Tough
This descriptor is applied to wines that taste hard or astringent due to having an excess of tannin. Many tough wines soften and improve after being aged.

Tuscany
This important viticultural region in central Italy has been producing Chianti for centuries. Other well known wines from Tuscany include: Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Thanks to the relatively recent success of a few ambitious producers who broke from tradition and DOCG regulations, Tuscan wine makers are increasingly producing more and more Cabernet based blends, creating the unofficial category of Super Tuscans which are now among the most desirable and expensive Italian wines (see "Tignanello"). Sangiovese is the leading red varietal in the region, though Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are now important, too. Historically, the Canaiolo grape was important for making Chianti, but it is now being grown less in Tuscany. Trebbiano is Tuscany's most widely planted white grape. Other white varietals grown in the region include Malvasia, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, and Semillon.

Ullage
The empty space in wine bottles between the bottom of the cork and the level of the wine. In a young, healthy bottle, the ullage is small and not something to be concerned about. Over time, the space may increase due to the wine evaporating, and the additional air within the bottle can cause the wine to oxidize. So, at an auction, wines with a large ullage will sell for a significantly lower price than wines with a smaller space.

Valais (val-ay)
A prominent and distinguished Swiss viticultural area and the alpine source of the Rhone River. Fendant (white) and Dole (red) are perhaps Valais' best known wines.

Valpolicella (vahl-poh-lee-t'chell-ah)
Next to Chianti, this is the most heavily produced Italian red wine. The name translates as "valley of many cellars", an apt description of the area to the north of Verona where it's produced. Generally, Valpolicella is light, round, satisfying, and easy to drink, but when the harvest allows, an allotment of the grapes is allowed to dry prior to being fermented. The result is a sweet wine known as Recioto della Valpolicella. Not much of it is exported to the U.S., but a dryer style is more commonly found, known both as Recioto della Valpolicella Amarone or Amarone della Valpolicella (or simply Amarone). More apt to be found in the U.S. than the sweet style, great Amarone is full-bodied, powerful, and intense, and it is one of the finest Italian red wines.

Vanilla
Descriptor for a sweet, vanilla-like aroma often present in wines that have undergone aging within barrels made of new oak. This vanilla flavor comes from vanillin, an organic compound found in oak as well as in the vanilla bean. Vanillin extracted from wood is often used in place of vanilla (from the bean) in cooking and baking.

Varietal Wine
Wines that are labeled according to the primary grape variety used to make it, i.e. Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. This is a common naming convention in the New World, where many different varietals and styles of wine are often vinified in the same region. Old World wines are typically named after the area from which they originate, such as Chianti, Burgundy, Ribera del Duero, etc. To be designated as a varietal in the U.S., at least 75 percent of the wine must come from the grape named on the label. In other places the amount may be different, as with Australia, where it's 80 percent.

Vegetal
Wines possessing the aroma or flavor of vegetation or vegetables (often bell peppers and asparagus), are referred to as having a vegetal character. These flavors can be a pleasant component of a complex flavor profile, and are commonly found in Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. However, when pronounced, such flavors are undesirable and signal a flawed wine. "Herbaceous" is also sometimes used as a descriptor for these flavors or aromas.

Velvety
A wine tasting descriptor for wines with a smooth, rich, and silky texture.

Vieux (v'yuh) (France)
The term translates as "old" in French. It's often found on wine labels reflecting the name of a vineyard or the winemaker as in Vieux-Château-Certan. "Vieille" is the word's feminine form.

Vieilles Vignes (France)
In French the phrase translates as "old vines", but the term has no specific meaning that's been assigned by law. In Germany, old vines are known as "Alte Reben". Old vines typically produce lower yields and, hence, more concentrated flavors; thus many people associate old vines and high quality.

Vigorous
A wine tasting term describing full-bodied wines that have a firm, lively, or pronounced flavor profile.

Vin (van)
The French word meaning "wine".

Vin Blanc (van blahnc)
Translates from French as "white wine".

Vin de Pays (France)
Translates from French as "wines of the country" and is a lower rank than the top AOC and secondary VDQS classifications. However, it is not uncommon to find quality wines in this class, certainly superior in most cases to the typically very unremarkable vin de table wines, which is France's fourth and lowest wine classification.

Vin de Table (France)
The bottom classification of wine in France. Often they're not even bottled; rather they're dispensed at local cooperatives via a machine resembling a gas pump. When they are bottled, by law they're not allowed to be labeled with the grape varietals, vintage, or the region of origin.

Vin Rouge
Translates from French as "red wine".

Vinegary
Possessing the aroma of vinegar. See the term Acetic Acid for more information.

Viniculture
A term that covers the whole industry and business of wine production, including the tending and harvesting of the grapes, creating the wine, and the marketing and sales of the final product.

Vinification
"Vinification" refers to the entire process of creating wine from grapes.

Vinify
Turning grapes into wine via fermentation of their juices.

Vino (veen-no)
"Vino" is the word for "wine" in both Spanish and Italian.

Vino da Tavola (vee-no dah tah'-voh-lah)
The Italian equivalent of Table Wine. Consistent with the rest of Europe, the designation is used in Italy for the bottom category of wines. However, many great Italian wine makers have a penchant for flouting their regional DOC winemaking rules, so some very impressive and expensive wines, such as the famed "Super Tuscans", have been legally relegated to this category.