The Roman legions certainly brought vines into France Already in
Roman times the cool northern Burgundy region had been identified as
ideally suited to production of fine quality wines. and the warmer
southern regions ideally suited for lesser quality, but higher quantity
of wine. With wines being made in France for a few thousand years,
the French have developed an entire vocabulary used to describe
wines. Many of their terms are used world wide by wine growers and wine
writers. Below is a list of terms you may have come across and which
may have puzzled or intimidated you. Now your days of puzzlement or
intimidation are over ! . You can even drop a few fancy terms into your
own conversation. Enjoy !

The first terms are concerned with how a wine looks at first glance:

Le Voir. seeing.
La Robe. refers to the general way the wine comes across to
the viewer from 4 visual aspects:
Limpidité. limpidity or clarity
Brillant brilliance
Teintes colors
Viscosité viscosity or surface tension.

Limpidity can be further qualified as follows:
claire light
faible weak
légère slight
faneé faded
tendre delicate
pure clear
net clean
cristalline crystal clear
diaphane transparent
chatoyante iridescent
bien habillee well dressed
mal habillee poorly dressed
foncée dark
terne dull
vive vivid
riche rich
chargée too colored
voilée cloudy
louche cloudy
borrue murky
plombée livid
bleuatre off color, bluish
grisatre off color, greyish
tuilée off color, brick like
opalescent resembling an opal

Here's a range of tints for white, red and rosé wines:
Vins blancs white wines
jaune clair light yellow
jaune serin canary yellow
jaune d'or golden
jaune paille straw colored
jaune ambré amber colored

Vins rouges red wines
rubis ruby red
franc red
grenat garnet
pourpre crimson
violacé purple

Vins rosés rosé wines
oeil-de-perdrix brilliant pale red
rosé vif brilliant pink
pelure d'oignon onion skin pink
tuile tile like pink
faible pale pink
gris palest pink

More important than appearance is smell. Below are some
terms associated with the odor of wine

Odors are often divided into two categories, which are not easily
distinguished:
A. L'arôme fragrance
B. Le Bouquet bouquet

The following terms are often used to describe odor
fruité with the odor of different fruits, not merely grapes.
floral with the odor of flowers
framboisé suggesting raspberries
fin refined
parfumé perfumed
truffé full
delure wide awake
subtil subtle
riche rich
il a du nez has "nose"
il a du panache has style
court insufficient
vulgaire dime store scent
ingrat unpleasant
eteint faded
flétri withered
éventé flat
désagréable unpalatable
il sent le mercaptan repellent
fétide rotten egg odor

Getting down to the taste, there are only four tastes the human tongue
can respond to:
doux or sucré sweetness
salé saltiness
l'acide acidity
l'amer bitterness

Other terms used to describe the taste of wine:
léger light
moelleux mellow
huileux oily, slick
thermique hot with alcohol
fort strong
chaud warm
avoir du feu with fire
capiteux goes to the head
spiriteux stronger than normal
vineux normal for wine
étoffé full bodied
généreux strong
racé a thoroughbred
fortifié with added alcohol
mou soft
pauvre poor
plat flat
flasque flabby
maché over exposed , evaporated
de la chair has meat on the bones
charnu solid, meaty
corsé full bodied
ferme firm
de la mche seems chewable
puissant powerful
gras fat
musclé robust
nourri well fed
vigoreux vigorous
maigre meager
étriqué skimpy
mince thin
efflanqué lanky
mal bti poorly made
décharné scrawny
creux empty
coulant flowing
friand appetizing
fondu mellow
glissant smooth
rond well balanced
gouleyant glutton making
fourré fur lined
velouté velvety
souple supple
enjoué sprightly
savoreux with gusto
chantant singing
suave bland
plein de sève full of sap
aigrelet sourish
aigre sour
dur harsh
rude rough
mordant biting
grossier coarse
commun everyday
rustre unpolished
muet says nothing
piquant tartly tickling
piqué excessively acid
passé too old
usé exhausted
rance rancid
tourné turned to vinegar
madérisé oxidized


Bon Appetit.

Hi Bill,

There's also:

Piquette: Boisson domestique que fabriquaient jadis les vignerons pour leur
consommation personnelle en remettant de l'eau et du sucre sur les marcs de
fond de cuve après l'écoulement du vin. Face à la surproduction viticole,
cette pratique est interdite en France depuis 1945 et en Europe par les
règlements communautaires.

This is a term my brother in law (he's from the Bordeaux region of France)
explained to me when we tasted a really bad red wine at the "Chambly beer
and wine tasting festival" last month. The owner told us it was a "fruity"
wine. P Tated more like water glogged around the bottom of an oak barrel.
Piquette!

Louise)


"Bill McCarty" > wrote in message
...
> The Roman legions certainly brought vines into France Already in
> Roman times the cool northern Burgundy region had been identified as
> ideally suited to production of fine quality wines. and the warmer
> southern regions ideally suited for lesser quality, but higher quantity
> of wine. With wines being made in France for a few thousand years,
> the French have developed an entire vocabulary used to describe
> wines. Many of their terms are used world wide by wine growers and wine
> writers. Below is a list of terms you may have come across and which
> may have puzzled or intimidated you. Now your days of puzzlement or
> intimidation are over ! . You can even drop a few fancy terms into your
> own conversation. Enjoy !
>
> The first terms are concerned with how a wine looks at first glance:
>
> Le Voir. seeing.
> La Robe. refers to the general way the wine comes across to
> the viewer from 4 visual aspects:
> Limpidité. limpidity or clarity
> Brillant brilliance
> Teintes colors
> Viscosité viscosity or surface tension.
>
> Limpidity can be further qualified as follows:
> claire light
> faible weak
> légère slight
> faneé faded
> tendre delicate
> pure clear
> net clean
> cristalline crystal clear
> diaphane transparent
> chatoyante iridescent
> bien habillee well dressed
> mal habillee poorly dressed
> foncée dark
> terne dull
> vive vivid
> riche rich
> chargée too colored
> voilée cloudy
> louche cloudy
> borrue murky
> plombée livid
> bleuatre off color, bluish
> grisatre off color, greyish
> tuilée off color, brick like
> opalescent resembling an opal
>
> Here's a range of tints for white, red and rosé wines:
> Vins blancs white wines
> jaune clair light yellow
> jaune serin canary yellow
> jaune d'or golden
> jaune paille straw colored
> jaune ambré amber colored
>
> Vins rouges red wines
> rubis ruby red
> franc red
> grenat garnet
> pourpre crimson
> violacé purple
>
> Vins rosés rosé wines
> oeil-de-perdrix brilliant pale red
> rosé vif brilliant pink
> pelure d'oignon onion skin pink
> tuile tile like pink
> faible pale pink
> gris palest pink
>
> More important than appearance is smell. Below are some
> terms associated with the odor of wine
>
> Odors are often divided into two categories, which are not easily
> distinguished:
> A. L'arôme fragrance
> B. Le Bouquet bouquet
>
> The following terms are often used to describe odor
> fruité with the odor of different fruits, not merely grapes.
> floral with the odor of flowers
> framboisé suggesting raspberries
> fin refined
> parfumé perfumed
> truffé full
> delure wide awake
> subtil subtle
> riche rich
> il a du nez has "nose"
> il a du panache has style
> court insufficient
> vulgaire dime store scent
> ingrat unpleasant
> eteint faded
> flétri withered
> éventé flat
> désagréable unpalatable
> il sent le mercaptan repellent
> fétide rotten egg odor
>
> Getting down to the taste, there are only four tastes the human tongue
> can respond to:
> doux or sucré sweetness
> salé saltiness
> l'acide acidity
> l'amer bitterness
>
> Other terms used to describe the taste of wine:
> léger light
> moelleux mellow
> huileux oily, slick
> thermique hot with alcohol
> fort strong
> chaud warm
> avoir du feu with fire
> capiteux goes to the head
> spiriteux stronger than normal
> vineux normal for wine
> étoffé full bodied
> généreux strong
> racé a thoroughbred
> fortifié with added alcohol
> mou soft
> pauvre poor
> plat flat
> flasque flabby
> maché over exposed , evaporated
> de la chair has meat on the bones
> charnu solid, meaty
> corsé full bodied
> ferme firm
> de la mche seems chewable
> puissant powerful
> gras fat
> musclé robust
> nourri well fed
> vigoreux vigorous
> maigre meager
> étriqué skimpy
> mince thin
> efflanqué lanky
> mal bti poorly made
> décharné scrawny
> creux empty
> coulant flowing
> friand appetizing
> fondu mellow
> glissant smooth
> rond well balanced
> gouleyant glutton making
> fourré fur lined
> velouté velvety
> souple supple
> enjoué sprightly
> savoreux with gusto
> chantant singing
> suave bland
> plein de sève full of sap
> aigrelet sourish
> aigre sour
> dur harsh
> rude rough
> mordant biting
> grossier coarse
> commun everyday
> rustre unpolished
> muet says nothing
> piquant tartly tickling
> piqué excessively acid
> passé too old
> usé exhausted
> rance rancid
> tourné turned to vinegar
> madérisé oxidized
>
>
> Bon Appetit.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Louise Gagnon wrote in message ...
>Hi Bill,
>
>There's also:
>
>Piquette

Yes, I have tasted Piquette. If we're both talking about the same
thing, and I think we are, then it was every bit as bad as you say.
Instead of throwing away the exhausted pomace after it's been pressed,
they sloshed some water into it and pressed it again and fermented the
juice! This was in the Loire Valley. What they got was a thin, pale,
washed out excuse for wine and the best that could be said for it was
that it was non-poisonous. (I think). I'm told it clears quickly and
is given free to vinyard workers with their lunch. And worth every
penny ! Merde !

Regards, Bill.

Yup! That's the stuff!
Nobody was able to finish the tiny taster that was sold to us. The weird
thing is this is the wine they were trying to promote. You'd think they
would bring something better than that if they were trying to themselves,
but maybe that was the best they had. P
I've made a few pretty nasty wines when I was starting out but not one came
remotely close to this.
Too bad I forgot the name of the winery, I could avoid a few people a really
bad experience!
Louise)

"Bill McCarty" > wrote in message
...
>
> Louise Gagnon wrote in message ...
> >Hi Bill,
> >
> >There's also:
> >
> >Piquette
>
> Yes, I have tasted Piquette. If we're both talking about the same
> thing, and I think we are, then it was every bit as bad as you say.
> Instead of throwing away the exhausted pomace after it's been pressed,
> they sloshed some water into it and pressed it again and fermented the
> juice! This was in the Loire Valley. What they got was a thin, pale,
> washed out excuse for wine and the best that could be said for it was
> that it was non-poisonous. (I think). I'm told it clears quickly and
> is given free to vinyard workers with their lunch. And worth every
> penny ! Merde !
>
> Regards, Bill.
>
>

Dear Bill

Do you have the English translation for

lutte raisonnée

lutte biologique

I have an idea but I was wondering if there is an exac term.

Thanks in advance.

Marc


"Bill McCarty" > a écrit dans le message de news:
...
> The Roman legions certainly brought vines into France Already in
> Roman times the cool northern Burgundy region had been identified as
> ideally suited to production of fine quality wines. and the warmer
> southern regions ideally suited for lesser quality, but higher quantity
> of wine. With wines being made in France for a few thousand years,
> the French have developed an entire vocabulary used to describe
> wines. Many of their terms are used world wide by wine growers and wine
> writers. Below is a list of terms you may have come across and which
> may have puzzled or intimidated you. Now your days of puzzlement or
> intimidation are over ! . You can even drop a few fancy terms into your
> own conversation. Enjoy !
>
> The first terms are concerned with how a wine looks at first glance:
>
> Le Voir. seeing.
> La Robe. refers to the general way the wine comes across to
> the viewer from 4 visual aspects:
> Limpidité. limpidity or clarity
> Brillant brilliance
> Teintes colors
> Viscosité viscosity or surface tension.
>
> Limpidity can be further qualified as follows:
> claire light
> faible weak
> légère slight
> faneé faded
> tendre delicate
> pure clear
> net clean
> cristalline crystal clear
> diaphane transparent
> chatoyante iridescent
> bien habillee well dressed
> mal habillee poorly dressed
> foncée dark
> terne dull
> vive vivid
> riche rich
> chargée too colored
> voilée cloudy
> louche cloudy
> borrue murky
> plombée livid
> bleuatre off color, bluish
> grisatre off color, greyish
> tuilée off color, brick like
> opalescent resembling an opal
>
> Here's a range of tints for white, red and rosé wines:
> Vins blancs white wines
> jaune clair light yellow
> jaune serin canary yellow
> jaune d'or golden
> jaune paille straw colored
> jaune ambré amber colored
>
> Vins rouges red wines
> rubis ruby red
> franc red
> grenat garnet
> pourpre crimson
> violacé purple
>
> Vins rosés rosé wines
> oeil-de-perdrix brilliant pale red
> rosé vif brilliant pink
> pelure d'oignon onion skin pink
> tuile tile like pink
> faible pale pink
> gris palest pink
>
> More important than appearance is smell. Below are some
> terms associated with the odor of wine
>
> Odors are often divided into two categories, which are not easily
> distinguished:
> A. L'arôme fragrance
> B. Le Bouquet bouquet
>
> The following terms are often used to describe odor
> fruité with the odor of different fruits, not merely grapes.
> floral with the odor of flowers
> framboisé suggesting raspberries
> fin refined
> parfumé perfumed
> truffé full
> delure wide awake
> subtil subtle
> riche rich
> il a du nez has "nose"
> il a du panache has style
> court insufficient
> vulgaire dime store scent
> ingrat unpleasant
> eteint faded
> flétri withered
> éventé flat
> désagréable unpalatable
> il sent le mercaptan repellent
> fétide rotten egg odor
>
> Getting down to the taste, there are only four tastes the human tongue
> can respond to:
> doux or sucré sweetness
> salé saltiness
> l'acide acidity
> l'amer bitterness
>
> Other terms used to describe the taste of wine:
> léger light
> moelleux mellow
> huileux oily, slick
> thermique hot with alcohol
> fort strong
> chaud warm
> avoir du feu with fire
> capiteux goes to the head
> spiriteux stronger than normal
> vineux normal for wine
> étoffé full bodied
> généreux strong
> racé a thoroughbred
> fortifié with added alcohol
> mou soft
> pauvre poor
> plat flat
> flasque flabby
> maché over exposed , evaporated
> de la chair has meat on the bones
> charnu solid, meaty
> corsé full bodied
> ferme firm
> de la mche seems chewable
> puissant powerful
> gras fat
> musclé robust
> nourri well fed
> vigoreux vigorous
> maigre meager
> étriqué skimpy
> mince thin
> efflanqué lanky
> mal bti poorly made
> décharné scrawny
> creux empty
> coulant flowing
> friand appetizing
> fondu mellow
> glissant smooth
> rond well balanced
> gouleyant glutton making
> fourré fur lined
> velouté velvety
> souple supple
> enjoué sprightly
> savoreux with gusto
> chantant singing
> suave bland
> plein de sève full of sap
> aigrelet sourish
> aigre sour
> dur harsh
> rude rough
> mordant biting
> grossier coarse
> commun everyday
> rustre unpolished
> muet says nothing
> piquant tartly tickling
> piqué excessively acid
> passé too old
> usé exhausted
> rance rancid
> tourné turned to vinegar
> madérisé oxidized
>
>
> Bon Appetit.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

MC wrote in message ...
>Dear Bill
>Do you have the English translation for
>lutte raisonnée >lutte biologique
>I have an idea but I was wondering if there is an exac term.

It always helps to know the context in which a word or phrase is
used. Next, I do pretty well with French but it's not my native
language, so keep that in mind. Lutte raisonnée would translate
literally as "reasoned struggle". It might refer to a conflict in the
mind in which a person argues with himself over the pros
and cons of a particular idea or premise. Are you sure you
have the correct spelling ? The reason I ask is that "raisin" is the
french word for grapes and "raisiné" means grape jam.

Next, "lutte biologique" means literally: biological struggle. In
the
world of wine it might refer to the struggle between yeast and
alcohol until the alcohol produced by the yeast is, in the end,
killed off by that same alcohol. But that's my fanciful guess.
In the human body of course there is always the biological
struggle between disease organisms and antibodies / immune
system. But I could be totally wrong, so don't carve this in marble.
Finally, let me put these questions to a French native and see
what develops. I'll get back to you if I find something of interest.

Regards, Bill.

MC wrote:

> Do you have the English translation for
>
> lutte raisonnée
>
> lutte biologique

I'm not quite sure of the implied meanings, despite having spoken french
since I was 5. Literally Bill translated them for you.

I'm going to wager that both these terms have to do with organic farming
techniques... biologique is the term used in the sense organic is used
in food/agriculture today, at least here in Canada. Thus 'la lutte
bilogique' probably refers to the push for organic farming and 'la lutte
raisonnée' is, I'm guessing, organic viticulutre. There's my C$0.02.

--
charles

"Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were
forced to live on nothing but food and water for days."
- W.C. Fields

Dear Bill and Charles

Thank you for your comments.

The actual sentence is

L'ensemble du vignoble est conduit en lutte raisonnée avec une approche de
la lutte biologique.

It is as Charles said both practices for the vineyard. I am pretty sure "la
lutte bilogique' is organic farming and 'la lutte raisonnée' I believe is
where you add just the minimum in pesticides but maybe organic viticulture
will do.

Thanks anyway for your help.

Marc

"Charles H" > a écrit dans le message de news:
...
> MC wrote:
>
> > Do you have the English translation for
> >
> > lutte raisonnée
> >
> > lutte biologique
>
> I'm not quite sure of the implied meanings, despite having spoken french
> since I was 5. Literally Bill translated them for you.
>
> I'm going to wager that both these terms have to do with organic farming
> techniques... biologique is the term used in the sense organic is used
> in food/agriculture today, at least here in Canada. Thus 'la lutte
> bilogique' probably refers to the push for organic farming and 'la lutte
> raisonnée' is, I'm guessing, organic viticulutre. There's my C$0.02.
>
> --
> charles
>
> "Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were
> forced to live on nothing but food and water for days."
> - W.C. Fields