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Key to Rick's Wine Journal Comments and Notes and related Wine Terms |
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Highly Recommended - Find it, buy it, drink it, and store more |
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Cellar Selection from Rick's or friends' cellar |
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Recommended wine to try and buy. |
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Selection from my wine cellar |
| $ | $X - Published price, price paid or 'street' price or range of prices I have seen in the trade |
| $RP | Release price set and charged by the producer upon release of the wine. |
| $MP | Market price - price charged or quoted by retailers or brokers |
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Appellation - AOC |
An appellation is a geographical-based term used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced. On French wine bottles look for the term Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), which translates as "controlled term of origin" is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). In America appellation status is designate as an AVA - American Viticultural Areas by the US Dept of Agriculture. The Italian system is Denominazione di origine controllata - (DOCG). |
| AU | Australia - major emerging wine producing country |
| Auslese |
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| AVA |
American Viticultural Areas (AVA)denoting a wine grape growing area recognized and formally designated by the US as a "delimited grape growing area" that has a distinctive set of common properties including but not limited to climate, micro-climate, soil type, altitude, and other factors the taken together contribute to and make up the character of grapes grown in that AVA. AVA's are defined by the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). The TTB defines these areas at the request of wineries and other petitioners. There were 187 AVAs as of April, 2007 Prior to the installation of the AVA system, wine appellations of origin in the United States were designated based on state and county boundaries. All of these appellations were grandfathered into federal law and may appear on wine labels as designated places of origin, but these appellations are distinct from AVAs. |
| BB | Designated by Wine Spectator to be a Best Buy - good value, invariably less than stellor wines. |
| Barossa | Major wine growing region or appellation in the central south of Australia. Wines from there are made from Syrah, also referred to as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and or merlot varietals. |
| Beerenauslese |
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| Bordeaux | Premier French wine growing region in the southeast of France along the Gironde River estuary centered around the city of Bordeaux. The Bordeaux region consists of 300,000 acres and over 9000 producers. The Left Bank to the south of the Gironde produces wines predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot and small amounts of Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, or Malbec. Famous notable appellations are St. Estephe, St.Julien, Pauillac, Medoc, Graves and Marqaux The Right Bank, to the north and west of the Gironde produces wines primarily of Merlot. Famous and notable appellations are St.-Emilion and Pomerol. Primary varietals: Red (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc) and White (Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc). |
| BYOB | Colloquial acronym for 'Bring Your Own Bottle'. Many restaurants rely largely on their beverage revenues for profits and resist BYOB. "Wine friendly'' restaurants allow or even encourage customers to bring their own wines. It is reasonable and customary to charge a 'corkage fee' in such circumstances. |
| CA | California - Leading growing region in US |
| CDP | Chateauneuf Du Pape - Town and Appellation in the Southern Rhone Valley in France - See WL. |
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Cabernet Sauvignon Cab |
Cabernet Sauvignon Varietal Grape - The undisputed king of red wines, Cabernet is a remarkably steady and consistent performer. It grows well in many regions, and is capable of rendering wines of uncommon depth, richness, concentration and longevity. Cabernet has an affinity for oak and usually spends 15 to 30 months in new or used French or American barrels, a process that, when properly executed imparts a woody, toasty cedar or vanilla flavor to the wine while slowly oxidizing it and softening the tannins. Microclimates are a major factor in the weight and intensity of the Cabernets. Winemakers also influence the style as they can extract high levels of tannin and heavily oak their wines. |
| Chablis | A wine grape varietal. Authentic Chablis is made in France from pure Chardonnay. However, many wineries market a "Chablis" which can be any semi-dry blend of white wines. |
| Champagne | The famous wine growing region in France. Only sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of Northeastern France can boast this name. Champagne can be made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier. Similar wines that come from anywhere else in the world are known as "Sparkling Wines." |
| Chardonnay | A wine grape varietal. The "king of white wines." Chardonnay is the single most popular wine in the world (if you judge by sales). It makes consistently excellent, rich and complex whites. This is an amazingly versatile grape that grows well in a variety of locations throughout the world. In Burgundy, it is used for the exquisite whites, such as Montrachet, Meursault and Pouilly-Fuiss�, and true Chablis; in Champagne it turns into Blanc de Blancs. Chardonnay has reached superb maturity in many California regios as well. Among the many other countries that have caught Chardonnay fever, Australia is especially strong. |
| Corkage Fee | A Corkage Fee is charged by a restaurant for serving a customer's BYOB wine. A corkage fee will reflect the restaurant's policy and willingness to accommodate such practices. Naturally restaurants rely on beverage revenues to support their business so it is reasonable and customary to charge for the handling of BYOB wines. My strong and emotionally charged opinion is that proper protocol dictates that restaurants should honor and accommodate collectors who bring special bottles from their cellars - aged, hard to find, or notable wines, or vertical or horizontal selections for special dinners. It is reasonable for them to discourage BYOB customers who simply reduce their cost of dinner by buying 'retail' and offseting the restaurant margins on the wine. Reasonable corkage fees should range from $10 to $25 for a moderate to upscale restaurant. Reasonable margins on wine would render this practice unnecessary except where the winelist does not offer sufficient breadth or depth or selections for one's preference or taste. Naturally we frequent restaurants proportionately to their reasonableness and liberalness of their corkage policy. Many restaurants allow BYOB with a very modest or no fee. This should be taken into account and factored into the tip and or patronage loyalty. Usually restaurants are reasonable in these matters. Those that are not should be avoided as there are many alternatives in the marketplace. |
| Cotes du Rhone | A wine region and appellation along the Rhone River valley in the central south of France also associated with a style of wine. (Also Cotes du Rhone-Village). Blended wines , not only of the14 grape allowed grape varieties, Grenache being chief among them, but blended from village to village as well. Of varying quality, they are best when made by the traditional barrel fermented techniques and not the newer carbonic maceration technique (which is how Beaujolais is made, and why everything made this way tastes like Beaujolais). |
| CS | Cellar Selection - Designated by Wine Spectator to be classic - worth collecting and cellaring. |
| FR | French wine or France - major wine producer |
| IT | Italian Wine or Italy - leading wine producing country |
| Br | Bordeaux - major French wine producing region around the city of Bordeaux along the Gironde estuary - cabernet sauvignon blends on the left bank - merlot blends on right bank |
| Bu | Burgundy - major French wine producing region - pinot noir reds and chardonnay whites. |
| Rh | Rhone - major French wine producing region along the Rhone river - upper Rhone and southern Rhone |
| DE | German wine or region |
| CL | Selection from my Cellar |
| DOC - DOCG |
Denominazione di origine controllata is an Italian quality assurance label for food products and especially wines (an appellation). It is modelled after the French AOC. It was instituted in 1963 and overhauled in 1992 for compliance with the equivalent EU law on Protected Designation of Origin, which came into effect that year. There are three levels of labels:
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Eiswein (ice wine) |
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| Feature | Featured Wine Producer or Wine - Mentioned so often to merit a dedicated page on Rick's WineSite. |
| Gewurztraminer | A wine grape varietal. also associated with a particular style and the French Alsace wine growing region or appellation in the old world sense. Gewurztraminer can yield magnificent wines, as is best demonstrated in Alsace, France, where it is made in to a variety of styles from dry to off-dry to sweet. The grape needs a cool climate that allows it to get ripe. It's a temperamental grape to grow and vinify, as its potent spiciness can be overbearing when unchecked. At its best, it produces a floral and refreshing wine with crisp acidity that pairs well with spicy dishes. When left for late harvest, it's uncommonly rich and complex, a tremendous dessert wine. |
| halbtrocken | German wine term meaning 'half-dry' wine measuring sweetness of wine as measured in acidity by grams of sugar per liter with 12 being low and 18 being high - half-dry or halbtrocken wine has medium sugar content - medium acidity. |
| horizontal | A term referring to a selection or collection of wines from the same vintage across a series of different producers, region or AVA's, or varietals. |
| Kabinett |
The different Prädikat designations used are as followed, in order of increasing sugar levels in the must:
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| Link | Link to related website. |
| Label | Label has been scanned for reference. Click on L or picture link to view the label. |
| Maitre de Chai | Master of the celler. The one that tends to the wine while it is aging, typically in oak barrels to add the distinction oak flavor, or to soften or tailor and shape the wine. |
| McLaren Vale | Major wine growing region or appellation in the central south of Australia. Wines from there are made from Syrah, also referred to as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and or merlot varietals. |
| Merlot | A wine grape varietal. - Merlot is the red-wine success of the 1990s: its popularity has soared along with its acreage, and it seems wine lovers can't drink enough of it. It dominates Bordeaux, except for the Medoc and Graves. Though it is mainly used for the Bordeaux blend, it can stand alone. In St.-Emilion and Pomerol, especially, it produces noteworthy wines, culminating in Chateau Petrus. In Italy it's everywhere, though most of the Merlot is lighter in style. Several styles have emerged. One is a Cabernet-style Merlot, which includes a high percentage (up to 25 percent) of Cabernet, similar currant and cherry flavors and firm tannins. A second style is less reliant on Cabernet, softer, more supple, medium-weight, less tannic and features more herb, cherry and chocolate flavors. A third style is a very light and simple wine; this type's sales are fueling Merlot's overall growth. Like Cabernet, Merlot can benefit from some blending, as Cabernet can give it backbone, color and tannic strength. It also marries well with oak. Merlot's aging potential is fair to good, but may become softer with age. |
| Montepulciano | Popular Italian red wine varietal. also associated with a particular style and wine growing region or appellation in the old world sense.. The most ancient document concerning the wine of Montepulciano dates back to 789: the minor clerck Arnipert gave the church of St. Silvester or St. Salvador in Montepulciano on Amiata Mount a strip of land where vineyard was grown in the castle of Policiano. The wine of Montepulciano became very important in 1685, when Francesco Redi ends lines dedicated to the wine in his dithyramb "Bacchus in Tuscany" with: "Montepulciano is the king of all wines". Very dark, almost inky garnet in color, with black fruit aromas and an odd but appetizing whiff of coffee. Full and ripe black-fruit flavors are backed by bright acidity, with good fruit and pleasant spice continuing in a long finish. |
| Montrachet | A wine grape varietal. also associated with a particular style and French wine growing region or appellation in the old world sense. Exquisite white Burgundy (France). Powerful bouquet of apples, minerals and spices. Immensely satisfying aroma. Very elegant yet full of flavors. Not somber or reserved, yet not as "fat" and viscous as Meursault. Steely tones combine with richness to make this wine extremely tasty. |
| Nebbiolo |
A wine grape varietal. most associated with a wine growing region in Northern Italy. The great grape of Northern Italy, which excels there in Barolo and Barbaresco, strong, ageeable wines. Mainly unsuccessful elsewhere, Nebbiolo also now has a small foothold in California. So far the wines are lighter and less complicated than their Italian counterparts. |
| new world | New world refers to the emerging wine growing regions and countries with short histories of producing wines - most notably Southern Hemisphere countries Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa as well as the United States and Canada. New world styles tend to have more predominant, intense, ripe fruit sometimes called 'fruit forward' as opposed to the old world more earthy, leathery, with more subdued fruits. These styles are oriented to consumer's shifting as well as tastes of new younger wine drinkers. As the trend shifts towards more new world styles, many old world producers are shifting their styles accordingly. New world producers name a wine after the varietal or type of grape whereas 'old world' producers, name a wine after the appellation or growing area where the grapes were grown. |
| old world | Old world refers to the traditional wine growing countries with long ancient histories of producing wines - most notably European countries France, Italy, Germany and Portugal. Old world styles tended to be more earthy, leathery, with more subdued fruits as compared to the 'new world' modern more fruit oriented style. As the trend shifts towards more new world styles, many old world producers are shifting their styles accordingly. 'Old world' producers, tend to name their wine after the appellation or growing area where the grapes were grown reflecting their history and heritage, whereas.new world producers name a wine after the varietal or type of grape. |
| Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris | A wine grape varietal most commonly found in Italian white wines. Known as Pinot Grigio in Italy, where it is mainly found in the northeast, producing quite a lot of undistinguished dry white wine and Collio's excellent whites. As Pinot Gris, it used to be grown in France's Burgundy and the Loire, though it has been supplanted, but it comes into its own in Alsace--where it's known as Tokay. Southern Germany plants it as Rul�nder. When good, this varietal is soft, gently perfumed and has more color than most whites. |
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Pradikatwein QmP |
The Prädikatswein (formerly QmP) category is the classification system for most high-quality German wines, with the exception of some top-quality dry wines. The different Prädikat designations differ in terms of the required must weight, the sugar content of the grape juice, and the level required is dependent on grape variety and wine-growing region. |
| Rhone | The Rhone River valley flowing north to south in the center of southern France ending at Marseille is home to two major wine growing regions - the northern and southern Rhone River valley regions. Major notable appellation in the southern area around the cities or Orange and Avignon are Chateauneuf du Pape centered in the city of the same name, Cotes du Rhone, and lesser known appellations of Gigondas and Vayqueras. The rules of the appellation there allow up to thirteen different specified varietal grapes but the most popular and common are Syrah, Grenach, Cinsault, and Mouvedre. |
| Riesling | A wine grape varietal most commonly found in German white wines. Undoubtedly the best German wines are made from Riesling. This white grape is capable of developing intense flavors at lower ripeness levels, making it an ideal cultivar for Germany's northern climate. Under the right weather conditions, Riesling will ripen late into autumn, rendering late-harvest styles. When combined with an attack of Edelf�ule, these late-harvest grapes produce some of the most stunning and longest-lived wines around. Rieslings are distinguished their floral perfume, but after that they vary widely. In Germany's Mosel-Saar-Ruwer area, the wines are delicate and subtle, with very low alcohol, while in the Pfalz they become spicy, exuberant and full-bodied. In Alsace the result is bone-dry. Because Riesling is one of the grapes susceptible to Botrytis cinerea, it also produces luscious late-harvest dessert wines. Riesling was Australia's most-planted white until Chardonnay surpassed it. In California this grape is known occasionally as White Riesling. It has been declining in acreage the past few years and quality rarely rises above the good category. As a dessert wine, though, it can be exceptional. Grows best in cool areas that allow the grapes to ripen slowly, so it is also found in Canada--where it is being used to produce eiswein--and Oregon and Washington state. |
| RC | Humble ratings and reviews from tech colleague and fellow wine geek Rick Conover from Atlanta, GA. |
| RM | My humble rating of a wine based on the 100 point scale. Not to quantify so much as to set a relative expectation of how enjoyable I find the wine. |
| RP |
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| RP or RMP | Robert Parker's rating. He is the master, a legend that can make or break a wine's marketability with a simple number. He has the a gift of an extraordinarily sophisticated and sensitive palate, combined with a library in his mind of taste associations. He'll pick apart and categorize a wine and detail its vast and most subtle nuances. He uses the 100 point scale described herein. He publishes his ratings in a newsletter - The Wine Advocate. He is also the author of several books. |
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Ratings See Wine Rating Page |
The ratings - typically a two digit number in
parenthesis are from Robert Parker or Wine Spectator or as indicated. They
are based on a 100 point scale - 95-100 Classic - a great wine 90-94 - Outstanding - a wine of superior character and style 80-89 Good to Very Good, a wine with special qualities 70-79 Average, a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws 60-69 Below Average, drinkable but not recommended 50-59 Poor, undrinkable, not recommended - (use it to remove tar and bugs from your car's surface - or to clean tools perhaps.) |
| Sang | Sangiovese Grape varietal |
| ST | Steven Tanzer of The International Wine Celler |
| Spätlese |
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| SS | Spectator Selection - Designed by Wine Spectator to be a classic. |
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Trockenbeerenauslese TBA |
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) - term from the German Pradikats (QmP) system meaning "select dry berry harvest" or "dry berry selection" referrubg ti wine made from selected overripe shrivelled grapes often affected by noble rot making extremely rich sweet wines. |
| trocken | German wine term for dry wine measuring sweetness of wine as measured in acidity by grams of sugar per liter with 2 being low and 9 being high - dry or trocken wine has low sugar content - high acidity. |
| varietals | Type or variety of grape used predominantly in a wine. New world producers name a wine after the varietal or type of grape whereas 'old world' producers, such as the French and Italians name a wine after the appellation or growing area where the grapes were grown. |
| Verdicchio | A wine grape varietal but in the old world vernacular, also a growing region. Verdicchio is cultivated and produced in the area of Italy known as "The Marches," situated just in the center of Italy, between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. Although the Marches are not a large region (less than 10.000 Km2 roughly), visitors can admire an outstanding range of landscapes: from the sea to the hills, from the valleys crossed by several rivers to the tops of the highest mountains. Thanks to this variety, this region differs considerably from all the other Italian regions. Verdicchio is a very clear and intense wine, of a pale yellow with greenish tones, with a rich and delicate bouquet, full-bodied and savory, with the typical slightly bitter aftertaste. |
| vertical | A term referring to a selection of collection of wines across a series of different vintages, not necessarily continuous, typically from the same producer, same region or AVA, or varietal. |
| WA | Wine Advocate - aka RMP - Robert M Parker - see. |
| WAV | WAV sound file attached with audio pronounciation of name/word |
| WE |
Wine Enthusiast Magazine |
| WL | Reference to my Wine Library - a selection of wine and travel books. |
| WS |
Wine
Spectator Magazine |
| WS | Wine Spectator Magazine Rating based on the 100 point scale - see below. Unlike Mr. Parker in the Wine Advocate, Spectator has as many as two dozen different raters in their various writers and editors. Typically, they'll reveal themselves and their ratings with their initials at the end of a rating ie. JL for James Laube their California writer. |
| W&S |
Wine & Spirits Magazine |
| (WS) CS | Cellar Selection - Wine Spectator Rating of distinction - A wine they believe will will improve most from additional bottle age and show the greatest potential as a collectible. |
| (WS) SS | Spectator Selection - From Wine Spectator Magazine - Their highest recommendation. Although they are not the highest scoring wines, they are the wines they think would make the most outstanding purchases. More expensive wines must be especially good to earn this distinction. |
| Zinfandel | A wine grape varietal. The origins of this tremendously versatile and popular grape are not known for certain, although it is thought to have come from Southern Italy as a cousin of Primitivo. It is the most widely planted red grape in California (though Australia has also played around with the grape). Much of it is vinified into white Zinfandel, a blush-colored, slightly sweet wine. Real Zinfandel, the red wine, is the quintessential California wine. It has been used for blending with other grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. It has been made in a claret style, with berry and cherry flavors, mild tannins and pretty oak shadings. It has been made into a full-bodied, ultra-ripe, intensely flavored and firmly tannic wine designed to age. And it has been made into late-harvest and Port-style wines that feature very ripe, raisiny flavors, alcohol above 15 percent and chewy tannins. Styles aimed more for the mainstream and less for extremes, emphasizing the grape's zesty, spicy pepper, raspberry, cherry, wild berry and plum flavors, and its complex range of tar, earth and leather flavors. |
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Page updated 01/27/2008
