- Halbtrocken (‘HALP-trock-en’)
- A German term meaning, “half-dry”; wines intentionally made with less than the typical amount of residual sugar.
- Half-bottle
- Holds 375 milliliters of wine or 3/8 of a litre.
- Harmonious
- A wine that has a perfect balance of fruit, acid and tannins; no component is obtrusive or lacking.
- Harsh
- A term used to describe astringent wines that are high in acid and/or alcohol and have pronounced tannins. Harshness in a wine is a flaw.
- Harvest
- The process of picking ripe wine grapes from the vine, either by hand or machine, and transferring them to the winery. Also refers to the time period when the grapes are picked; usually March/April in the southern hemisphere and September/October in the northern hemisphere.
- Haut-Médoc (‘oh may-dawk’)
- A major subdivision of the Médoc region of Bordeaux, and source of many of its greatest red wines.
- Herbaceous
- A term used to describe the (usually pungent) aromas and flavours of herbs in a wine. Specific herbal smells may be of thyme, fennel, lavender, rosemary and oregano. Herbaceous is often used alongside other terms such as, “vegetal”, “green” or “grassy”.
- Hermitage (‘er-mee-tahj’)
- A wine region in the Rhône Valley in southern France, which produces robust red wines (primarily) from Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre grapes and white wines from Marsanne, Rousanne and Viognier. The wines are usually of high quality and very little is made, therefore, they are invariably expensive.
- Hogshead
- A wine barrel that holds approximately 239 litres.
- Honeyed
- A term used to describe a wine that has the smell and taste of bee’s honey; and usually a characteristic of aged Semillons and late harvest wines affected by “botrytis“.
- Hot
- A term used to indicate that a wine is too high in alcohol and ‘burns’ with heat on the finish (and at the back of the throat when swallowed). Accordingly, the wine is usually unbalanced; the alcohol over-powering the fruit and other components. This trait is acceptable in Port-style wines.
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