Taste Decoder
Wine words, in plain English.
Somebody said the wine is “flabby”? The label says “sur lie”? Look it up — 200+ terms decoded, no jargon in the definitions.
Sparkling wine
Méthode Champenoise
The traditional method of producing sparkling wine by inducing a second fermentation within the individual bottle, creating the characteristic bubbles. Used in the production of Champagne and many other premium sparkling wines. Also called the Traditional Method or Champagne Method.
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Blanc de Blancs
French for white from whites. Most commonly used to describe a sparkling wine or…
Blanc de Noirs
French for white from blacks. A sparkling white wine made from red or dark-skinn…
Brut
A general term for a dry Champagne or sparkling wine. Brut wines contain very li…
Cava
A sparkling wine produced in Spain using the traditional method of secondary fer…
Doux
A French term indicating the sweetest category of Champagne or sparkling wine, w…
Extra-Brut
The driest category of Champagne or sparkling wine, containing even less residua…
Extra-Dry
Despite its name, Extra-Dry Champagne and sparkling wine is slightly sweeter tha…
Méthode Champenoise
The traditional method of producing sparkling wine by inducing a second fermenta…
Spumante
The Italian term for sparkling wine. Spumante wines are fully sparkling, as dist…