G - Jargon Buster

Gewürztraminer: Grape variety most famous from Alsace, France but used elsewhere also.

Gout de Champenoise: Translates to ‘Taste of Champenoise’ (Champenoise is an appellation in the Champagne region)

Grape Skin Pigment: The colour of the grape skin. Wine in contact with grape skin will contract colours from the skins themselves, mostly used for red wines.

Green: A tasting term describing the grassy, herbaceous or vegetal taste of wines which were grown in too cool a climate. Unripe, green grapes in mid-season have this characteristic naturally, but it disappears as warm temperatures mature the berries to full ripeness. The vegetative character disappears as fruity character appears during maturation. Sometimes when grapes are forced to grow in too-cold summertime weather, they appear to ripen outwardly and yet retain some of this green taste. It remains in the wine, even after considerable aging. Years afterwards, the winemaker continues to apologize for the vintage as "an off year."

Savvy winemakers have learned to match their grape varieties to the local climate: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and a few others like cool climates and produce great fruitiness without greenness. On the other hand, Cabernet, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Syrah and most Italian varieties require more warmth during the growing season to attain optimum fruitiness without any green flavours in their wines.

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