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Wine Glossary: B

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Bacchus
The Roman god of wine. Also a white grape variety, the product of a cross between a Silvaner-Riesling hybrid and Müller-Thurgau.

Backward
A tasting term. Wines described as backward are undeveloped and not ready to drink. They are often young and tannic, and may also be described as austere. The opposite, unsurprisingly, of forward!

Balance
A tasting term. Wines said to have balance have a harmonious combination of tannin, acidity, texture and flavour. This is a vital attribute.

Balthazar
A large format Champagne bottle, equivalent to sixteen standard bottles. See my advisory page on Champagne bottle sizes for more information.

Barrique (France)
The barrique is a wooden barrel, the design of which originated in Bordeaux, France. It has a capacity of 225 litres. It can now be found in the cellars of winemakers worldwide, especially those involved in producing Bordeaux-style blends of quality. The longer a wine spends in barrel the more of the oak flavour it will take on. Strong flavours also result when the alcoholic fermentation takes place en barrique. There are dozens of other barrel shapes and sizes - one commonly found in the New World is the hogshead.

Bâtonnage (France)
The term for stirring of the lees which is employed to impart body and flavour to the wine.

Baumé (France)
A scale for must weight. This is a hydrometric method - meaning that the sugar concentration (and therefore potential alcohol) is calculated from measuring the density of the must. Other scales include Brix, Oechsle and KMW. My article on must weight in my Sweet Wine series gives more information.

Bead
A tasting term used to describe the size of the bubbles in a glass of sparkling wine or Champagne. Some people say that the smaller and more persistent the bead, the finer the wine. Serving temperature may affect it's appearance - a colder wine will effervesce less vigorously.

Beerenauslese (Germany, Austria)
A Prädikat category for sweet wines. A Beerenauslese is made from individually harvested nobly rotten grapes. See also Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.

Bentonite
A clay that can be used as a fining agent.

Bianco (Italian)
White.

Bin number (Australia)
A bin is a storage area in a wine cellar. With each successive harvest, wines were allocated the same bin year after year. With time the bin number became associated with the wine - the Shiraz was stored in bin 50, the Chardonnay in bin 65, for example. Subsequently, It is often the case that bin numbers became brand names depicting a style of wine, and frequently have nothing to do with the origin of the grapes or where the wine has been stored!

Biodynamic vitulture
An extension of organic viticulture, taking into account the effect of the moon and planets on the health of the vines. Based on the principles of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Read more about biodynamics in my profile of one of it's most ardent exponents Nicolas Joly at Clos de la Coulée de Serrant.

Black rot
A fungal vine disease common in North America. It results in small, hard berries.

Blanc (France)
White.

Blanc de Blancs (France)
This describes a white wine made entirely from white grapes. If this sounds like stating the obvious, it is necessary because black grapes can be used to make white wine, as only the skins impart colour - the juice and pulp are clear. This is especially true in Champagne, where two of the three legally permitted varieties are the black grapes Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. A Blanc de Blancs describes a wine made using 100% Chardonnay, the only other legally permitted variety. For more information see my Champagne Guide.

Blanc de Noirs (France)
This describes a white wine made entirely from black grapes. It is a term commonly used in Champagne, with reference to wines made from the black grapes Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. For more information see my Champagne Guide.

Blanco (Spain)
White.

Blind tasting
If you're ever poured a wine without knowing what it is, this is a blind tasting. The advantage of a blind tasting - usually achieved by simply covering the label - is that it removes all prejudices about the wine, and you have to judge it entirely on its merits.

Bodega (Spain)
A term meaning winery, although it may also be applied to a wine-making company.

Body
A tasting term. A wine with plenty of flavour, alcohol, extract and tannin may be described as full bodied. It is a less specific term than texture.

Bordeaux
See my Bordeaux wine guide.

Bordeaux mixture
A vine treatment, comprising copper sulphate, slaked lime and water. The mixture is sprayed onto the vines to treat downy mildew. It is permitted for use in organic and biodynamic vineyards.

Botrytis cinerea
The cause of Noble Rot, Botrytis cinerea is a fungus which, under suitable conditions, attacks grapes on the vines, leaving them shrivelled and dehydrated. For many grapes this can be a disaster, but the process is also invaluable in the production of sweet wines in Bordeaux, Austria, Germany and Tokaji. In unfavourable conditions the fungus is the cause of Grey Rot.

Branco (Portugal)
White.

Brettanomyces
A fungal infection. The Brettanomyces fungus can originate in the vineyard but some wineries are chronically contaminated, the organism living in oak barrels or even on the wooden structure of the winery itself. As a consequence the wines from this vineyard can bear a Brett profile - farmyardy, horsy, sometimes metallic aromas - year after year. Examples of châteaux which are renowned for Brett contamination are Beaucastel (Châteauneuf du Pape, Rhône Valley) and Talbot (St Julien, Bordeaux).

Bricking
A tasting term. It refers to a tawny, brick red colour, which implies age in a red wine.

Brix
A measure of sugar content in grape juice, used particularly in the New World. My article on must weight in my Sweet Wine series gives more information.

Brut (France)
A term used to describe a dry wine (usually Champagne or other sparkling wine), although even dry wines are not generally devoid of sugar, and there may be up to 15 g/l of sugar added as dosage before final bottling. Terms used to describe Champagne with more sugar include sec (which still means dry) and demi-sec.

Burgundy
See my Burgundy wine guide.

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