Christofle Silver Wine Accessories and Gifts

French Wine Dictionary

Wine Storage and Coolers

Christofle Wine Cradle

For the oenophile, an exquisitely designed wine cradle which perfectly poises a bottle of wine at the table for serving. The center ring supports a standard wine bottle, and rests securely on its circular base

eSommelier Wine Inventory System
Easily and efficiently catalog your favorite vino varieties. This first fully integrated residential system makes it easy to organize any size wine cellar, then search your collection from anywhere in your home or abroad. More streamlined than typical spreadsheet programs, it prompts you to select the country, region, variety, winery, and vintage from an existing list

 

  Tour de France Wine Gift Pack

  Wines by Variety

• Champagne 

• Cabernets

• Chardonnays and Whites

• Merlots

• Red Wine

• Zinfandels

• Wine Collections

acerbe/astringent: tart 
acrid: pronounced acidity
amertume: bitter
apéritif: appetizer

Appelation d'Origine or Appelation Controle: label term signifying origin and legal right to the name
assertive: upfront, bold
balanced: fruit, acid, wood flavors in the right proportion
bouquet/nose: aroma; sève/palate--flavor and body
Brandy click for a selection of Cognac and Armagnac plus glossary of terms
buttery: flavor and mouth feel, usually Chardonnay
chambrer: bringing reds to room temperature (65-68) gradually
Champagne click for glossary and wine from this region
charnu/ full bodied, big, rich, fills the mouth; léger/light: thin
chateau-bottled: usually Bordeaux, bottled on estate where the grapes are grown
chewy: rich, heavy, tannic, full-bodied

goût/taste: bon goût--good taste; goût de bois-- woody taste; de bouchon--corky ( from diseased cork even in fine wines); d'évent--flat from contact with air; de pierre à fusil/flinty--found in Chablis; de pique--vinegary; de terroir--earthy, usually reds
heady: smell of high alcohol content
legs: viscous droplets that form on sides of the glass when wine is swirled
mou/flabby: lacking in character; mouillé--watered
musty: moldy, unpleasant smell
oxidized: stale, "off,"--too much contact with air
pourriture noble/noble rot: over-ripe grapes making very sweet Sauternes
robust: full-bodied, intense, vigorous
sediment: natural deposits. Decanting-- transferring to decanter for serving.
tannin: acid found especially in reds necessary for aging (dry sensation)
tasting tip: light to fuller bodied, whites before reds, dry to sweet
toasty/oaky: hint of wooden barrel, usually dry whites
usé: passed its peak
velouté/velvety: rich flavor, silky texture
verte/green: usually too young to drink
vin/wine: naturally fermented juice from pressed grapes. du pays: regional wines drunk locally; de goutte: last pressing, poor quality; de garde: worth aging; cuit: concentrated, added to improve other wines; doux: sweet; mousseux: sparkling; ordinaire: table wine; sec: dry
vintage wines: dated bottle, entirely from one harvest only in the best years 
color: from contact with pigment found on grape skin: none, white; limited, rosé, extended, red
Confréries: ancient wine fraternities
coupé/blended: similar wines married for uniform quality; cuvée--the blend
corps/body--richness in alcohol, flavor
corsé: full bodied
crisp: fresh, young
cru: growth or vineyard
complex: all flavor components in harmony
coulant/attractive: easy to drink

délicat/delicate: light- weight with nice flavor
depth: subtle, complex, concentrated layers of flavor; thin lacks body and depth
domaine: followed by a name indicates ownership
élégance/elegant: grace, balance but not longevity
fading: losing color, fruit or flavor
finish/aftertaste: taste remaining after swallowing. Long, lingering finish indicates good quality; short: not remaining on the palate
flat: low acidity or sparkling wine that has lost its bubbles
fruité/Fruity: body, richness with some sweetness-- apples, berries or herbs

There are four main classifications of wine:

Alcoholic content 14% or less. Improve after bottling. The main wine grape growing areas are Alsace (fine white), Loire (moderately priced reds and whites), southern France (inexpensive table wines), the Rhône (wines that match with strongly flavored foods) and, of course, Bordeaux and Burgundy (arguably the best wines in the world).

Sparkling

Champagne 

Fortified

Alcohol increased by adding brandy. Best known types not made in France.  Alcoholic content 16 to 23%.

Vermouth. Alcoholic content 15 1/2 to 20%.

When you're investing in fine French wine, you'll want to be sure it's stored correctly. EuroCave wine storage systems from France give you that confidence. They have been the leaders for 30 years with self-contained wine cellars that replicate the natural cooling conditions of the the chateau cellar. They are available in your choice of capacity (compact to 500+ bottle), temperature control (one, three or extreme temperature cooling), built-in or free standing, and finishes to meet your demanding standards.

Engraved Wine Cooler
An exquisite piece engraved with text and imagesof an authentic French wine label.

  EuroCave wine storage systems. These are the systems that can keep your wines in the same cooling conditions as the chateau cellar. Bottle capacities range from compact to 500+ bottles. Temperature control is available in one, three or extreme temperature cooling. You may select finishes from contemporary in black or wood, or French Country solid pine.  They also offer barrel bottle holders and a French Wine Bar. EuroCave - Premium wine cellars imported from France