Auction Terminology

General Wine Terminology

Ageworthy:  The ability of any given wine to mature.  This depends largely on the characteristics of each individual wine, also storage conditions.

Wine Regions:

  • Old World - Collective reference to the wine producing countries of Europe and North Africa.
  • New World - Collective reference to the wine producing countries outside of Europe and North Africa.

Appellation:  A demarcated and regulated wine production area.

  • Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée/Protégée (AOC/AOP) - France's highest classification of quality wine.
  • Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) - France's mid-tier classification of quality regional wine.
  • Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) - Spain's highest classification of quality wine.
  • Denominación de Origen (DO) - Spain's mid-tier classification of quality regional wine.
  • Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) - Italy's highest classification of quality wine.
  • Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) - Italy's mid-tier classification of quality regional wine.
  • Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) - Italian classification for quality wines, whose producers choose to declassify from the DOC/DOCG structure.

Bottle Condition:

  • Bottle Variation - Variation in characteristics between multiple bottles of the exact same wine, caused largely by differing storage conditions.
  • Capsule - Foil cap placed over the cork for protection, cleanliness and presentation.
  • Fill Level / Ullage - The existing top-level of wine in an upright bottle, termed in accordance with position in the neck of the bottle.  If filled correctly, a new wine shall be filled to or just below the foil capsule; over time, this level will naturally drop, however excessive seepage may indicate an issue with the seal and increased risk of oxidation.
  • Bottle Sizes:
  • Half-Bottles - Small-format bottle, normally of 37.5cl, equivalent to half of a regular bottle.
  • Bottle - Normally 75cl, some old bottles were 70cl.
  • Magnum - Large-format bottle of 1.5 Litres, equivalent to 2 regular bottles.
  • Jeroboam - Large-format bottle of 3 Litres, equivalent to 4 regular bottles.

Wine Auctioneer Interpretations

Vintage:

  • The year in which grapes were harvested from their vines.

Cask Ageing:

  • Period of time a wine spent maturing in wooden barrels.

Seal Condition:

  • Visual determination of the quality of the seal of a bottle, unscientific:
    • excellent condition: label & foil/wax seal intact; cork/closure secure, no leakage
    • good condition: light cosmetic damage to label/seal; cork/closure secure, no leakage
    • satisfactory condition: damage to or missing label/seal; cork/closure secure, no leakage
    • poor condition: damage to or missing label/seal; cork/closure loose, slight leakage
    • bad condition: damage to or missing label/seal; damage to cork/closure, notable leakage

Legal Terminologies

Selling:

  • Transferring legal possession and ownership of items from Seller.

Seller:

  • Person from whom legal possession and ownership of items is being transferred.

Buying:

  • Transferring legal possession and ownership of items to Buyer.

Buyer:

  • Person to whom legal possession and ownership of items is being transferred.

Bid(s):

  • Legally binding offer(s) to purchase items at a specific price stated.

Auction:

  • Public sale of property conducted by competitive bidding where the item auctioned is sold to the person who makes the highest bid, providing Reserve has been met.

Commission:

  • Fee paid based on a percentage of the sales value of items.

Lot:

  • A parcel or single item that is the subject matter of a separate sale.

Listing Fee:

  • Fee paid based on an agreement to represent the sale of a separate lot.

Reserve:

  • Condition that sale shall not be agreed unless lot attains agreed value bid.

Reserve Fee:

  • Fee paid based on an agreement to place a Reserve on a separate lot.

Hammer Price:

  • The price offered as the highest bid in a public auction.

These definitions do not constitute the Terms and Conditions which we require site users to read before participating in an auction.