An alcoholic beverage whose alcohol has been removed such that the remaining alcohol content is less than or equal to 0.5% alcohol by volume.

The transferring of a wine or spirit from one container to another. Frequently for red wine to remove deposits and to let a wine breathe.

The removal, after remuage, of the sediment created by the second fermentation in a bottle of champagne or méthode champenoise wine.

The measurement for the heat summation of a vineyard. Degree Days are calculated by subtracting 10oC from the average temperature for each day of the growing season. The remaining degrees are then totalled.

Scotches mixed from the finer vats available to the blender. Deluxe blends are aged longer and normally contain a higher proportion of malt whisky than a popular Scotch. A deluxe blend might be 35% malt or more.

Italian Wine Law literally meaning 'naming of origine-control'. If a wine is DOC, it means that it comes from a delimited area, from specified grape varieties of limited yield and according to definite practices. A DOC may be large or small, a village or a province; there may be several wines within a DOC, or a single wine may be vinified in several ways - dry, sweet, sparkling, or still.

The sediment which precipitates from wines during bottle maturation. The deposit in white wines is usually harmless. The deposit in red wines generally consists of tannin and colouring pigments that are bitter tasting and should be separated from the wine by decanting. (see also Crust).

Any sweet wine, which may be natural but is usually fortified. Generally served with dessert or is the dessert itself. Usually between 14-20% alcohol.

A dry or sweet after-dinner drink to aid the digestion. They may be fortified wines like a port or sherry. Or they could be distilled spirits like a brandy, or liqueur.

Derived from the Latin word, destillare, which means "to trickle down". Thus the origin for the word to describe the process of distillation.

Another name for "Spirit". The product that results from distillation.

A process that uses heat to extract the alcohol from a liquid that contains both alcohol and water. This is possible because alcohol vaporizes at 78 degrees celsius and water vaporizes at 100 degrees celsius. Thus when an alcoholic liquid is heated, the alcohol turns into a vapour and rises, leaving the water behind. As these alcoholic vapours cool, they condense back into liquid form, becoming concentrated distillates (spirits). Distilling is done either in a pot or continuous still -- the quality and characteristics desired dictating the method.

Fermented beverages that have been distilled, and which usually range in alcoholic strength from 17% to 45% alcohol by volume. Can be derived from any plant or plant product containing either fermentable sugars or starch that can be converted to such sugars.

Refers to an alcoholic beverage with little or no residual sugar, having no trace of sweetness.

Sugar-cane residue left over from previous fermentations. Dunder is used in Jamaican rum production to add to another batch, contributing greater congeners.