Primer V

Learn wine vocabulary thanks to this primer specially designed by the Bordeaux Wine School.

V

Vathouse

A building that houses the tanks where vinification takes place.

Vatting

Vinification procedure that involves placing the harvested grapes into a vinification tank in which maceration and alcoholic fermentation will take place.

Vegetal

Aromas that belong to the vegetable family such as hay, green pepper or licorice. When they are too pronounced, the wine is described as a vegetal wine. They are usually the result of prematurely harvested grapes.

Veraison

A vegetative phase in the life cycle of the vine which is crucial for the wine. It is achieved when the grape turns from green to yellow for white grapes, and from black to red for red grapes. At veraison, the berry has reached its maximum size and begins ripening. It increases its sugar content and decreases its acidity. The date of the harvest is usually 45 days from mid-veraison.

Vin de pays (or IGP)

The label Vin de pays was created at the end of the 1960s to enhance the value of production that fell outside the AOC. Since 2009, they have been registered as Indication Géographiques Protégée (IGP) by the European Commission, a symbol of tighter international protection. These round and fruity wines are marketed by growers, cooperatives and other merchants under a commercial label or estate name.

Vinification

All the procedures regarding wine production, from when the grapes enter the storehouse to maturation and bottling.

Virile

Describes a well-structured, full-bodied and powerful wine.

Vitis vinifera

A botanical term that describes the species from which all vine varieties in Europe originate.

Volatile acidity

Produced by acetic, formic and carbonic acids during alcoholic fermentation. It is necessary for the development of the bouquet and the structure and development of the wine.

Volume

Characteristic of a wine that gives the impression of filling up the mouth.