Sweeter Than Wine contains many German phrases and winemaking terms, and we've gotten some questions about what some of it means. Hopefully, the following glossary will help clear up any confusion.
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A black, thick-skinned grape used to make red wine. This variety became very popular during Prohibition, because it could be shipped long distances for sale to home winemakers.
(German) The Universal Farmer's Bank of Schlettstat
A mountainous region on the border of Germany and France, renowned for its wines and unique Franco-German culture. Ownership of Alsace has changed repeatedly between Germany and France. Alsace belonged to Germany 1870-1918 and briefly again during WWII. Since 1918, it has been part of France with the exception of 1940-45.
(German) The square or plaza in front of a train station.
(German) Please. Can also mean, You're welcome.
A fungal disease that attacks grapevines.
A full-bodied red wine usually made from a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes.
A mixture of copper sulphate, lime, and water sprayed on grapevines to prevent fungus diseases.
(German) Fried sausage
A device used to measure the percentage of sugar in grape juice.
A medium-bodied red-wine made from Pinot Noir grapes.
A grape variety used to make full-bodied red wines.
(French) A long reclining chair.
A red wine grape originally from the Piedmont region of France.
A term referring to a full-bodied red table wine made from any of the following grape varieties: Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grignolino, Petit Sirah, Pinot Noir, or Zinfandel.
(German) This is a great way to start something!
(German) You're kidding me!
(German) You are my my heart, my life.
(German) Alsace
(German) A prayer offered during a topping-out ceremony: If it pleases God, protect this house and its inhabitants from misfortune.
Large vats made of wood, slate, or cement in which the fermentation of the grape juice into wine occurs. This is the second step of the winemaking process, after crushing but before aging.
German man's name.
(German) Mrs.
Grape juice extracted by a very light pressing. Considered to be the highest-quality juice for wine-making as it is unaffected by the flavors from crushed seeds or stems.
(German) Go away!
Brandy distilled from marc. See marc.
A grape variety used for making blush (pink) wines.
Traditional Southern German greeting. Used like "hello;" literal meaning: "I greet you in the name of God."
A firm cheese with small holes and a nutty flavor, orginally from Switzerland but used widely in Alsatian cooking.
One of the mountains in the Vosges range of Alsace.
(German) The town, state, or country sentimentally considered the place of one's origin. Literally, "home place."
(German) Mr.
(German) Heart
(German) I'm livid [enraged].
(German) I'm home.
(German) I love you.
(German) Yes
(German) John
(German) man's name
(German) man's name.
A tall, turban-shaped yeast sweetbread, often baked with almonds and raisins, and dusted with powdered sugar.
See Allegemeine Landesbank.
(German) Allow me.
(German) My beloved.
(German) Dear God
(German) Dear God, I beg you...
(German) It doesn't matter.
(French) The mass of grapeskins, stalks, and seeds left over after the grapes have been crushed and the juice extracted. Also known as pomace.
A potent, colorless brandy distilled from marc.
(German) My God.
A hydrogen sulfide contaminant, which gives wine a variety of unpleasant odors such as manure, rotten meat, or rotten eggs. A by-product of sterilizing wine barrels with too much burning sulfur.
(German) Mama
(German) Nothing.
(German) That's a load of nonsense!
(German) A deputy officer in the army-- literally, one who performs an officer's duties without holding an officer's rank.
Also known as "root louse." A tiny insect that lives in the soil, and attacks grapevine roots, eventually killing them with the poison in its bite. Phylloxera devastated vineyards in both the US and Europe in the 1870s, and remains a major problem today.
A light-bodied, fruity white wine made from Pinot Blanc grapes.
A grape variety used to produce either red wines (particularly Burgundies) or champagne.
See marc.
A sweet red wine fortified with distilled spirits.
Also known as oidium. A disease of grapevines that ruins the taste of the grapes and can eventually kill the vine.
(German) Nonsense, rubbish.
(German) Topping-out ceremony, performed when the roofbeam has been raised during the construction of a new house.
A grape variety that produces a light-bodied, lightly aromatic white wine. Generally produced as a dry wine in Germany and Alsace, and as a sweet dessert wine in California.
(German) Endearment-- My treasure
(German) Endearment-- My little treasure
(German) You bastard!
Traditional Alsatian woman's headdress.
(German) Any distilled spirit, but most commonly refers to brandies.
A tart white wine produced in Alsace.
(German) aunt
tartrate
deposit
Crystals of the tartaric acid naturally found in wine, which percipitates out during fermentation.
(French) a winemaking theory that the soil types in a vineyard can affect the flavor of the grapes.
Variety of pink-skinned grape that produces a light-bodied, very fragrant white wine. Traminer was the precursor to the Gewürztraminer varietal commonly grown today in both Alsace and California. Generally produced as a dry wine in Germany and Alsace, and as a sweet wine in California.
(German) father
(German) Damned tire!
(German) Damned automobile!
(German) Water
(German/Alsatian dialect) A pub or tavern specializing in wine.
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