Words of wines

TANNIN - Substance contained in the grapes and that brings a feeling of astringency to the wine.

TARTAR - Crystalline deposit left by a wine after the end of its fermentation.

TASTE (SENSE OF) - Sense that permits the perception of flavours. The main 4 tastes are: sweetness, acidity, bitterness and saltiness.

TASTING - Sensory analysis of the wine's qualities. Three stages are necessary: the eye, the nose, the mouth.

TEARS - Marks left by a wine with a high alcoholic content on the inside surface of the glass. (Synonymous with legs).

"TERROIR" - Natural factors of a vineyard composed of the climate, the period of sunshine, the topography, the pedology and the hydrology. According to the A.O.C, the terroir is a combination of natural and human factors.

THERMOREGULATION - Automatic regulation of the temperatures for the wine fermentation in a vat or a barrel.

THINNING-OUT (OF THE BUNCHES) - Technique that consists in removing some bunches of grapes to favour the ripening of the remaining grapes.

THINNING-OUT (OF THE LEAVES) - Technique that consists in removing the leaves around the grapes to favour the sun exposure and the aeration. In this way, the ripening is made easier and the risk of rot is reduced.

TIE UP (TO) - Technique to train the vine. It consists in putting the vine in a specific and orderly position to make the summer work easier (trimming) and to increase the grapes quality.

TOPPING UP - It consists in filling up the barrels and the vats in order to avoid any alteration and particularly any phenomenon of oxidation.

TRADE - Activity that consists in buying some grape, must or wine, in maturing and then in selling it. In the Centre-Loire vineyards, all the wine merchants are initially wine growers possessing their own vineyard.

TRAIN THE VINE (TO) - Practice of vine growing. (e.g to tie up)

TREADING - It consists in breaking and sinking the marc layer into the juice during the maceration of a red wine to increase exchanges.

TRIMMING - Growing technique that consists in cutting the young shoots of the branch, in June and in July.

TUN - Wooden container of about 600 litres.

TYPICITY - Faculty of a wine for expressing the terroir through the grape variety.