Somm Proficiency Level Two: Other Europe & Asia

Flashcards covering vocabulary, indigenous grapes, historical vessels, and specific wine styles from the Somm Proficiency Level Two lecture on Europe and Asia.

Thalassitis

A term for Greek wine diluted with seawater, coming from the word Thalassa meaning "Sea".

Oinochooi

A term coined between 800 to 300BC meaning "those who pour wine".

Krater

A large Greek mixing jar used for wine, with unearthed examples sized up to $1000\,L$.

Pithoi

Large jars used for fermentation in 4th century BC Greece.

Cava (Greek PGI)

A labeling term for PGI Wines aged $1\,\text{yr}$ for white and $3\,\text{yrs}$ for reds, with $6$ and $12$ months in oak respectively.

Agiorgitiko

A red grape from Nemea known as the "St George Grape".

Xinomavro

A red grape variety whose name means "Acid-Black", found in Amynteo, Goumenissa, Naoussa, and Rapsani.

Assrytiko

A white grape variety from Santorini, often used in Vin Santo production.

Nykteri

A Santorini wine harvested before dawn, pressed, and aged $3$ months with some flor; the name means "Night Wine".

Aszú

Botrytized grapes in Hungary, hand-harvested and put into baskets called Puttonyos.

Puttony

A basket used in the Tokaj region for harvesting Aszu grapes, with a capacity of $25\,kg$.

Goncs

The standard $136\,L$ barrel used in the Tokaj region of Hungary.

Esszencia

A Tokaj wine made from the free-run juice of the first batch of fruit, slow-fermented to reach at least $450\,g/L$ of residual sugar.

Bikaver

Meaning "Bulls Blood", a red blend produced in the Eger and Szekszard PDOs of Hungary.

Egri Csillag

Meaning "Star of Eger", a white wine blend from Eger made from at least $4$ varieties.

Controliran

A Bulgarian classification that controls yields and sugar within a DGO (Declared Geographical Origin).

Rakia

A Bulgarian distillate produced in regions like the Valley of the Roses.

Grasa di Cotnari

Meaning "fat grape of Cotnari", it is used to make sweet wines in the Moldovan Hills of Romania.

Opoka

A specific marl soil type found in the Goriska Brda PDO of Slovenia.

Cvicek

A Slovenian wine from the Doljenska PDO made from a blend of white and red grapes.

Plavac Mali

A dominant red grape on the Peljesac Peninsula in Croatia, parented by Tribidrag and Dobricic.

Öküzgözü

A Turkish red grape variety whose name translates to "Bull’s Eye".

Boğazkere

A Turkish red grape variety whose name translates to "Throat Burner".

Qveri

Earthen clay jars in Georgia used for winemaking, averaging $500-2000\,L$; the word means "something deep in the ground".

Satsnakheli

A hollowed-out tree trunk used in ancient Georgia as a vessel for crushing grapes.

Kantsi

An old Georgian drinking horn used for wine.

Dôle

A Swiss wine from Valais made from either pure Pinot Noir or a minimum of $51\%$ Pinot Noir blended with Gamay.

Oeil-de-Perdrix

A Swiss wine specialty from Neuchâtel made from Pinot Noir.

Bacchus

A white grape variety widely planted in the UK, particularly in Sussex, East Anglia, and Cornwall.

Cabernet Gernischt

A grape variety that performs well in the Ningxia region of China.

Koshu

A grape variety found in 1186 in Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture, named after a wild grape found by a villager.

Muscat Bailey A

A Japanese hybrid grape variety developed in 1927 by Zenbe Kawakami.

Commandaria

The most famous wine from Cyprus, made with sun-dried Xynisteri and Mavro grapes.

Divin

The name for brandy produced in Moldova, also serving as a PGI designation.