Fat
Wine tasting term referring to wines which have lots of fruit flavours but low acidity.
Fattoria
Italian word for a wine-making estate.
Federspiel
Austrian wine classification for wines with middling alcohol.
Feinherb
German term for an off-dry (slightly sweet) wine.
Feminine
Wines said to have feminine characteristics are light and well-balanced.
Fermage
French term for tenant farming. Most French agricultural land is tenant farmed.
Fermentation
Process by which yeast turns sugars in grape juice into alcohol.
Fermentazione naturale
Italian term literally meaning "natural fermentation". It refers to wines bottled before fermentation is complete so they develop a natural fizz in the bottle.
Fiasco
Traditional Chianti bottle with a straw cover.
Field blend
Vineyard planted with more than one grape variety, where all the grapes are harvested and fermented together.
Fighting varietal
Californian term for a wine made from a single grape variety sold at a price competitive with everyday blended wines.
Filtration
Removing solid impurities by passing the wine through a material with very small apertures. Some winemakers believe filtering harms the wine, so fining is used instead.
Fine lees
The dead yeast cells and and other material that collects during the fermentation. Allowing the wine to mature in contact with this material helps develop flavour. Also known just as lees, or as aging "sur lie".
Finesse
Wine tasting term for elegant wines with good balance.
Fining
Substances such as casein and isinglass are added to the fermented grape juice to help clear what at this stage is rather a cloudy liquid with suspended particles of old yeast and some grape particles. This turns the unattractive murky liquid into a wine that is clear and bright. The process is called fining, and the materials added are known as finings. The finings and solid impurities are separated from the clear wine so in fact no finings actually end up in the bottled wine.
Finish
The final flavour of the wine in the mouth.
Fino
Dry, pale sherry.
Firm
Wine tasting term for wines which have lots of tannin.
First growth
The top-quality Bordeaux wines.
Flabby
Wines with plenty of fruit but low acidity, giving them a heavy and lifeless feel in the mouth.
Flagon
Glass wine container with a capacity of a litre or more.
Fleshy
Wine tasting term for wines that feel substantial and meaty in the mouth.
Flavonoids
Chemical compounds derived from the grape skins, flesh, stems and seeds.
Flavours
The parts of the wine's taste.
Flight
Pouring several wines at once.
Flinty
Wines which have mineral flavours.
Flor
Layer of yeast on top of the wine during fermentation.
Floral
Wine tasting term referring to wines which have aromas and flavours of flower blossom.
Flowering
Time in spring when the first flower blossoms appear on the grape vines.
Flute
Tall, narrow, stemmed glass used for sparkling wine.
Flying winemaker
Winemakers who travel to different countries to oversee production of wines.
Food-friendly
Wines which match well with food.
Football
Running joke at WineUncorked HQ relating to wines delivered by courier. On one occasion the arrival of a distinctly bottle-shaped package was greeted with the ironic: "I think it must be a football" and the name stuck.
Fortified
Wines to which brandy or other spirit has been added.
Foudre
Large oak vats used for maturing wine.
Foxy
Musky aromas and flavours often associated with the American grape Vitis Labrusca.
Forward
Wine tasting term indicating flavours that are obvious or dominating.
Four square
British term for a solid but unexciting wine.
Free-run juice
Juice that escapes from the grapes when they are stacked, and crush under their own weight, before mechanical pressing. Free-run juice is considered high quality, but only a limited amount is produced.
Fresh
Fresh wines have good acidity.
French paradox
The apparent contradiction of the French having low levels of heart disease despite high consumption of supposedly "unhealthy" foods high in saturated fats. Some researchers argue that French consumption of red wine is a contributory factor.
Frizzante
Italian term for a lightly sparkling wine.
Frizzantino
Italian term for a wine with a very gentle sparkle.
Fruit wine
Wine made from fruit other than grapes.
Fruity
Wine tasting term for wine that has lots of fruit aromas and flavours.
Full-bodied
Wines that are heavy, rich and flavourful.
Fumé blanc
Californian Sauvignon Blanc wines.
Fusel oils
A mixture of alcohols and other compounds formed as by-products of the fermentation process, which contribute to aromas and flavours.
Futures
Investing in wines before they have been made, effectively betting on how good the final wine will be.
