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Wine glossary
O
Oak/Oaky
A term used to describe woody aromas and flavors; butter, popcorn, and toast notes are found in ‘oaky’ wines.
Oak: American
American white oak (Quercus alba) grows in the Eastern United States and is primarily used in the Bourbon industry. American oak is known for adding flavors of coconut, vanilla, cedar, and dill. Since American oak tends to be more loose-grained, it’s known to impart robust flavors.
Oak: European
European oak (Quercus robur) is sourced primarily in France and Hungary. Depending on where it is grown it can range from medium grained to very fine grained. European oak is known for adding flavors of vanilla, clove, allspice, and cedar.
Oak Chips
Instead of gaining complexity in expensive oak barrels during the aging process, some popularly-priced wines are aged with small pieces of wood to gain their oaky flavors. Also called beans.
Oechsle
Scale used in Germany to measure sugar levels and other solids in grapes or must to determine ripeness and potential alcohol. This scale is based on the density or specific gravity of the must. See also Baumé and Brix.
Oenology
The same as enology is the study of wine and wine making.
Oenophobia
The fear of wine
Off
Off wines are bottles that have been known to display correct aromatics and flavors, but for some reason, that specific bottle is not at the same level. This could be due to the seal of the cork, storage, exposure to heat or various other reasons.
Off-Dry
A term to describe a wine that is slightly sweet.
Oidium
French term for Downey mildew, a fungal disease.
Olallieberry
A hybrid berry resulting from the crossing of loganberry and youngberry, all of which are descended from the blackberry.
Old Vines
In French, old vines is written as Vieilles Vignes. Grapes from old vines have a minimum of 35 years of age. Old vines can producer better, more concentrated fruit, with naturally lower yields. Vines in some regions like Chateauneuf du Pape can be more than 100 years of age.
Old World
The Old World refers to the countries of Europe where winemaking dates back centuries. The Old World was once associated primarily with traditional winemaking techniques, while the New World was known for modern winemaking, though those stereotypes are no longer as accurate.
Olfactory Epithelium
A dime-sized patch of nerve endings situated in the retronasal passage that connects the nose to the mouth. As we inhale through the nose or mouth, this little patch captures airborne aromas and flavors as they pass by and transmits the information to the olfactory bulb, which can distinguish the presence of and identify nearly 10,000 unique aromas even at very low concentrations.
Oloroso
Oloroso is the darkest, richest category of dry Sherry. The wines are aged oxidatively, without the flor yeast cap that protects finos and amontillados, and may have alcohol levels up to 20 percent. The wines have a nutty aroma and flavor, and serve as the base for cream Sherry dessert wines.
Open
Tasting term signifying a wine that is ready to drink.
Open Top Fermenters
The same vat or tank as the traditional vessel used for vinification, but lacking a permanent top, so that the vessel remains open. This is mostly for red wines.
Optical Sorter
Fast and effective method of sorting grapes after harvest using optical technology for image analysis. Optical sorting helps remove unripe and over ripe berries as well as unwanted vegetal material by the size and color of the grapes.
Opulent
Opulent wines offer sensuous textures and richness. This is highly desirable.
Orange Wine
A term used to describe a style of white wine where the grape must is fermented with the skins and the seeds, much like a red wine. The lignin in the seeds dyes the wine a deeper orange color. While this style is very old, wines from eastern Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, and in Brda, Slovenia have created recent interest in this style.
Organic
Grapes grown without the aid of chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
Overripe
Overripe is a misused term. This is because people’s perceptions of ripeness seem to vary. Overripe wines smell of prunes, raisins, cola and other scents.
Ouillage
French term for ullage—the volume of air inside a wine bottle or barrel—as well as for the process of topping off a barrel with additional wine to fill the ullage created by evaporation.
Oxidative
Refers to winemaking practices that deliberately expose the wine to oxygen, such as the use of open-top fermentors and racking. Traditional winemaking exposes the wine to some air, but does not result in oxidized notes. An aggressively oxidative approach can result in nutty notes, as seen in wines such as Sherry or vin jaunes from the Jura.
Oxidized
A wine that is no longer fresh because it was exposed to too much air.
ÖWT
ÖWT stands for Österreichische Traditionsweingüter and is an association of traditional Austrian winemakers founded in 1992 in Kremstal, Kamptal, Traisental, Wagram, and Carnuntum (starting in 2019). Wines labeled with 1ÖWT indicate the wine was from an ERSTE LAGEN or first vineyard site, which signifies a special vineyard site classification. In 2018, there were 72 Ersten Lagen.