B


Bacchus - Roman god of wine.

Baco Blanc & Baco Noir - French hybrid wine varieties.

Baking - Process of making Sherry.

Balanced - Wine in which the tastes of acid, sugar, tannin, alcohol and flavor are, in the opinion of the taster, to be in harmony.

Barbera - Italian red wine grape.

BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) - The U.S. federal agency which collects alcohol taxes and administers wine regulations.

Bead - The bubbles which float on top of wine in the glass.

Beerenauslese - (BAY-ruhn-OWS-lay-zuh) A German term meaning , "berry selection".

Bentonite - A natural clay which is used in clearing wines.

Bianco - Italian word for 'white'.

Big - A rich, full-bodied wine.

Bitter - Referring to tannin in wine. A harsh quality wine can take on. Wine made from grapes that are picked less than optimally ripe, for example, can taste a little bitter.

Black rot - Fungus disease of grape vines.

Blanc de blanc - White wine made from white grapes.

Blanc de noir - White wine made from red grapes.

blend (blending) - The combining of different lots of wine to make a final wine with certain characteristics. A wine may be a blend of different grape varieties (such as a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, for example), or it may be a blend of the same grape variety from different vineyard sites, or even the same grape variety handled differently in the vineyard or during winemaking. In most cases, the goal of blending is to create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.Combining two or more wines to create a more desireable wine by adjusting the flavor or aroma.

Body - The consistency or texture of a wine. A wine with more body has a higher alcohol or sugar content. The weight of a wine in the mouth. Wines are usually described as being either light, medium or full bodied. A wine's body is generally related to the amount of alcohol it contains, the more alcohol, the fuller the body. That said, a wine's body should not be confused with the intensity of its flavor. For example, a wine can be light in body and very intense in flavor at the same time.

Bordeaux - (bohr-DOH) An area in southwest France considered by many to be one of the greatest wine producing regions.

Bordeaux mixture - Spray mix of copper sulfate, lime and water used on grapevines to fight fungus disease.

Botrytis - (boh-TRI-tihs) Fungus, sometimes called "noble rot", which grows only on certain grapes as they ripen under perfect weather conditions.

Bouquet - Fragrance of wine which has its' origins in the production or aging process. Different from aroma which has

Brandy - Liquor obtained from distillation of wine and aged in wood.

Breathing - Allowing wine, after pulling the cork, to sit before tasting several minutes to hours.

Brilliant - Description of a wine which is crystal clear and free from sediment or cloudiness.

Brut - French term referring to the driest Champagne.

Burgundy - Area in eastern France which is one of the most famous wine growing areas.

Buttery - A description of a wine, usually a white wine, that has taken on a slight buttery flavor. This often happens as a result of the wine being barrel fermented and then left for a period of time in contact with the yeast.