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O

Oak

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.

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.