Acidic – wine with high levels of acidity.
Acidity – Essential component in any wine that gives it life.
Aftertaste/Finish – impression left in the mouth after tasting a wine; a long finish if the impression is lasting, and a short finish if the impression is fleeting.
Ageing – the ageing of wine can occur in barrels or bottles. Ageing contributes to the wine’s development because of oxygen and the oak’s tannins.
Alcohol – alcohol in wine is called ethanol or ethylic alcohol, and it is formed by yeasts in the sugar contained in the grapes during fermentation.
Alcoholic fermentation – a biochemical process that consists of sugar (glucose and fructose) turning into alcohol, with a release of energy via the action of yeast.
Aroma – smell of a wine that is directly associated with the grapes used in production (Bouquet).
Astringency – the sensation that an excess of tannins leaves in the mouth.
Barrel (Barrique) – recipient for fermentation and/or ageing of wine, made of French and/or American oak, with a capacity of 225 litres
Batonnâge – Periodic stirring of yeasts at the bottom of new oak barrels after alcoholic fermentation. The purpose of this technique is to enrich the wine, clarify it naturally and prevent oxidisation.
Bica aberta – Portuguese term used to describe the method of making white wines, where grape skins have no contact with the must during fermentation.
Blending – mixtures of wines produced with different grape varieties and/or different techniques, in order to achieve the desired wine.
Blind tasting – a tasting in which wines are assessed without the taster knowing their origin.
Bouquet – combination of aromas that develops during wine maturation in barrels and bottles.
Brandy – a product that is the result of the distillation of fermented or macerated substances. Adding brandy halts the fermentation process in wine, which means that a percentage of the residual sugar is not turned into alcohol, leaving these wines with a sweeter palate.
Bung – can be made of cork, wood, glass or silicone. Used to seal the hole in barrels and vats.
Carbonic maceration – winemaking process where grape bunches are put whole into a closed vat enriched with carbonic gas. This produces wines with low levels of tannins, strong flavours and aromas.
Clarification/Racking – Suspended matter, such as pieces of skin, settles at the bottom of the vats.  Next, the clean must is removed (Ex: glass of fruit juice left in the fridge. Observe after 24 hours). Separation of liquid and solid before alcoholic fermentation.
Clean – classifies wines with no unpleasant aromas.
Closed – adjective to describe a wine with little aroma.
Collector – stainless steel recipient in the shape of an inverted pyramid and with a maximum capacity of 20 tons
Decanting – transfer of bottled wine into a decanter, in order to aerate it.
De-stemming – separation of grapes from stems (bunches). Fermentation can occur with stems but the wine may acquire unpleasant aromas.
Fermentation – the transformation of grape sugar into alcohol via the action of yeast. At the end of the process, the must (grape juice) is called wine.
Filtration – the wine is passed through a filter where suspended particles and other impurities are retained
Fortified Wine – wine obtained through the addition of brandy during fermentation, so that all remaining sugars are not transformed into alcohol. Sweeter and more alcoholic that table wines.
Full-bodied – a wine that has lots of body.
Horizontal tasting – tasting with various wines from the same vintage but from various wineries.
Insipidness – term used to describe a weak aroma that is common in top quality wines when still young.
Late Harvest Wine – name given to a type of wine produced with grapes that are left on the vine longer than normal. The grapes resemble raisins, which are naturally dehydrated, due to the development of the Botrytis cinerea (otherwise known as noble rot).
Lees – sediment that is created at the bottom of wine deposits.
Maturation – phase in which grapes mature and where the level of acidity decreases proportionately to the increase in grape sugar. Can last for up to 45 days. It is important to choose the best maturation phase for the harvest, which varies from grape to grape.
Mouthfeel – term that describes the sensation of the wine’s texture, tannin and body in the mouth.
Must – must is simply the liquid from crushed grapes, separated from solid matter. After fermentation, must becomes wine.
Organoleptic – all the quality and characteristics that are appreciated by the senses when a wine is tasted. Colour, aroma and palate are organoleptic characteristics.
Persistence – the length of time that the sensations produced by the wine’s aroma and palate.
Pintor – Portuguese word to describe the phase when there is a change in the colour of grape skins. White grape skins turn a shade of yellow and red grapes a kind of violet, which becomes increasingly dark with time.
Pressing (pneumatic presses) – Extraction of must/ juice using the minimum pressure possible, in order to ensure a smooth and efficient process.
Residual sugar – sugar not transformed into alcohol after fermentation. To achieve high levels of residual sugar in certain types of wine, fermentation is interrupted.
Rounded – wine with good body and balanced tannins.
Skin fermentation – term used to designate the method for making red wines, where grape skins are in contact with the must during fermentation to absorb some of their colour.
Skin maceration – here, grape must is in contact with grape skins for approximately 8 hours. The objective of this process is to extract aromatic compounds from the skin.
Smooth – term used to describe wine with low tannin levels.
Soft – euphemism for sweet wine.
Sparkling wine – type of wine that is obtained after a second fermentation in a bottle with added yeast. Carbon gas is formed during fermentation.
Stabilisation – aims to make wine limpid, preventing the formation of tartaric and calcium crystals.
Stainless steel vat – Recipient for fermentation and/or storage that permits better temperature control, which helps preserve the wine’s aromas and freshness.
Sulphur dioxide – used as an antiseptic, antioxidant and preservative in wine, it prevents the formation and development of harmful micro-organisms and gives wine longevity. The quantity used is regulated in the relevant legislation.
Tannin – natural substance in wine, which is found in grape skins, pips, stalks and wood. The tannins in wine are important because they give it structure and longevity (ageing potential). The presence of tannins on the palate is called astringency.
Tasting – analysis and awareness of wine and all of its natural characteristics using all senses.
Vanilla – aroma associated with wines aged in American oak
Varietal – wine produced a single grape variety.
Velvety – describes the texture of a smooth wine that has low tannin levels.
Vertical tasting – comparative tasting of various wines from different vintages but from the same winery.
Vintage – the harvest of a particular year.