Food & Wine Discoverie: Natalie Maclean's

Has just launched a Wine Glossary on her website, Nat Decants with definitions to common wine terms.
Click on Wine Glossary to see it in its entirety. More than 64,000 wine lovers subscribe to Natalie's free wine e-newsletter.

Experience the V’s for just a sampling of what is there.

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Varietal wines
Any wine that takes its name from the predominant grape variety. This is common in the New World, but in Europe wines are usually labeled with the place name.

Vigneron/Vigneronne
The French words for winegrower.

Vigorous
Firm, lively fruit, strong body; assertive flavor.

Vin
The French word for wine.

Vinegary
Having the smell of vinegar. It is a fault in wine.

Vintage
The year that the grapes were picked to make the wine, usually indicated on the label. The vintage is important in cool climates, such as France, Canada and Germany, where the weather varies significantly from year to year. In warmer climates, such as Australia, Chile and California, it's of less importance since the climate is more consistent and hospitable to grape growing.

Volatile, Volatile Acidity (VA)
The smell of acetic acid and/or ethyl acetate. It is quite disagreeable when excessive though a tiny amount may enhance aromas.

Natalie also wrote an article for the December issue of the American food and wine magazine Bon Appetit entitled Canada's Liquid Gold.

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Food & Wine Discoverie: Natalie Maclean's

Experience the V’s for just a sampling of what is there. V

Experience the V’s for just a sampling of what is there.

V