Who, what, when, where, wine?

We all have that friend who talks about the notes in their glass, knows their Chardonnay from their Pinot Gris, can talk with vigour about the differences between Champagne and Crémant and frequently tries to explain the differences between spumante and frizzante to you (you’re yet to master what each mean). While we can’t turn you into the Julien Sarrasin overnight, we can give you this little glossary of wine terms, free of fluff and the unnecessaries to help you get to grips with the industry a little more. Grab yourself a glass of Tilsmore, have a sip and then have a scroll (hopefully some of it sinks in). 

Words you will find on the Tilsmore site

The following list of terms are all ones we use here at Tilsmore. They crop up time again on our site and are used to describe our wines and how they are produced, and there’s no time like the present to understand what on earth it all means. 

Extra Brut 

All Tilsmore wines are listed as ‘Extra Brut’. ‘Brut’ in French means ‘dry’, so essentially they are just a collection of ‘Extra Dry’ wines. Extra Brut bottles have a low sugar content, with Tilsmore coming in at less than 6g of sugar per bottle. We believe by lessening the sugar, we are lessening the masking flavours which in turn really allows our grapes to shine. 

Cuvée 

Most commonly, a cuvée is a blended batch of wine of more than one grape variety. However, that’s not it’s only definition (how helpful). In some instances, specifically when referring to Champagne production, it can be used to describe the first cut from the pressing of the grapes which is regarded as the best ‘juice’. This is where the premium association of cuvée comes from. 

Traditional Method 

Also known as ‘method traditionnelle’ in French. This is the classic way of making a sparkling wine as they do in Champagne, France. The process starts with a dry base wine with no bubbles. Yeast and sugar are added for a secondary fermentation and the bottle is sealed with a cap and stored in a cool cellar. The yeast ferments the sugar in the bottle, creating more alcohol in the process and CO2. This CO2 is sealed in the bottle, so it dissolves within the wine creating that famous ‘sparkle’ we all know and love. 

Low Intervention Methods 

Of course, all vines need a little helping hand somewhere along the line, but at Tilsmore we believe in the less-is-more approach. We handle our growing and harvest with a commonsensical attitude and this follows right through to bottling. That means that our vines are in harmony with our land as well as very little additional ingredients are added to our English Sparkling, as we believe the grapes give more than enough. 

Viticulture 

The scientific study and practice of cultivating grapes including growth, production and harvesting. 

Veraison 

This is the stage in a grapevine’s life cycle where the grapes begin to ripen and change colour. It’s a key stage that impacts the quality of the grapes and therefore the wine they produce. 

Terroir 

French for the geographical characteristics unique to a given vineyard. It takes into account things such as soil, topography and climate. 

Tasting Note Terminology 

Wine notes can be a hilarious read, but once you understand what they are getting at - they can be incredibly helpful for prepping you on what to expect from your glass. Some common descriptors used to describe wine include: silky, bold, structured, tannic, metallic, complex, buttery, elegant, tangy, and bitter. Sound a bit much? The below should help you make a little more sense of them. 

Palate 

Effectively, this is the taste of the wine. Your palate is made up of the tongue, taste buds, the inside of the mouth and the nose (see below). The nose is an important contributor to wine as so much of the flavour we pull on comes from our sense of smell!

Nose

This is a tasting term that describes the aromas and ‘bouquets’ of a wine. 

Primary aromas

These aromas come from the grape variety and include fruit and floral notes. Examples include cherry, fresh-cut grass, and elderflower. Tilsmore 2020’s primary aromas are citrus, green apple and dill. 

Secondary aromas

These aromas come from the winemaking process and include fermentation-derived aromas like nuts, butter, vanilla, and cedar. Tilsmore 2020’s secondary aromas are butter, cream and toasted bread. 

Tertiary aromas

These aromas come from ageing and include a variety of smells like roasted nuts, baking spices, cocoa, coffee, tobacco, leather, and cedar. Tilsmore 2020’s tertiary aromas are almond and honey. 

Bouquet

This term describes the overall complexity of the wine, including the flavours of aged and developed wine. Descriptors associated with bouquets include cinnamon, spice, vanilla, cedar, espresso, stew fruits, herbal, toast, and earth. A bouquet can also be referred to as tertiary notes (see more below). For reference, Tilsmore 2020’s bouquet is characteristic of white wine - like almond and honey. 

Body 

This is how the wine feels in your mouth and covers its weight, texture and richness. Wines can be light-bodied or full-bodied or even somewhere in between. For reference, Tilsmore 2020 is medium bodied. 

Primary flavour

A wine’s primary flavour comes from the grape variety and includes fruit, floral and herbal aromas. A white wine might have a primary flavour of lemon, and a red might have a primary flavour of blackcurrant. For reference, you would describe Tilsmore 2020’s primary flavour as floral, with notes of elderflower and cherry blossom.. 

Secondary flavour 

Secondary flavours come from the winemaking process and include fermentation aromas like cream, bread, mushroom or butter. White wine can have a secondary flavour of butter and red that of toast. For reference, you would describe Tilsmore 2020’s secondary flavour indicative of the malolactic conversion process, like buttery pastry. 

Tertiary flavour 

Tertiary flavours develop with age and include notes of leather, truffle, cigar, tobacco, cedar and mushroom. Common white wine tertiary flavours include honey, and red is often linked to leather. For reference, you would describe Tilsmore 2020’s tertiary flavour as toasted almond or caramel. 

This is just a ‘taster’ of some of the words you can expect to be thrown around in the wine industry. There is a never-ending list of buzz-terms to get your head around. Start small and you will get the hang of it eventually. If in doubt - smell it, sip it, swirl it and then throw out any sort of descriptive word with conviction and people will assume you know what you’re talking about. 

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Want to come up with your own tasting notes for Tilsmore? Order your bottle now and share your thoughts with us over on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag us @tilsmore_ !

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