The language of wine contains a wealth of meanings that are not all too familiar, particularly the technical interpretations. The glossary describes and offers an explanation to the most common terms.
- yeasts
- Item for:micro-organism, fungus
Fungus that reproduce and convert available sugars into alcohol. Wild yeasts are found naturally in the vineyards and readily available on the grapes, and are known as the spontaneous yeasts. The yeasts used for wine production belong to the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast strains, or cultured yeasts, are very popular for vinification, and are available in a powder form.
- yeasty
- Definition:
A wine with an attractive aroma or flavour of yeast. Yeasty is a positive description.
- yield
- Definition:yield of the harvest
The sum of the yield is measured, for example, in hectolitres per hectare, using the weight of the grapes, or volume of the must or wine.
- yield restriction
- Definition:
The maximum permitted yield per hectare in Austria is 10,000 kg of grapes or 7,500 l (75 hl) of wine. This applies to Landwein, Qualitätswein (quality wine), Prädikatswein (wine with praedicate, sweet wines) and Wein (Austrian wine without geographical indication) with varietal and/or vintage declaration.
- yoke (acre)
- Definition:unit of measurement for surface area
An age old form of measuring surface area in Austria, similar to the acre (1 yoke = 0.5755 hectare).
- young wine
- Definition:the first wine of the new vintage
Generally regarded as an often still cloudy wine shortly after its alcoholic fermentation.
The EU law defines "young wine" as a wine whose alcoholic fermentation has not finished and which is not separated from the lees yet.
- youthful, young
- Definition:
Still a youthful, young and not yet mature wine.