Classic

/KLAS-ik/

Wine showing typical character for its type.

Full Definition

Classic describes a wine that exemplifies its type - a classic Burgundy shows typical Burgundy character. It implies traditional, benchmark quality rather than innovation. Classic wines are often used as teaching examples. Not all excellent wines are classic; some great wines are deliberately atypical.

Related Terms

typicity traditional benchmark

See Also

Clarification Back to Glossary Classification

More terms starting with C

Canopy Management

Techniques to control vine leaf and shoot growth.

Capsule

The foil or plastic covering over a wine bottle's cork.

Carbonic Maceration

Whole-grape fermentation in CO2, producing fruity wines.

Cava

Spanish sparkling wine made by traditional method.

Cellaring

Storing wine under proper conditions for aging.

Chai

French term for an above-ground wine storage building.