The Drops of God

Glass Wine
This refers to wines in a restaurant available by the glass, not just by the bottle. Glass wines tend to be less expensive and more varied than bottle wines. Expensive wines are rarely available by the glass.

Chablis
A village in the Yonne department in the Burgundy region that produced the eponymous dry white wine made from Chardonnay grapes.

Chardonnay
White wine varietal from Burgundy. Chardonnay is easy to grow and tends to be neutral yet malleable in the hands of good vintners, making this a popular choice worldwide.

Alain Hudelot-Noellat
A Burgundian vintner whose wines are often compared to Domaine Leroy (as they both hold vines within the same Grand Cru vineyards). Most wine is sold directly to private buyers, so only about 25% of the production makes it to market.

Domaine
French for “domain” this is name used by winemakers mainly in the Burgundy region.

Mariage
French for “marriage.” This refers to the relationship between food and wine during the course of a meal. Well-matched pairings will complement each other.

Dessert Wine
Sweet wines. Often made from botrytized grapes (those affected by “noble rot”) or grapes that froze on the vine and pressed into ice wine.

Port Wine
Fortified wines (made by adding grape spirits to stop fermentation, preserve residual sugars and increase alcohol content) from Portugal. Red port is a dessert wine, and white or tawny port is often consumed as an apéritif.

Rhône
A wine producing region along the Rhône river in the southeast of France. The Côtes du Rhône AOC is the second-largest in France (after Bordeaux). There is a difference in soil types and climate between north and south, resulting in a variety of styles of wine.

Syrah
A red wine grape varietal commonly used in Côtes du Rhône and Australian wines. Flavors include black pepper spiciness and powerful fruitiness.

Guigal
A winery and wine négociant with 45 ha of vineyards in Côtes du Rhône. Annual production is over 6 million bottles per year (often of very affordable Côtes du Rhône AOC) but they also produce very fine wines that can fetch as much as $800 a bottle.

House Wine
A wine chosen by the restaurant that best complements the type of cuisine served. House wines are often uncomplicated and easy to drink.

Premier Cru
Literally, “first growth.” Used to indicate high-quality vineyards. In Burgundy, Grand Cru is the top classification, with Premier Cru as the second best.

Minerality
A flavor found in some wines. Sometimes mineral in the sense of iron ore, this aspect can bring balance to sweetness.

Limestone
Vineyards with a high amount of limestone in the soil tend to have a lower amount of clay. Limestone is created from the fossilized remains of sea creatures on ancient seabeds. Its porous nature allows it to retain water while also allowing for good drainage due to high permeability.

Sommelier Knife
Usually part of a corkscrew, this knife is used to slice open the foil cap on top of a wine bottle.

Bourgogne Rouge
General AOC for wine produced in the Burgundy region. A level below village, Bourgogne Rouge varies widely depending on the vintner.