Herbal, grassy or vegetable aromas and flavors (often used to describe Sauvignon (Fume) Blanc. When used in conjunction with Cabernets it is used, generally, in a negative sense.
In Portugal this term is applied to wines that have been aged for no less than 3 years (for red) or two years (for white). These are good quality wines with at least 0.5% more alcohol than the minimum required for the area.
French for "velvet." This term is applied to wines that have this texture in the mouth.
The stage where grapes stop their slow ripening process of cell division and begin to grow rapidly through the enlargement of each individual cell. At this time the grapes also change color on the vine towards their final fully ripened reddish-purple...