As anyone who knows me will verify, I’m rather partial to the occasional glass of dry white wine – preferably a zesty Sauvignon Blanc from Down Under.

As I’m also a word nerd, a glossary of wine terms seemed to be an obvious topic for a blog post! But, rather than just regurgitate all the common lingo, I thought I’d delve a little deeper by hunting down some of the more unusual wine terms.

So, pour yourself a glass of vino – or grab a mug of tea/coffee if it’s not yet wine o’clock – and dive in!

Alphabetical selection of lesser-known wine terms

ABC = acronym for “Anything but Chardonnay” or “Anything but Cabernet”

Bin = originally used to identify the location in a wine cellar, but now often used in brand marketing (e.g. Hardys Bin 53 Chardonnay)

Capsule = the plastic or foil protective sleeve that covers the top of the bottle

Drip dickey (trademarked name for a drip cloth or wine collar) = cover that fits around the neck of a wine bottle to absorb any drips that run down after pouring

Eiswein (German) = a dessert wine produced from grapes that become frozen while still on the vine

Fiasco = the straw-covered flask traditionally associated with Chianti

Goon = Australian term for inexpensive wine in a box or cask

Horizontal tasting = a tasting of a group of wines from the same vintage or same type, but from different wineries in a region (as opposed to vertical tasting of different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery)

Ice wine = see Eiswein

Jug wine = American term for inexpensive table or bulk wine

Kosher wine = produced under the supervision of a rabbi according to Jewish dietary laws

Lazy Ballerina = the trellis that a wine grapevine is grown on (mainly found in Australia)

Mousse = the sparkling effervescence of a wine

Nose = the aroma or bouquet of a wine

Oenophile = a wine aficionado or connoisseur

Punt = the indentation found in the base of a wine bottle (the better quality the wine, the deeper the punt)

Quaffing wine = simple, cheap, everyday drinking wine

Raisin = French word for a grape

Split = a wine bottle that holds approximately 175ml, i.e. a single serving

Tastevin = a small, very shallow cup used for wine tasting

Unctuous = used to describe lush, rich, and intense wines with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit

Vinous = term used to denote anything relating to wine

Waiter’s friend (also called sommelier knife) = a popular type of corkscrew used in the hospitality industry

Xylem = the woody tissue of a vine

Yield = measure of the amount of grapes or wine produced per unit surface of vineyard

Zymology = the science of fermentation in wine

Over to you

Hopefully this collection of wine terms has not only whet your palette but also enlightened you along the way. I certainly expanded my wine-related vocabulary in the process of writing this post – my favourites being “ABC”, “drip dickey” and “unctuous”!

Which ones were new to you? Any others you’d care to add?

(image courtesy of Paul at Freedigitalphotos.net)

Related

As anyone who knows me will verify, I’m rather partial to the occasional glass of dry white wine – preferably a zesty Sauvignon Blanc from Down Under.

As I’m also a word nerd, a glossary of wine terms seemed to be an obvious topic for a blog post! But, rather than just regurgitate all the common lingo, I thought I’d delve a little deeper by hunting down some of the more unusual wine terms.

So, pour yourself a glass of vino – or grab a mug of tea/coffee if it’s not yet wine o’clock – and dive in!

Alphabetical selection of lesser-known wine terms

ABC = acronym for “Anything but Chardonnay” or “Anything but Cabernet”

Bin = originally used to identify the location in a wine cellar, but now often used in brand marketing (e.g. Hardys Bin 53 Chardonnay)

Capsule = the plastic or foil protective sleeve that covers the top of the bottle

Drip dickey (trademarked name for a drip cloth or wine collar) = cover that fits around the neck of a wine bottle to absorb any drips that run down after pouring

Eiswein (German) = a dessert wine produced from grapes that become frozen while still on the vine

Fiasco = the straw-covered flask traditionally associated with Chianti

Goon = Australian term for inexpensive wine in a box or cask

Horizontal tasting = a tasting of a group of wines from the same vintage or same type, but from different wineries in a region (as opposed to vertical tasting of different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery)

Ice wine = see Eiswein

Jug wine = American term for inexpensive table or bulk wine

Kosher wine = produced under the supervision of a rabbi according to Jewish dietary laws

Lazy Ballerina = the trellis that a wine grapevine is grown on (mainly found in Australia)

Mousse = the sparkling effervescence of a wine

Nose = the aroma or bouquet of a wine

Oenophile = a wine aficionado or connoisseur

Punt = the indentation found in the base of a wine bottle (the better quality the wine, the deeper the punt)

Quaffing wine = simple, cheap, everyday drinking wine

Raisin = French word for a grape

Split = a wine bottle that holds approximately 175ml, i.e. a single serving

Tastevin = a small, very shallow cup used for wine tasting

Unctuous = used to describe lush, rich, and intense wines with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit

Vinous = term used to denote anything relating to wine

Waiter’s friend (also called sommelier knife) = a popular type of corkscrew used in the hospitality industry

Xylem = the woody tissue of a vine

Yield = measure of the amount of grapes or wine produced per unit surface of vineyard

Zymology = the science of fermentation in wine

Over to you

Hopefully this collection of wine terms has not only whet your palette but also enlightened you along the way. I certainly expanded my wine-related vocabulary in the process of writing this post – my favourites being “ABC”, “drip dickey” and “unctuous”!

Which ones were new to you? Any others you’d care to add?

(image courtesy of Paul at Freedigitalphotos.net)

Related

As anyone who knows me will verify, I’m rather partial to the occasional glass of dry white wine – preferably a zesty Sauvignon Blanc from Down Under.

As I’m also a word nerd, a glossary of wine terms seemed to be an obvious topic for a blog post! But, rather than just regurgitate all the common lingo, I thought I’d delve a little deeper by hunting down some of the more unusual wine terms.

So, pour yourself a glass of vino – or grab a mug of tea/coffee if it’s not yet wine o’clock – and dive in!

Alphabetical selection of lesser-known wine terms

ABC = acronym for “Anything but Chardonnay” or “Anything but Cabernet”

Bin = originally used to identify the location in a wine cellar, but now often used in brand marketing (e.g. Hardys Bin 53 Chardonnay)

Capsule = the plastic or foil protective sleeve that covers the top of the bottle

Drip dickey (trademarked name for a drip cloth or wine collar) = cover that fits around the neck of a wine bottle to absorb any drips that run down after pouring

Eiswein (German) = a dessert wine produced from grapes that become frozen while still on the vine

Fiasco = the straw-covered flask traditionally associated with Chianti

Goon = Australian term for inexpensive wine in a box or cask

Horizontal tasting = a tasting of a group of wines from the same vintage or same type, but from different wineries in a region (as opposed to vertical tasting of different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery)

Ice wine = see Eiswein

Jug wine = American term for inexpensive table or bulk wine

Kosher wine = produced under the supervision of a rabbi according to Jewish dietary laws

Lazy Ballerina = the trellis that a wine grapevine is grown on (mainly found in Australia)

Mousse = the sparkling effervescence of a wine

Nose = the aroma or bouquet of a wine

Oenophile = a wine aficionado or connoisseur

Punt = the indentation found in the base of a wine bottle (the better quality the wine, the deeper the punt)

Quaffing wine = simple, cheap, everyday drinking wine

Raisin = French word for a grape

Split = a wine bottle that holds approximately 175ml, i.e. a single serving

Tastevin = a small, very shallow cup used for wine tasting

Unctuous = used to describe lush, rich, and intense wines with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit

Vinous = term used to denote anything relating to wine

Waiter’s friend (also called sommelier knife) = a popular type of corkscrew used in the hospitality industry

Xylem = the woody tissue of a vine

Yield = measure of the amount of grapes or wine produced per unit surface of vineyard

Zymology = the science of fermentation in wine

Over to you

Hopefully this collection of wine terms has not only whet your palette but also enlightened you along the way. I certainly expanded my wine-related vocabulary in the process of writing this post – my favourites being “ABC”, “drip dickey” and “unctuous”!

Which ones were new to you? Any others you’d care to add?

(image courtesy of Paul at Freedigitalphotos.net)

Related

As anyone who knows me will verify, I’m rather partial to the occasional glass of dry white wine – preferably a zesty Sauvignon Blanc from Down Under.

As I’m also a word nerd, a glossary of wine terms seemed to be an obvious topic for a blog post! But, rather than just regurgitate all the common lingo, I thought I’d delve a little deeper by hunting down some of the more unusual wine terms.

So, pour yourself a glass of vino – or grab a mug of tea/coffee if it’s not yet wine o’clock – and dive in!

Alphabetical selection of lesser-known wine terms

ABC = acronym for “Anything but Chardonnay” or “Anything but Cabernet”

Bin = originally used to identify the location in a wine cellar, but now often used in brand marketing (e.g. Hardys Bin 53 Chardonnay)

Capsule = the plastic or foil protective sleeve that covers the top of the bottle

Drip dickey (trademarked name for a drip cloth or wine collar) = cover that fits around the neck of a wine bottle to absorb any drips that run down after pouring

Eiswein (German) = a dessert wine produced from grapes that become frozen while still on the vine

Fiasco = the straw-covered flask traditionally associated with Chianti

Goon = Australian term for inexpensive wine in a box or cask

Horizontal tasting = a tasting of a group of wines from the same vintage or same type, but from different wineries in a region (as opposed to vertical tasting of different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery)

Ice wine = see Eiswein

Jug wine = American term for inexpensive table or bulk wine

Kosher wine = produced under the supervision of a rabbi according to Jewish dietary laws

Lazy Ballerina = the trellis that a wine grapevine is grown on (mainly found in Australia)

Mousse = the sparkling effervescence of a wine

Nose = the aroma or bouquet of a wine

Oenophile = a wine aficionado or connoisseur

Punt = the indentation found in the base of a wine bottle (the better quality the wine, the deeper the punt)

Quaffing wine = simple, cheap, everyday drinking wine

Raisin = French word for a grape

Split = a wine bottle that holds approximately 175ml, i.e. a single serving

Tastevin = a small, very shallow cup used for wine tasting

Unctuous = used to describe lush, rich, and intense wines with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit

Vinous = term used to denote anything relating to wine

Waiter’s friend (also called sommelier knife) = a popular type of corkscrew used in the hospitality industry

Xylem = the woody tissue of a vine

Yield = measure of the amount of grapes or wine produced per unit surface of vineyard

Zymology = the science of fermentation in wine

Over to you

Hopefully this collection of wine terms has not only whet your palette but also enlightened you along the way. I certainly expanded my wine-related vocabulary in the process of writing this post – my favourites being “ABC”, “drip dickey” and “unctuous”!

Which ones were new to you? Any others you’d care to add?

(image courtesy of Paul at Freedigitalphotos.net)

Related

As anyone who knows me will verify, I’m rather partial to the occasional glass of dry white wine – preferably a zesty Sauvignon Blanc from Down Under.

As I’m also a word nerd, a glossary of wine terms seemed to be an obvious topic for a blog post! But, rather than just regurgitate all the common lingo, I thought I’d delve a little deeper by hunting down some of the more unusual wine terms.

So, pour yourself a glass of vino – or grab a mug of tea/coffee if it’s not yet wine o’clock – and dive in!

Alphabetical selection of lesser-known wine terms

ABC = acronym for “Anything but Chardonnay” or “Anything but Cabernet”

Bin = originally used to identify the location in a wine cellar, but now often used in brand marketing (e.g. Hardys Bin 53 Chardonnay)

Capsule = the plastic or foil protective sleeve that covers the top of the bottle

Drip dickey (trademarked name for a drip cloth or wine collar) = cover that fits around the neck of a wine bottle to absorb any drips that run down after pouring

Eiswein (German) = a dessert wine produced from grapes that become frozen while still on the vine

Fiasco = the straw-covered flask traditionally associated with Chianti

Goon = Australian term for inexpensive wine in a box or cask

Horizontal tasting = a tasting of a group of wines from the same vintage or same type, but from different wineries in a region (as opposed to vertical tasting of different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery)

Ice wine = see Eiswein

Jug wine = American term for inexpensive table or bulk wine

Kosher wine = produced under the supervision of a rabbi according to Jewish dietary laws

Lazy Ballerina = the trellis that a wine grapevine is grown on (mainly found in Australia)

Mousse = the sparkling effervescence of a wine

Nose = the aroma or bouquet of a wine

Oenophile = a wine aficionado or connoisseur

Punt = the indentation found in the base of a wine bottle (the better quality the wine, the deeper the punt)

Quaffing wine = simple, cheap, everyday drinking wine

Raisin = French word for a grape

Split = a wine bottle that holds approximately 175ml, i.e. a single serving

Tastevin = a small, very shallow cup used for wine tasting

Unctuous = used to describe lush, rich, and intense wines with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit

Vinous = term used to denote anything relating to wine

Waiter’s friend (also called sommelier knife) = a popular type of corkscrew used in the hospitality industry

Xylem = the woody tissue of a vine

Yield = measure of the amount of grapes or wine produced per unit surface of vineyard

Zymology = the science of fermentation in wine

Over to you

Hopefully this collection of wine terms has not only whet your palette but also enlightened you along the way. I certainly expanded my wine-related vocabulary in the process of writing this post – my favourites being “ABC”, “drip dickey” and “unctuous”!

Which ones were new to you? Any others you’d care to add?

(image courtesy of Paul at Freedigitalphotos.net)

Related

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Home › Posts tagged freelance

You might not realise it but the work of copywriters infiltrates our everyday lives – from TV adverts and flyers through the door to website content and instruction booklets. Yet many people still don’t really know what copywriters are or…

Following on from Part 1 last week, which looked at changes to the type of work I do and my client base, this post explores the major impact that technology has had on my freelance copywriting services – mostly for the better…

The world of freelance copywriting has undergone huge changes since I began back in October 1996 (was it really that long ago?). It didn’t happen overnight though; it’s been a gradual process over many years. Overall, the changes have been…

You might not realise it but the work of copywriters infiltrates our everyday lives – from TV adverts and flyers through the door to website content and instruction booklets. Yet many people still don’t really know what copywriters are or what they do…

First off, what we don’t do

Often, when I’m asked what I do for a living and I reply that I’m a copywriter, the other person assumes that I’m involved in legal work. I then have to explain that a copywriter has nothing to do with copyright (i.e. the exclusive right to publish, perform, film or record literary, artistic or musical material).

This is one of the most common misconceptions about copywriters as the words sound the same, but are spelt differently and have completely different meanings. Even my own brother thought that that’s what I did for several years until it came up in conversation one day and I was able to put him straight!

Alternatively, I receive a completely blank look. Simply saying I write copy doesn’t really help either, as a lot of people don’t understand what that means.

Of course, the easy option would be to just say I’m a writer but then people would assume I write fiction, which is a completely different kettle of fish.

What then is copywriting?

Copywriting is the use of words (copy) to promote a product, service, event, person, business or opinion.

But not all copywriters are alike. Some work in-house, whereas others – like me – are freelancers, working for several clients and on multiple projects simultaneously.

Some copywriters choose to specialise, for example, writing catchy straplines, corporate speeches or technical documents; others take a more general approach and write a broad range of sales and marketing material, such as brochures, web content, newsletters, case studies, blogs etc. SEO copywriters offer a different kind of speciality, combining effective writing skills with an understanding of search engine optimisation techniques and the web user journey.

However, regardless of the subject matter, the format, the media, the audience or the tone of voice, all copywriters share one thing in common: we all work with words, tinkering with them and manipulating them to achieve the desired result.

Words are our bread and butter – and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

(image via)

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