Read Between the Wines: Crossword

For our Drink Issue, we’re quizzing you on all things wine. Whether it’s local wine bars and wineries, terms or obscure facts, be ready to channel your inner wino for this month’s crossword. See the answer key here.

Illustration by James Coreas.

Print the downloadable PDF here.

ACROSS

3. The abbreviation for the standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage

8. This Virginia winery is featured in our wine trail for having high-quality wine with a
high-quality view

9. A holistic, ecological and ethical approach to farming and nutrition, based on the work of philosopher and scientist Dr. Rudolf Steiner

10. The complex scents and smells developed during wine aging

13. A preservative that’s widely used in winemaking, though there is a recent trend to make wine with none added

14. The common grape vine native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe and Southwestern Asia (2 words)

15. This Virginia winery is featured in our wine trail as the place for wine nerds

17. Described as light, medium or full

18. This urban winery located in The Yards is D.C.’s first winery (2 words)

19. Abbreviation for a designated wine
grape-growing region in the United States

21. Used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine; can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods

22. Wine bar run by three sommeliers including Brent Kroll, featured in this issue (2 words)

23. This Brookland restaurant recently launched their 6-foot wine club

27. Music venue, restaurant, wine bar and winery located in Ivy City (2 words)

28. A subsect of wine made without pesticides, chemicals and other additives

33. This French region is world-famous for its vineyards and top-notch wine labels; over 90 percent of wines from here are reds made with merlot and cabernet sauvignon

34. A trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants

36. Region in Southern France known for its syrah, grenache, mourvèdre, viognier and roussanne

37. A soft, velvety red wine that was extremely popular in the ‘90s

39. A delicious wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added

40. A fault where the wine tends to lose vibrancy in both color and flavor

41. Where to store wine to protect it from harmful external influences, providing darkness and constant cool temperature and humidity

45. A vessel used to separate wine from any sediment that may have formed and to aerate a wine in the hope that its aromas and flavors will be more vibrant

46. The drying, bitter flavor in wine that comes from the grape skin or the oak it was aged in

47. Short for one of the most widely recognized red wine grape varieties; pairs well with steak

48. Spanish sparkling wine

49. The world’s largest wine producer, followed by France and Spain

50. Some people think these relate to the quality, sweetness or viscosity of the wine, but they show the alcohol level

51. The practice to sell wine before it’s bottled

DOWN

1. French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect the character and taste of a wine

2. French appellation known for wine made from the Gamay grape

4. Indicates a bone dry sparkling wine

5. This Virginia winery is featured in our wine trail as a perfect picnic spots (3 words)

6. This Maryland winery is featured in our wine trail as an oasis away from the city

7. Made by crossing European vitis vinifera vines with American vitis labrusca or vitis riparia grapes

11. Country generally considered the “cradle of wine”

12. This Maryland winery is featured in our wine trail as a great spot for sweet wine lovers

16. Refers to drawing off the blended wines into bottles ready for a second alcoholic fermentation

20. This gives wine a tart or sour taste, and wines high in this pair well with rich and fatty foods

24. The fear of wine

25. What wine to serve with certain foods

26. Most commonly refers to a blend, either of more than one grape or of wine

29. Georgetown wine bar with great charcuterie boards

30. Roman god of wine, called Dionysos in ancient Greece

31. The world’s most popular light-bodied red wine (2 words)

32. Type of white wine made by leaving the grape skins and seeds in contact with the juice

35. Designates a medium-sweet wine, but literally translates to half dry

38. Industrial-chic store offering a wide variety of Latin American wines as well as classes (2 words)

40. Uses natural substances and physical, mechanical or biologically based farming methods

42. Exposing the wine to air or giving it a chance to “breathe” before drinking it

43. Metabolic process that produces chemical changes; the process by which grapes become wine

44. Refers to the ability to identify and taste different characteristics of wine

47. A term for a wine that has become contaminated with cork taint

Click here for the answer key to this month’s crossword.

Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content. Support local journalism and start your membership today.