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Wine glossary
L
Lactic Acid
A smooth textured acid that is the by product of malolactic fermentation. This is the same acid that is also found in milk.
Lagare
Portuguese term for large, open vats or troughs, typically made of stone, in which wine grapes are crushed by foot.
Landwein
In Austria, Landweins are table wines made with one (or a blend) of the country’s 36 official grapes. There are 3 Landwein regions that you may see used on Austrian wine labels: Weinland, Stiererland, and Bergland.
Late Harvest
A term used to describe dessert wines made from grapes left on the vines for an extra long period, often until botrytis has set in.
Lay Down
Similar term to cellaring. Wines that required laying down, are wines that need time in the cellar to age.
Leafy
Leafy wines are vegetal.
Lean
Lean wines are not concentrated and they have hard edges. They do not offer charm.
Leather
The aroma of old leather club chairs, most frequently associated with older red wines.
Lees
Heavy sediment left in the barrel by fermenting wines; a combination of spent yeast cells and grape solids.
Leesy
A tasting term for the rich aromas and smells that results from wine resting on its lees.
Left Bank
The term denotes an area of Bordeaux, located to the left of the river that is the home of Medoc, where wines from Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe come from.
Legs
A term used to describe how wine sticks to the inside of a wineglass after drinking or swirling.
Length
The amount of time that flavors persist in the mouth after swallowing wine; a lingering sensation.
Lieblich
An Austrian and German term describing medium-sweet wines with up to 45 g/L residual sugar (RS).
Lieu-Dit
Place name, or named vineyard, the smallest parcel that can be named in an appellation.
Lift
The refreshing sensation offered from a wine. Lift comes from acidity. Without lift, a wine would feel fat and flabby on your palate.
Limestone
Made from fossilized seashells and chalk, this type of soil is key for many white wine regions, and in Bordeaux, especially in the Right Bank, in St. Emilion, for Cabernet Franc and Merlot, to a lesser degree.
Limousin
Large oak forest in France, with trees used to produce wine barrels.
Linear
Linear wines offer flavors that remain on the same path and do not change. For example, in the mouth, a dark fruited wine will not change in flavor to red berries.
Lingering
Used to describe the persistence of flavor in a wine after tasting. When the aftertaste remains on the palate for several seconds, it is said to be lingering.
Liqueur d’Expedition
See Dosage.
Liqueur de Tirage
A solution of wine, sugar and yeast added to a bottle of still base wine to begin the traditional method of making Champagne, or méthode traditionnelle. The addition of the liqueur de tirage triggers the secondary fermentation which gives sparkling wine its bubbles.
Lively
Similar to lift, showing freshness in its character.
Loam
A soil containing a mix of clay, silt and sand. The term «loamy» describes a wine with a pleasant earthiness, especially a sweet, dark earth quality.
Loire
A river in central France as well as a wine region famous for Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc.
Long
A positive trait. The longer the flavors and aromatics remain in your senses, the better the wine.
Luscious (or Lush)
Describes wines that are soft, viscous, fleshy and round; more often associated with sweet white wines than rich red wines.