Home > Wine Glossary > E: Edes to Extract

Wine Glossary: E

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Edes (Hungary)
Sweet.

Egrappage (France)
The process of destemming - removing stems/stalks from the grape bunches before fermentation

Eiswein (Germany, Austria)
An expensive, labour intensive sweet wine made from frozen grapes, principally in Germany and Austria, but also in Canada where it is called Icewine. The grapes are harvested during the cold of winter, facilitating the removal of much of the water as ice, intensifying the remaining sugar and flavour. The must weight is generally well over 100 Oechsle (25 KMW in Austria). See my eiswein feature for more information.

Élevage (France)
An umbrella term describing all the winery processes after alcoholic fermentation up to bottling - such as fining, filtration and barrel ageing. It literally describes the 'bringing up' of the wine.

En primeur
A method of purchasing wine before it has been bottled. Payment (not including duty or VAT) is made generally a year or so before bottling (the exact time depends on the region. The wines most common offered en primeur are from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone Valley and Port, although many other regions, including some New World wineries, are following suit. Once the wine enters the UK, it may be stored in bond or, after payment of taxes, be delivered. There is an in-depth exploration of all the aspects of this method for purchasing wine, in five instalments, here: En Primeur.

Entry
A tasting term. Describing the wine on 'entry' is to describe your impression of the wine as it lands in your mouth. Followed by midpalate, finish and length.

Erzeugerabfüllung (Germany)
Means bottled by the producer. Related terms include abfüllung and gutsabfüllung.

Essencia (Hungary)
The free run juice of the Aszú. See Aszú Essencia.

Estufa (Portugal)
The estufa are the hothouses where Madiera is made. The heating of the wine is an essential part in the development of the character and flavour of Madeira wine.

Extract
This refers to the solid compounds in wine, such as tannins. Increasing the level of extract results in more colour and body. It may be increased by leaving the wine in contact with the skins for longer during cuvaison, although too long will result in an unbalanced wine that seems 'over-extracted'.

Glossary pages: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ