German term meaning approximately "harvest of selected berries". A Pradikat in Germany and Austria.
Bereich
A district within a German wine region (Anbaugebiet). Contains smaller Grosslagen vineyard designations.
Blind Tasting
Tasting and evaluating wine without knowing what it is.

C

Château
Generally a winery in Bordeaux, although the term is sometimes used for wineries in other parts of the world.
Claret
British name for Bordeaux wine. Is also a semi-generic term for a red wine in similar style to that of Bordeaux.
Climat
French term for a single plot of land located within a vineyard that has its own name and demonstrated terroir.
Commercial wine
A mass produce wine aimed for the wide market of wine drinkers made according to a set formula, year after year. These wines tend to emphasis broad appeal and easy drink-ability rather than terroir or craftsmanship.
Côtes
French term for the hillside or slopes of one contiguous hill region.
Coteaux
French term for the hillside or slopes of a hill region that is not contiguous.
Cru
A French term that literally means "growth". May refer to a vineyard or a winery.
Cru Classé
A French term for an officially classified vineyard or winery.
Cult wines
Wines for which committed buyers will pay large sums of money because of their desirability and rarity

D

Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
Is a digital cartographic representations of the elevation of the land at regularly spaced intervals in x and y directions, using z-values as a common vertical reference.
Digital Surface Model (DSM)
It is similar to DEMs or DTMs,with the difference being that DSMs depict the elevation of the top surfaces of buildings, trees, towers, and other features located above the bare earth
Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
Similar to DEMs, DTMs may also incorporate the elevation of significant topographic features on the land. Distinctive terrain features are more clearly defined and precisely located, and the generated contours approximate the real shape of the terrain.
DOC
The abbreviation for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or "controlled place name." This is Italy's designation for wine whose name, origin of grapes, grape varieties and other important factors are regulated by law. It is also the abbreviation for Portugal's highest wine category, which has the same meaning in that country.
DOCG
The abbreviation for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or controlled and guaranteed place name, which is the category for the highest-ranking wine in Italy.

E

Eiswein
German for ice wine, a dessert wine made from frozen grapes.
En primeur
A system commonly associated with Bordeaux wine were the previous year's harvest is available for contract sales several months before the wine will be bottled and release.
Entry-level wine
The wine from a producer's portfolio that is the lowest cost for purchase and offers the most basic quality.
Estate winery
A United States winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site, sometimes known as a farm winery.

F

Farm winery
A United States winery license allowing farms to produce and sell wine on-site.
Fine wine
The highest category of wine quality, representing only a very small percentage of worldwide production of wine.
Flying winemaker
A winemaker who travels extensively across the globe, sharing techniques and technology from one region of the world to another. The term originated with Australian winemakers who would fly to Northern Hemisphere wine regions in Europe and the United States during the August-October harvest time when viticulture in the Southern Hemisphere is relatively quiet.
Forest biomass
The living and/or dead weight of organic matter in a forest expressed in units such as living or dead weight, wet or dry weight, ash free-weight, etc

G

Globalization of wine
Refers to the increasingly international nature of the wine industry, including vineyard management practices, winemaking techniques, wine styles, and wine marketing.
Grande Marque
French term for a famous brand of wine, most commonly associated with the large Champagne houses.
Grand cru
French term for a "Great growth" or vineyard. In Burgundy, the term is regulated to a define list of Grand cru vineyards.
Grand vin
French term most often associated with Bordeaux where it denotes a Chateau's premier wine, or "first wine". On a wine label, the word's Grand vin may appear to help distinguish the wine from an estate's second or third wine.

H

I

Ice wine
Wine made from frozen grapes. Written, and trademarked as a single word - Icewine - in Canada. Called Eiswein in German.

J

K

Kabinett
A wine designation in Germany (where it is a Prädikat) and Austria.

L

Late harvest wine
Also known as late picked, wine made from grapes that have been left on the vine longer than usual. Usually an indicator for a very sweet or dessert wine.
Leaf Area Index
The sum of all the upper or all-sided leaf surface areas projected downward per unit area of ground
Lieu-dit
French term for a named vineyard site. Usually used in the context of describing individual vineyards below Grand cru status.

M

Master of Wine
A qualification (not an academic degree) conferred by The Institute of Masters of Wine, which is located in the United Kingdom.
Monopole
French term for a vineyard under single ownership.

N

Négociant
French for "trader". A wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name.
New World wine
Wines produced outside of the traditional wine growing areas of Europe and North Africa.

O

Oenophile
A wine aficionado or connoisseur.
Oenology
The study of aspects of wine and winemaking.
Old World wine
Wines produced inside of the traditional wine growing areas of Europe and North Africa.

P

Plafond Limité de Classement
An allowance within the French AOC system that allows producers to exceed the official maximum limit on yields by as much as 20% in warm weather years.
Plan Bordeaux
A proposal for enhancing the economic status of the wine industry in Bordeaux.
Prädikat
A wine designation for high quality used in Germany and Austria, based on grape ripeness and must weight. There are several Prädikate ranging from Kabinett (Spätlese in Austria) to Trockenbeerenauslese.
Precision agriculture
Is an agricultural concept relying on the existence of in-field variability. It requires the use of new technologies, such as GPS, sensors, satellites or aerial images, and information management tools (GIS) to assess and understand variations. Collected information may be used to more precisely evaluate optimum sowing density, estimate fertilizers and other inputs needs, and to more accurately predict crop yields. It seeks to avoid applying inflexible practices to a crop, regardless of local soil/climate conditions, and help to better assess local situations of disease or lodging.
Precision viticulture
Is precision farming applied to optimize vineyard performance, in particular maximizing grape yield and quality while minimizing environmental impacts and risk. This is accomplished by measuring local variation in factors that influence grape yield and quality (soil, topography, microclimate, vine health, etc.) and applying appropriate viticulture management practices (trellis design, pruning, fertilizer application, irrigation, timing of harvest, etc.). Precision viticulture is based on the premise that high in-field variability for factors that affect vine growth and grape ripening warrants intensive management customized according to local conditions.
Premier cru
French term for a "First growth". Used mostly in conjunction with the wines of Burgundy and Champagne where the term is regulated.
Premium wines
A subject term to describe a higher quality classification of wine above every day drinking table wines. While premium wines maybe very expensive there is no set price point that distinguishes when a wine becomes a "premium wine". Premium wines generally have more aging potential than every day quaffing wines.

Q

Quality-Price Ratio (QPR)
A designation for rating wine based on the ratio of its quality and its price. The higher quality and less expensive price a wine has, the better the ratio.

R

S

Semi-generic
Wines made in the United States but named after places that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau requires be modified by a US name of geographic origin. Examples would be New York Chablis, Napa Valley Burgundy or California Champagne.
Sparkling wine
Effervescent wine containing significant levels of carbon dioxide.
Stand height
The average height of all the dominant and codominant trees in a stand
Super Seconds
A term used in relation to lower classified Bordeaux wine estates that come close in quality to the First Growth Bordeaux estates.
Super Tuscans
A style of Italian wine that became popular in Tuscany in the late 20th century where premium quality wines were produced outside of DOC regulations and sold for high prices with the low level vino da tavola designation.

T

Typicity
A term used to describe how well a wine reflects the characteristics of its grape variety and terroir
Terroir

The synergy of atmoshpere, biosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities of products such as grapevines. The definition of terroir can be extended to human and socio-cultural characteristics through the winemaking process.

U

V

Varietal
Wines made from a single grape variety.
Vigneron
French for vine grower.
Vignoble
French term for a "vineyard"
Vinous
A term used to denoting anything relating to wine.
Vintage
Vintage is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product. A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year.

W

Wine
An alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of unmodified grape juice.
Wine lake
Refers to a surplus of wine due to over demand (glut)
Wine tasting
The sensory evaluation of wine, encompassing more than taste, but also mouthfeel, aroma, and colour. 

X

Y

Z