06/14/05 Defining terms

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and every so often we select a few wine terms and explain their meanings to you. Today, we will give you a few wine terms, and we will include the spelling. It seems to me that many people are afraid to ask for the true meaning of wine terms and they just figure it out over time. Sometimes their definitions are just not quite as accurate as they could be. Let's begin with the difference between an enologist and a viticulturist. Enology spelled e-n-o-l-o-g-y is the science of making wine so an enologist is a wine scientist. This differs from a viticulturist because viticulture is the agricultural aspect of the wine industry. Viticulture spelled v-i-t-i-c-u-l-t-u-r-e is the science of growing wine grapes and managing the vineyards. A viticulturist is the scientist that specializes in this aspect of wine. The next term that seems to baffle folks is the title ne'gociant, spelled n-e-g-o-c-i-a-n-t. The title is referring to a profession, mostly from Europe, in which a wine merchant or shipper will buy grapes, or wine, from growers and blend it, age it and bottle it, before selling it. So now you know the difference between an enologist, a viticulturist and a ne'gociant. Remember to send your questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.