Main meanings of wine in English

: wine¹ wine²

wine¹

Pronunciation /wʌɪn/

See synonyms for wine

Translate wine into Spanish

noun

mass noun

1An alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice.
‘he opened a bottle of red wine’
- ‘the regional foods and wines of France’
- ‘The fine-wine merchant is the place to go if you want to buy and cellar great vintage wines.’
- ‘He poured the sparkling red wine into a glass at a small table with two chairs around it.’
- ‘For other cheesy dishes, a light, fruity red wine is sometimes better.’
- ‘Bordeaux is in south-west France and produces fine red wines that are often referred to as claret.’
- ‘The world's finest wines are invariably produced from poor quality soils where few other crops would be worth planting.’
- ‘You can practically taste the chilled white wine in that glass.’
- ‘Salty foods may make sweet wines taste sweeter.’
- ‘There is a correct way to prepare and drink mulled wine.’
- ‘California makes some pretty decent sparkling wines at very competitive prices.’
- ‘Sweet dessert wines generally hold up better than dry wines once opened.’
- ‘I did not see one of them drinking dessert wines, port, or similar drinks.’
- ‘We sipped more wine with dinner and it made us a bit giggly.’
- ‘Red Bordeaux is the world's best wine, and Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the best grapes.’
- ‘But I'd bet that many wine drinkers have the same problem I do.’
- ‘I spent the next few years improving my ability to appreciate fine wine and single malt whisky.’
- ‘If you're short of space, move wine, beer and other drinks into a cool place, such as the garage.’
- ‘The last research placed Bulgaria twelfth in the volume share list of world wine exporters.’
- ‘Of course, I immediately undid all the good work with a large serving of mussels in garlic and white wine sauce.’
- ‘For a twelfth generation wine producer Olivier had a refreshing amount of enthusiasm for his subject.’
- ‘The grape spirit market was in decline, too, so the EC wine lake was overflowing.’
vin de table, vin ordinaire, vin du pays
View synonyms
1. 1.1with modifier An alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of specified other fruits or plants.
  ‘a glass of elderflower wine’
  ‘I have invited a couple of people around to play Singstar and drink fruit wine so that should be good.’
  ‘I also got mildly tipsy on fruit wine which was necessary due to bloody coldness.’
  ‘Inside was her fantastic Root from the Twisted Wood, a jug of dandelion wine and a large book of poems.’
  ‘It takes more than coffee to repair the body after a few glasses of Dumvuk cabbage wine.’
  ‘Spirits and fortified wines were not known although the apple wine may have had quite a high alcohol content.’
  ‘A popular drink from Sardinia, it is a blackcurrant wine that is smooth despite its bitter kick.’
  ‘One brew still popular in many parts of China is made of fruit bits suspended in rice wine.’
  ‘The priest came to visit once a week and then he had cherry wine and little cookies.’
2. 1.2
  short for wine red
  ‘a wine-coloured suit’

verb

[with object]wine and dine someone

1Entertain someone by offering them drinks and a meal.
‘we were wined and dined by the clients’
- ‘Gorgeous actress Kate Beckinsale grabbed the hearts of York males as an amazing 64 per cent said she would be their favourite choice to wine and dine on a romantic evening out.’
- ‘They are not just the major banks, which the Ministers might wine and dine; they are a whole lot of people who run small, localised finance companies that provide credit to New Zealanders.’
- ‘The catering division is used regularly by the Taoiseach to wine and dine visiting dignitaries at Government Buildings and Farmleigh House.’
- ‘You get to hang out with movie stars and Hollywood celebrities, present Oscars at the Academy Awards, and wine and dine top politicians while they view first-run feature films at your office two blocks from the White House.’
- ‘Plenty of money is available to wine and dine EU Ministers, yet the City Council can't find the money to paint a few lines on the road for more taxi spaces, it was claimed yesterday (Tuesday).’
- ‘Wylie, who made such an impact with his reports on the Chhokar debacle, was the prime subject of conversation when Newsnight's editor, Sian Kevill, came to wine and dine a quartet of MSPs at Rogue's in Edinburgh.’
- ‘Apparently the fact that some Canadians live at the same latitude as some Finns and Icelanders is reason enough to wine and dine the likes of Michael Ondaatje and Bob Rae.’
- ‘Companies and shops should take particular notice of this one as you could also win D4;1,500 to wine and dine your staff on an unforgettable night on the town.’
- ‘I thought you would wine and dine me and present me with expensive tokens and bent-knee hand kissing in an attempt to keep me as yours.’
- ‘They rented it, fully furnished, from David Ogilvie, and used their beautiful home to wine and dine the local aristocracy.’
- ‘And lord alone knows what it costs to wine and dine travel agents here, there and everywhere.’
- ‘The truth is that the pair once answered an ad for male escorts, mistakenly thinking they would simply have to wine and dine women.’
- ‘He plans to join in the big parade and wine and dine his glamorous fiancée.’
- ‘And they can talk to these publishers that wine and dine them, look them right in the eye, I tell them, and ask, ‘How diverse is your editorial staff?’’
- ‘Many programming and content companies that decided not to exhibit this year are still sending armies of executives to wine and dine cable executives at local restaurants rather than man expensive booths.’
- ‘It too often seemed like a case of inviting the hot money speculators to play at our casino, assuring them that we would wine and dine them, while protecting them from the harsh treatment they had suffered at the hands of others.’
- ‘Leading officials of the Democratic Party are using the convention to wine and dine large donors and solicit more funds for the final months of the campaign.’
- ‘When you take clients to a restaurant you pay partly for the use of the space and a nice environment in which to wine and dine your business associates.’
- ‘They were going to use the company penthouse that Jake's father's company uses when they wine and dine clients in Seattle.’
1. 1.1no object Enjoy oneself by eating and drinking lavishly.
  ‘we wined and dined with Bernard's friends’
  ‘Afterwards the members continued with their AGM in high spirit and Bertie proceeded to wine and dine at the Radisson SAS Hotel with the Sligo Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor of Sligo, Mr. Declan Bree.’
  ‘Surprisingly, the doors are normally closed at weekends as the bulk of trade is carried out during the week days when New Yorkers and ex pats take a break from the hustle and bustle to wine and dine in the popular premises on East 41st Street.’
  ‘They're here to strengthen ties with the U.S., talk a little politics, wine and dine with dignitaries, and test out Camilla's popularity in a nation some call Diana country.’
  ‘People in Los Angeles love having their nails done so what better idea than to have staff do it as they wine and dine?’
  ‘Later as German leader he sealed off the hamlet, creating an exclusive retreat where he and other top Nazis could wine and dine, savour the crisp Alpine air, and plan the most barbarous acts of the Third Reich.’
  ‘Eating out in Ireland can be an expensive exercise, but if the country's superwealthy accept an invitation to wine and dine with Rolls-Royce they could end up with a tab for more than €500,000.’
  ‘Go in for a dinner on a Thursday or Friday night and you are likely to be overwhelmed at the bubbly, friendly atmosphere as locals wine and dine and just generally laugh about how wonderful life is in this part of W4.’
  ‘You can eat well at one of the noodle shops or fast-food places for less than $10, or you can wine and dine more expensively and elegantly at a place like the Ship's Tavern.’
  ‘After some lengthy discussions - Argentinians like to wine and dine extensively before actually exchanging cash - we bought two horses from Wesley.’
  ‘The party next Sunday is an all parish event where parishioners from Abbeyleix and Ballyroan from all churches sit down to wine and dine in style.’
  ‘Last December, Hu went to his friend's home to wine and dine.’
  ‘Hell, why don't you just get on the Concorde and fly your way over to France where you can wine and dine with the rest of the white flag brigade?’
  ‘If you like to wine and dine in a traditional style, you'll like this place; if you want something a bit more on the edge, go elsewhere.’
  ‘For many Chinese today, the Spring Festival is a good time to wine and dine.’
  ‘I went to K's house to wine and dine with friends from a former workplace of mine.’
  ‘They are members of posh clubs and wine and dine with men and women with tremendous spending power.’
  ‘Why not fill it with asylum seekers and let them wine and dine in the many House of Commons restaurants and bars?’
  ‘It is obscene that the leaders of the rich world can wine and dine in the splendour of a luxury liner while offering only crumbs in debt relief.’
  ‘The congress is just a bunch of old men getting together to wine and dine in a gathering that has no relevance to the general public.’
  ‘‘We will not wine and dine with murderers,’ said Biti, a 33-year-old lawyer who is the opposition's shadow foreign minister.’

Phrases

days of wine and roses

Times of youth and happiness.
‘a professional footballer should never take his days of wine and roses for granted’
- ‘the times of plenty, the days of wine and roses, are over’
Origin
From the poem ‘Vitae Summa Brevis’ (1896) by Ernest Dowson: ‘They are not long, the days of wine and roses’.

good wine needs no bush

proverb

There's no need to advertise or boast about something of good quality as people will always discover its merits.
‘Although some local officials appear to believe that good wine needs no bush, the more forward-looking Tourist Bureau is now beginning to target the rest of Europe.’
- ‘Those that served quality drinks did not have this sign, hence the origin of the saying good wine needs no bush.’
- ‘If it be true that good wine needs no bush, 'tis true that a good play needs no epilogue.’

wine, women, and song

The hedonistic life of drinking, sexual pleasure, and carefree entertainment traditionally enjoyed by men.
‘He did not spend time doing stereotypically masculine activities like spending Friday nights out with the boys with their wine, women, and song because he was much too busy working two jobs at the same time.’
- ‘I'd say you've earned some wine, women, and song, wouldn't you?’
- ‘He went on to sing, ‘I have tried wine, women, and song.’’
- ‘But I'm lucky enough to have my sixty-two year old father still coaching me, advising me on the finer points of work, money, travel, fishing, wine, women, and song.’
- ‘Spring Break is widely considered a time of excess, as many students and others plan vacations to sunny beachfront locations, and go to parties filled with wine, women, and song.’

Origin

Old English wīn, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wijn, German Wein, based on Latin vinum.