Wine Glossary - Words that start with I,J or K
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Ice Wine
This is an intense desert wine that has been made from very ripe grapes (without Botrytis) that were frozen on the vine. The frozen water is removed during pressing, leaving a very sweet must. In German it is known as "eiswein." A modern technique called cryroextraction utilizes a freezer in place of mother nature.

Imbottigliato (im-boh-tee-l'yah'-toe)
Italian for "bottled." "Imbottigliato all'origine" is the term for estate bottled.

Imperial
A large bottle, equivalent to eight regular sized bottles.

J

Jerez de la Frontera (heh-reth' duh lah fron-teh'-rah)
The city in southern Spain that is the home of Sherry. The word Sherry comes from a rather poor attempt to pronounce the name of the town. The full name harkens back to the days when this was a frontier town on the border between the Christians and the Moors.

Jeroboam
A large bottle, equivalent to to six regular sized bottles (four in Champagne).

Johannisberg (yo-hahn'iss-bairg)
One of the most famous German wine towns. It is situated in the middle of the Rheingau region. Because of the fame of this village, the word "Johannisberg" is sometimes (in the US only) added to the Riesling grape, Riesling being the principal grape of this region in Germany. "Johannisberg Riesling" was adopted in the US to distinguish it from the now rare Franken Riesling (which is actually the grape Sylvaner).

Jug Wine
A term used for low quality wines that are sold in large bottles, or jugs. While this type of wine rarely has much written about it, it is important to remember that most of the wine made in the world is in fact, of jug wine quality. Box wine is quickly taking over the form and the phrase.

Jura (joo-rah)
The name used for the departement (like a state), mountain range, and wine growing region in eastern France, near the Swiss border. Not well known, for the wines do not travel well, it is a pleasant area, with pleasant, much varied, but ultimately simple wines.

Jurancon (joo-rahn-sohn)
A white wine region in the Pyrenees, in the southwest of France. Most of the wines are made dry today, but the area was once famous for its dessert wines. Visitors may still be able to find examples of this increasingly rare sweet wine. The wines are made from local grape varieties, and are rarely found outside of the area.

K

Kabinett (kah-bee-net')
The entry level designation for quality German wines (QmP). Drier than other wines of the class, a Kabinett must be made from grapes with at least 16 percent sugar at harvest. The result is a drier (although not not necessarily dry), lighter styled wine that is low in alcohol. The term comes from the practice of the wine producers reserving some wine for their own use, by locking it away in a cabinet.

Keller (kel-ler)
The German word for "cellar."

Kir (keer)
A cocktail made by adding creme de cassis (a black-currant liquor) to white wine. A "Kir Royale" is made with Champagne instead of white wine. Named after a former mayor of Dijon, France, Canon Felix Kir.

Klevner (klev-ner)
In the Alsace region of France this name is sometimes used for the white wine grape Pinot Blanc. It can also be used for a wine that is a blend of Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois. Near Zurich, Switzerland, the name is used for a red wine made from the grape Pinot Noir.