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.
Vineyard
Rootstock
What it means in wine
Rootstocks are chosen for pest resistance, soil compatibility, drought tolerance, vigor control, and other viticultural needs.
Why it matters
Rootstock is usually not the named grape variety on a wine label, but it can strongly affect vineyard performance.
Want it explained for your bottle? Ask Scott about “Rootstock”.
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Vineyard
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Winemaking
Aspect
The direction a vineyard slope faces.
Budbreak
The spring stage when grapevine buds open and new shoots begin to grow.
Canopy Management
The management of grapevine leaves, shoots, and fruit exposure.
Clone
A selected vine lineage within a grape variety, propagated for particular traits…
Dry Farming
Growing vines without regular irrigation after establishment, relying mainly on …
Elevation
The height of a vineyard above sea level.
Grafting
The joining of one grapevine variety or clone to a separate rootstock.
Green Harvest
The removal of unripe grape clusters before harvest to manage yield or ripening.
Harvest
The picking of grapes for winemaking.
Irrigation
The application of water to vineyard soils or vines.
Old Vines
A non-universal term for mature grapevines, often used to imply age, low yield, …
Phylloxera
A vine pest that devastated many European vineyards in the nineteenth century.
Ripeness
The maturity level of grapes at harvest.
Rootstock
The root portion of a grafted grapevine.
Soil
The ground material in which vines grow, including mineral particles, organic ma…
Veraison
The stage of grape ripening when berries begin to soften and change color.
Yield
The amount of grapes produced by a vineyard, often measured per acre, hectare, o…