Vintner's Vocabulary

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Skin Contact

The process during which the juice of grapes rests in contact with the grape skins; in red wine, the process by which the wines absorb color, tannin, and other substances; not normally used in white wine production, but occasionally used to enhance the aromatic character of the wine.

Sommelier

A wine steward that is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional.

Sur Lie

Wines aged sur lie (French for "on the lees") are kept in contact with the dead yeast cells and are not racked or otherwise filtered. This is mainly done for white wines, to enrich them. Originated in Burgundy, with Chardonnay, and popular in Muscadet, Alsace, Germany and California. Aging wines sur lie adds complexity to wines.