Barrel Aging The process of holding wine in oak containers to allow flavor and aromatic compounds to mature and change beneficially. The conversion of grape juice into white wine by yeast in a 60-gallon French oak barrel. Barrel fermentation gives Chardonnay and Savignon Blanc more complexity and integrated oak flavor. Big A generally positive term that concerns the whole flavours, including the alcohol content. Bloom Flowering of the grapevines.
Bloom is also a waxy substance found on the skins of grapes.
Botrytis Botrytis Bunch Rot is a vine disease caused by fungus that attacks ripe, white wine grapes. Brix The measurement of soluble solids in grapes at harvest, taken with a refractometer and expressed in degrees. In unfermented grapes, degrees of Brix are approximately the same as percent of sugar. After fermentation, the alcohol concentration is roughly half the sugar concentration of the juice. Bud A small protuberance on a stem or branch, often enclosed in protective scales and containing an undeveloped shoot, leaves or flowers.