Wine 101- An Introduction Essential and Relevant but Very Short Glossary AVA- American Viticultural Area Appellation- The officially designated “place” of a wine. In the New World, this tells you where the grapes were grown and not much else. In the Old World, it often has implications w/r/t/ grape varietal, ageing, vineyard yields, etc. Dry- A wine whose sugars have all been eaten by yeast and turned into alcohol. Fruit-forward- A wine whose most perceptible characteristic is fruitiness. New World- Everywhere other than Europe. North and South America and Oceania. Oceania- Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Old World- Europe, basically. Reserve- This label term implies a higher quality than a producer’s “regular” offering, and in most cases it is true. However, this term is unregulated and therefore meaningless, legally speaking. Sommelier- French for “wine guy.” Pronounced saw-muhl-YAY, more or less. Sparkling- Wine with bubbles. All Champagnes are sparkling wines, but not all sparkling wines are Champagne- not even close. Still- Wine that is not sparkling. Tannin- This substance allows wine to age gracefully, and also leaves a “dusty” feeling in the mouth when young. Often perceived as “dryness.” Books to Read and/or Buy *Windows on the World Complete Wine Course Kevin Zraly **World Atlas of Wine Jancis Robinson & Hugh Johnson **The Oxford Companion to Wine Jancis Robinson ***Liquid Memory Jonathan Nossiter ****What to Drink with What You Eat Andrew Dornenburg *****Vertical Rex Pickett * If you buy only one of these books, I recommend this one. ** These are hefty reference books. *** This guy knows what he can’t stand, and he’s not afraid to say what it is. He also made a great wine documentary called Mondovino. **** Not just wine, but all beverage pairings. ***** I got interested in this book because one time I was on a plane and this guy next to me was reading it and laughing so hard he almost wet his pants. By the author of Sideways. .