Winemaking Terms Defined: Types of Wine

Here are some terms describing the different types of wine that can be bought or made at home:

apéritif (ah-pair-eh-TEEF) wine that is served before a meal for the purpose of stimulating appetite. It may be sweet or dry and may contain herbs or spices, and is sometimes fortified.

blend  wine made from more than one variety of grape, or more than one type of fruit. The opposite of varietal.

dessert wine  wine that is very sweet and higher in alcohol than dinner wine (14% alcohol or higher). It is best consumed with dessert or by itself.

dinner wine  wine that is fairly dry and is moderate in alcohol (10% to 13%), suitable for drinking with a meal. Also known as table wine.

fortified wine  wine that had a distilled spirit such as brandy added to it to raise the alcohol content above what is normal for wine.

fruit wine  non-grape wine; that is, wine made from other fruits or vegetables. Also known as country wine.

ice wine  type of dessert wine made from grapes that were frozen on the vine before being pressed for wine. Freezing concentrates the sugar and flavor in the grapes.

liqueur  a distilled spirit (not a wine) flavored with a fruit, herb or spice and usually sweetened. Also known as cordial.

Madeira  fortified white wine that was kept heated during aging. More correctly called Madeira style because true Madeira is made in Madeira, Portugal.

mead  wine made from honey. There are several types of mead depending on what other fruit or spices are used.

port  sweet red wine that was fortified with brandy during fermen­tation. Kit wines called port are simply higher alcohol sweet red wines. More correctly called port style because true port is made in Oporto, Portugal.

red wine  wine made from grape juice that had grape skins remaining in it during some of its fermentation, something that is normally only done with red grapes. The skins add the red color, besides tannin and other compounds that make the taste of red wine more complex than white wine.

rosé wine   wine that is pink in color either because it is made from red grape juice that had grape skins in it for a short time during fermentation (though not as long as for red wine) or it is a blend of red and white wines. Also known as blush wine.  

sake  Japanese fermented rice drink that requires a simultaneous two step fermentation, as the rice starch has to be converted to sugar  before the sugar can be fermented.

sherry  wine made in the style of that produced in Jerez, Spain; that is, wine that was fortified after fermentation and deliberately oxidized. Kit wines called sherry are simply higher alcohol wines processed to mimic the flavor of oxidation.

sparkling wine  wine that contains bubbles, either because it has been allowed to ferment after bottling or it has been infused with carbon dioxide. Not to be confused with Champagne, a term properly used only for sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France.

still wine  wine that does not contain bubbles.

varietal  wine made from only one variety of grape; e.g., Merlot or Chardonnay.

vermouth  fortified white wine flavored with herbs.

white wine  wine made from grape juice that was not in contact with grape skins during any of its fermentation. If made from white grapes, it will be a pale gold color; if made from red grapes, it may be pale pink.

Sources: winemaking.jackkeller.net; www.wineanswers.com; www.malak.ca/wine; www.epicurious.com; June-July 2009 WineMaker magazine.