Glossary
Dirty
/DUR-tee/
Off-putting earthy or barnyard aromas suggesting contamination.
Full Definition
Dirty describes wines with unpleasant earthy, barnyard, or musty aromas that suggest poor hygiene, brett contamination, or cellar problems. Distinguished from positive earthiness, dirty implies something went wrong. Often caused by brettanomyces, dirty barrels, or poor sanitation.
Related Terms
See Also
Reference
More terms starting with D
Decanting
Pouring wine into another vessel for aeration or sediment removal.
Delestage
Rack-and-return technique for gentle extraction.
Demi-Sec
Medium-sweet sparkling wine.
Density
In tasting, the concentration of a wine; in viticulture, vine spacing.
Depth
Layers of flavor that reveal themselves over time.
Disgorgement
Removing sediment from sparkling wine after secondary fermentation.