While some of these terms are incredibly useful in helping you determine what a wine will taste like<\/a> (and making you sound like a wine aficionado), some descriptors are pretty useless. In fact, there are strategic words used by producers that not only say nothing about the wine but that have no legal backing – meaning they can be thrown about willy-nilly. Not cool, guys.<\/span><\/p>\n The wine world can be intimidating, but we\u2019ll help you break it down one word at a time. Here are three words that are meant to sound fancy, but ultimately, they’re pretty meaningless.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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Portugal, “<\/span>reserva”<\/span><\/i> refers to wines with slightly higher levels of alcohol (indicating a good vintage) or that have been aged for a longer period. In Italy, like in Spain and Portugal, “<\/span>riserva”<\/span><\/i> indicates stricter production regulations and is used sparingly. Almost everywhere else, especially in the New World<\/a>, every wine seems to be a reserve. We assume this is supposed to mean that the wine is made from particularly exceptional grapes or is the winemaker\u2019s most esteemed bottling. The reality is that except in countries where there are strict regulations on its usage, this is mostly a marketing word used to entice buyers. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n