Wine Glossary: V

While tasting wine across Washington state, here are some terms you may come across:

Vanilla - A scent imparted by aging in oak, generally new oak.

Varietal - A wine produced and named primarily from a single grape variety.

Vegetal - Aroma or taste that similar to that of leafy greens, of plants, of vegetables; a somewhat grassy character.

Velvety - Rich, silky smooth texture.

Vermouth - A renown fortified wine, white or red, that has been flavored with the addition of aromatic herbs or spices and is most often used as a aperitif or in the mixing of cocktails.

Vidal Blanc - French hybrid white-wine grape variety, used commonly in the USA.

Vignoles - French hybrid white-wine grape, often used in the Eastern USA.

Vigorous - Assertive flavor, strong bodied wine.

Vinous - Tasting descriptive for 'wine-like', 'winey' qualities; the aroma and taste common to all wines.

Vintage - Indicates the season, the year the grapes were grown and the wine was made.

Viognier - French white-wine grape variety most common in the Rhone Valley of France and California.

Viticulture - The science, cultivation and study of grape growing.

Vitis Vinifera - The classic, primary grape species used to produce nearly all of the world's best wines.

Volatile - Powerful. aggressive aroma denoting excessive acidity.