Quality picked up by wines fermented and/or stored in oak barrels. American oak gives a more intense vanilla and coconut flavor, while French oak gives wine a delicate vanilla, cedar, and butterscotch character.
O
Small pieces of oak wood used in place of oak barrels in fermenting and/or aging wine.
The German measure for the sugar concentration in grape juice or wine.
The science of wine and winemaking.
A wine aficionado or connoisseur.
A wine that has the barest hint of sweetness; a slightly sweet wine in which the residual sugar is barely perceptible.
The wine produced from vines that are notably old.
Wines produced inside of the traditional wine-growing areas of Europe and North Africa.
Exposure to oxygen causes a wine to go brown and flat. Oxidation creates bitterness and destroys the flavor.
A gas that is vital for the growth of yeast cells. A small amount of oxygen is important at the start of fermentation. Too high a concentration of oxygen will lead to oxidation of the wine causing a loss of color, flavor, and aroma.
