The M.C. Wine Dictionary – so far…

We’ve been sampling and sampling, and – well – creating a whole new language along the way.  

Presenting the ever-expanding M.C. Wine Dictionary, developed with enthusiasm and the occasional twist of the tongue by many lovely wine people who have contributed! Props are attached to each entry.

New contributions always welcome! Just tweet @MarieChartreuse.

1.     Residge (Keith Nicholson @Keith_wineguy /Paul Watkin @agilepalate):   Shortened term for Residual Sugar (g/L of sugar remaining in a wine after bottling).  It is used amongst wine geeks due to the inability to fully say "residual sugar" after the over-consumption of wine. . .

2.     C-Mac (Paul Watkin): Street for Carbonic Maceration (Coles notes:  a winemaking process where bunches of grapes are fermented in a sealed vessel filled with CO2, which allows the grapes to begin fermenting at an intracellular level.  The result is a wine with more fruit flavours and lower tannins).  As in, we're gonna take some of that Gamay and C-Mac that mutha...bring da colour, bring da fruit yo!

3.     Pinkly (Marie Chartreuse): Describes a particularly beautiful hue of rosé, as well as a rosé moment in time – in this case experienced at the Naramata Inn, Okanagan, with an evening summer patio wine.   As in “This Meunier Rosé is slipping down as pinkly as the sunset.”

4.     Rhonitage (Paul) (roan · i · taj): A term used to describe a wine made from a blend of grapes found in both Bordeaux* and the Rhone Valley**.  For example a Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah blend would be a Rhonitage and thus different from the U.S. term,  Meritage (mare · it · iJ) describing a wine made from a blend of Bordeaux grapes only.  Important to note that we go with a French pronunciation in the term Rhonitage.  The term was made official at the Blackcomb Liquor Store Wine Club in Whistler.  Thanks to MK and the gang!

5.     Manipulatable (Keith): Manipulatable is the glorious term used when speaking of the purely magical way Chardonnay can be guided to express the stunning array of realized dreams by mere mortals.  That and its 19 points in scrabble and let's face it, if you can knock off a 6 syllable word while raving about your Chardonnay with a straight face, you rock.  Quite simply, it's genius. And so is Chardonnay. Pass the corkscrew.

6.     The Vouvs (Paul): Hip term for the wine AOC of Vouvray in the Loire Valley in France.  As in, screw the OC, I'm hittin' the Vouvs to get my Chenin on!  Props to Eva at DPW for coining this. She's so cool!

7.     Exhaustipated (Marie): This isn’t specifically a wine term, but winemakers everywhere may want to adopt it for that marathon known as crush… “Too tired to give a shit!!!”  

8.     Preponed (Marie): Why would you post-pone a glass of wine with friends (or your pet, or favourite Netflix show, or yourself) when you can pre-pone it?!

9.     Bestingly (Paul): This also isn’t a specific wine term… But it sure as hell is a great salutation to friends who you’re about to go out and have a sherry with (at the Sardine Can in our case). But really, you can use it anywhere, anytime.

10. Indi Blend (Madeline Puckette @WineFolly): Our way of describing when a region’s indigenous wine grapes are blended with other local or international grapes.

11. Parkering it up (Blair Curtis): Super-sizing a wine or otherwise tailoring the winemaking process to please the palate of one formerly important American wine critic in hopes of garnering a high score.

12. SazeracArak (Chris Funnell): A Lebanese variation of the famed New Orleans original Sazerac cocktail. A carefully constructed elixir blending fine VS Cognac, muddled sugar cube and a dash of Bekaa Valley’s finest Arak. Traditionally served in a chilled antique chalice crafted from rare Dirka Dirka goat horn. Pairs best with goat shwarma and a vintage Kalashnikov AK-47. 

13. Breakfast Wine (Tim Pawsey @hiredbelly): A highly subjective and flexible term to describe either the first wine(s) of the day to be tasted or, possibly, a wine entirely appropriate to be enjoyed with breakfast: most commonly, though not exclusively, Riesling, lighter unoaked whites—and most bubbles.

14. Seasonable (Marie): Are you a seasonable wine drinker? As in, do you like your big reds in the winter, your oaky Chard as a fall soup wine, crisp whites in the summer, and your Pinot and Rosé all year round? Yep, you are definitely a seasonable wine drinker!

*  Main Bordeaux Grapes:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle

** Main Rhone Grapes:  Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne and a plethora of others.