Glossary

HARD

Said of a wine with excess astringency and acidity that overpowers its smoothness and alcohol. Such a wine can soften over time as the tannins become less robust.

HARMONIOUS

Said of a wine that has a particularly good blend of characteristics, beyond just being well balanced.

HARSH

Said of a highly astringent wine with an overwhelmingly strong tannic structure. On the astringency scale, “harsh” is stronger than “rough” and less strong than “inky”.

HEADY

Said of a wine that is very high in alcohol.

HEAVY

Said of a wine that is overly thick and generally high in alcohol.

HECTARE

10,000 sq. meters, or a land parcel that measures 100 meters by 100 meters.

HECTOLITER

100 liters.

HOLLOW

Said of a wine that lacks substance.

HYBRIDS

Term for varieties that are obtained from two different species of grapevine. These are illegal under French law.