AURORE A French-American hybrid white-wine grape grown primarily in New York state. Used to produce fruity white wines with a dry finish and also quality sparkling wines.
Austere Hard and restrained; not overly fruity, but perhaps with subtle flavor characteristics.
AUXERROIS The local name for the Malbec, or Cot, red-wine grape, grown in the Cahors region of France.
AUXERROIS BLANC A white-wine grape grown in the Moselle and Alsace regions of northeast France. Used to produce mildly acidic, honeyed wines for blending with Pinot Blanc in better vintage years.
AUXERROIS GRIS See Pinot Gris.
B
BACO NOIR A French-American hybrid red-wine grape widely grown in the cooler, northern regions of North America. Used to make an intense red similar to Cabernet Sauvignon. Created as a hybrid of the Folle Blanche and a native American grape. Also known as Baco No.1.
BAGA A red-wine grape widely grown in Portugal. Produces acidic wines that tend to age well.
Balance A desireable harmony of flavor characteristics, where no one element overshadows the others.
BARBERA Semi-classic red-wine grape widely grown in northern Italy, especially the Piedmont region, and also California. Possibily a clone of the Perricone, or Pignatello, grape of Sardinia. Used to produce intense reds, of varying tannin levels, for blending or aging.
Big Especially full-bodied and flavorful.
Bitter A usually defective, sharp taste; a desirable flavor characteristic in certain Italian reds such as Amarone.
BLAU PORTUGIESER See Portugieser
BLAUBURGUNDER A Pinot Noir clone widely grown in Germany and Austria. Also known as Spatburgunder in Austria.
BLAUFRANKISCH A Gamay clone grown in Austria, and used to make dry, fruity reds. Also grown in Germany as Blauer Limberger, in Hungary as Kekfrankos, where it is blended with Kadarka to produce Egri Bikaver, and in Washington state, where it is called Lemberger.
BOBAL A red-wine grape widely grown in Spain. Used for blending.
Body The weight, texture, and alcohol content of a wine; See also Full-bodied and Light-bodied.
BOMBINO BIANCA A red-wine grape widely grown in the Apulia region of southern Italy. Used for blending or as a local vino di tavola. A variation grown in the same area is called Bombino Nero.
BOMBINO NERO See Bombino Bianca.
BONARDA See Croatina.
BONARDA (PIEMONTESE) A minor red-wine grape grown in the Piedmont region of Italy. Blended with Barbera to produce a fruity wine of mild intensity.
