We've provided a list of terms related to wine and wine tasting to help
you come off like an experienced drinker the next time you order out at
dinner or pick up a bottle at your local wine shop. Who's looking out for you, huh?Acidity: All wine has acid and
that acid helps preserve the wine. Acid is usually more
noticeable in white wines, making them crisp, but also adds structure
to red wines
Aerate: Letting a wine breathe
before you drink it. Done by pouring the wine into a decanter
(not just opening a bottle a few minutes before drinking it), exposing
wine to air allow the scent to open up and can soften tannins.
Good idea with young reds, not necessary for white wines.
Appellation: The region where a
wine’s grapes are grown. A system developed by the French,
winemaking methods and growth yields are regulated to ensure
authenticity.
Backbone: Term used to describe a structured wine with good acidity.
Balanced: Term used to describe a
wine in which the fruit, tannins and acid work in harmony, without one
aspect of flavor overwhelming the others.
Body: Weight of a wine in the mouth, as in light-, medium-, or full-bodied.
Bouquet: Term used to describe a wine’s scent.
Brut: A dry wine. Typically applied to Champagnes or Sparklings.
Complex: One of the highest forms
of praise to describe a wine. A term used to describe rich
flavor, full weight, deep color, balanced tannins and acid, and strong
structure.
Corked: Term used to describe a
musty, moldy, wet-paper smell that a wine can take on, regardless of
whether the cork caused the smell or not.
Dry: Term used to describe no appreciable sweet taste or presence of any sugar in a wine.
Finish: Aftertaste of a wine in your mouth.
Flabby: Term used to describe a lack of acidity on the palate.
Lean: Term used to describe a wine with very little flavor.
Magnum: A bottle that holds 1.5 Liters. In other words, twice a standard (750 ml) bottle.
NonVintage: Wines in which the grapes are blended from different
years of harvest. In other words, the grapes aren’t all from the
same year of growth.
Oaky: Term used to describe aroma or taste that is reminiscent of
oak. Many wines are aged in oak wood barrels and pick up flavors
from the wood, which can be a good thing or if overused, can be too
much of a good thing.
Robust: Term used to describe a wine that is very full-bodied.
Soft: Term used to describe a wine with a soft texture on the palate, usually low acidity. The opposite of robust.
Spicy: Term used to describe a wine that puts off a taste or bouquet reminiscent of a spice, such as pepper or cinnamon.
Structure: Term used to describe the texture of a wine’s taste
and bouquet. A balanced, firm wine with an acidic component is
referred to as having “structure.”
Tannin: Found in grapes, tannins are a substance that exudes a
mouth-puckering feeling. Tea can create the same
sensation. Tannins are usually in red wines and soften over
time. A wine that’s too tannic will be harsh to drink, coming off
as highly acidic and not balanced.
Varietal: A particular grape variety, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, etc.
Vegetal: Term used to describe a wine that smells or tastes like a plant leaf. Not a form of high praise.
Vintage: The year the grapes were harvested and the wine made.
Vintner: Winemaker.
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