Wine Glossary

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Oenology
The science of winemaking. Popular locations for studying oenology include the University of Bordeaux and University of California Davis.

Old World
A term for the wine making countries of Europe.

Old Vines
Grape vines whose fruit quality is good due to the fact the vines are old (generally 40 years or older) and produce very little crop.

Oxidation
The degrading action of oxygen on a wine is known as oxidation. Exposure of the wine to oxygen in the winery is carefully controlled. Exposure to oxygen during racking and ageing in barrel can improve the wine. However, once a bottle of wine has been open for a while, or if oxygen has seeped past a faulty cork, the oxidised wine will taste off.