| Campden tablets |
Sodium or potassium metabisulphite in
tablet form. One tablet, dissolved in a gallon of wine, provides a
concentration of about 50 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur dioxide (q.v.). |
| caramel |
The toffee-like odour and flavour in
wines made using brown sugar, treacle, molasses, raisins or inferior grape
concentrate. May also be produced by heating sweet wines, e.g. in the
production of Madeira. In the presence of substantial amounts of fruit, the
wine might smell more like jam. The caramel flavour is characteristic of some
beers, produced by the addition of caramel to, or the prolonged boiling of,
the wort. |
| carbon dioxide |
CO2. The odourless gas evolved during
fermentation. Responsible for the bubbles (referred to as the "bead") in
sparkling wines and beers. It causes a prickling sensation on the palate. |
| cheesy |
A term describing the smell and taste
of wine attacked by certain lactobacilli. |
| chill haze |
Haze of insoluble proteins formed when
a wine or beer is chilled. |
| citric acid |
An organic acid found in citrus and
many soft fruits and often used in home made wines. |
| clarity |
The clearness of the appearance of a wine or beer. |
| clean |
Applied to a wine or beer which is
free from unpleasant or out-of-place smells or taints. |
| clear |
The appearance of a wine or beer
without a haze and with no or few visible suspended particles. |
| clinitest |
A simple technique for measurement of
small quantities of reducing sugars, e.g. fructose and glucose |
| cloudy |
The appearance of a wine or beer with
many visible suspended particles or a heavy haze. |
| cloying |
The feel in the mouth of excessive
sweetness, especially in the after-taste. |
| cold break |
Precipitate of hop residue and protein
which coagulates when beer wort is cooled after boiling. |
| condition |
The bubbling of gas from beer. The
condition of a beer is determined by the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide
that it contains. |
| cooked |
A caramel-like odour and/or flavour. |
| copper finings |
Finings added to beer wort during the
boiling stage to aid clarification. Normally derived from seaweed, they may
be added as dried seaweed (Irish Moss) or as pelletised or powdered extracts. |
| corked |
An unpleasant bitter taint in a wine
caused by an impurity or infection in the cork. |
| corky |
A mouldy, woody, cork-like flavour in
a wine caused by disintegrating cork. |
