Dark
This describes red wine that has intense color and/or flavor, and often it’s full-bodied in both depth and texture. A brooding heart of darkness wine.

Débourbage (France)
The process of allowing white wine must to settle prior to racking off the wine, thereby reducing the need for fining or filtration.

Decant
To transfer wine from a bottle into a crystal or glass container (a decanter).

Dégorgement (France)
Part of the process of making sparkling wine. At this stage the bottle is opened after the neck has been frozen. Out flies a plug of frozen wine, containing the dead yeast from the second fermentation which occurs in bottle. The wine is then topped up - dosage - and resealed. The entire process is explained here: Méthode Champenoise.

Delicate
A delicate wine is mild and light in fragrance, flavor, and body. It may have many flavours but none is so strong that it overpowers the rest.

Demi-Sec
The French term for medium-dry.

Denominación de Origen (Spain)
A high quality level for Spanish wine. Often abbreviated to DO. The equivalent of the French appellation contrôlée.

Denominação de Origem Controlada (Portugal)
A high quality level for Portuguese wine. Often abbreviated to DOC. The equivalent of the French appellation contrôlée.

Denominación de Origen Calificada (Spain)
The highest quality level for Spanish wine. Often abbreviated to DOC. Rather similar to Italy's DOCG.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Italy)
A high quality level for Italian wine. Often abbreviated to DOC. The equivalent of the French appellation contrôlée.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Italy)
The highest quality level for Italian wine. Often abbreviated to DOCG. Only a handful of wines have been promoted to this level. They include Chianti, Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Carmignano.

Destemming
The process of removing the stems/stalks from the grape bunches before fermentation. Unripe stems will result in a green, unripe taste in the wine.

Digestif
A digestif is an alcoholic drink served at the end of the meal, often after dessert. Wines served as digestifs are often sweeter and higher in alcohol content than the wines consumed with the meal. Examples include port, madeira and cream sherry. They are generally served at room temperature.

Disgorging
A part of the process of making sparkling wine. The dead yeast from the second fermentation is frozen in the neck of the bottle. When the bottle is opened, this mass comes out.

Dolce (Italy)
Sweet.

Domaine
A wine estate in France.

Dosage
After disgorging the wine, the bottle is topped up with the dosage until it reaches the desired level of sweetness. This is a mixture of wine and sugar syrup.

Double magnum
A large format Bordeaux bottle, equivalent to four standard bottles. In Burgundy and Champagne this size is called a Jeroboam. See my advisory page on wine bottle sizes for more information.

Doux (France)
Sweet.

Downy mildew
A common vine disease favoured by warm, humid conditions. It results in unhealthy leaves and shrivelled fruit. May be controlled with the use of Bordeaux mixture.

Dry
The puckering sensation that wine imparts.It is the opposite of sweet. It's often caused by tannins in the wine.

Dulce (Spain)
Sweet.