This page is here to introduce you to a few common and some not-so-common terms associated with wine.  We've divided them into three sections:  Wine tasting, winemaking and wine labels.

THE ABC'S OF WINE TASTING

ACIDITY: a natural bite or tartness of wine. When properly balanced by grape sugar, it gives the wine a refreshing and necessary sharpness in taste or smell.

AFTERTASTE: the sensation that lingers on the plate after the wine is swallowed.

AROMA: the unique fragrance associated with fresh, young wine. It is less apparent in  light, dry wines.

ASTRINGENT: detected as a puckery sensation in the mouth, produced by the wine's tannin.

BALANCED: when the fruit, acid and wood flavors are in the right proportion...each characteristic complements rather than overwhelms the other.

BARNYARD: just what you might think. Probably not what you are looking for in a nice glass of wine. (think wet hay and farm animals.)

BIG: refers to the intensity and assertiveness of flavor. May be slightly alcoholic tasting. Often a term reserved for highly tannic red wines.

BODY:  the heft or weight of the wine in your mouth determined by the viscosity of the wine.  May be affected by the alcohol content or high sugar.

BOUQUET: the enhancing flavor or scent of a wine...more complex characteristics than aroma, the wine's bouquet generally develops during the bottling and aging.  Think aroma with regard to young wines and bouquet with regard to more mature wines.

BUTTERY: referring both to the taste and texture as it feels in the taster's mouth. Rich, luscious, flavorful and smooth.

CHARACTER: the unmistakable quality of wine that possesses in full degree the color, taste and bouquet associated with its type.

CORKY: when the taste of the wine in tainted by the smell of mold, wet basement or even mushrooms.

CRISP: wine with a pleasant, refreshing amount of acidity. A clear-cut briskness more commonly tasted in white wines than in red.

DIRTY: a sign of poor winemaking; covers foul, icky odors that can occur in wine, including those due to bad barrels and corks.

DRY: an absence of residual grape sugar in wine.

EARTHY: perceived as a positive wine taste and aroma in the right balance.

FINISH: the taste that lingers in your mouth (usually at the back of your palate) after it has been swallowed or spit out.

FLABBY:   a wine that lacks acidity on the palate. No firmness or structure to the taste.

FLOWERY:  a bouquet that evokes soft floral scent (lilacs, honeysuckle and violets, etc... )  More frequently associated with white wines.

FRUITY: the distinctive aroma and flavor that combines tartness and sweetness. Suggests the taste of ripe fruit:  blackberries, cherries, apples, pears, peaches, etc.

FULL-BODIED:  fills the mouth, has much body and depth.

GRAPEY: describes simple aromas and flavors associated with fresh table grapes.

HERBACEOUS:  tasting and smelling like herbs, grass or hay.

INTENSE: the concentrated and well defined taste and texture of a wine that sets the best wines apart from others.

LEGS: the viscous droplets that form and ease down the sides of the glass when the wine is swirled.     

NOSE:  a wine's scent, a composite of all of its fragrances.  It might reveal its predominant grape, or suggest vanilla, citrus, almonds, cinnamon or black pepper. A "good nose" refers to a considerable aroma and a pleasing, bouquet.  A rich, complex bouquet that fills the room when the bottle is opened is a "big nose". Layered complexity produced by years of bottle aging is a "sophisticated nose".  An "off nose"? That's a wine that just doesn't smell right.

NUTTY:  typically wines that are fortified, such as Port, Sherry and Madeira.  Reminiscent of almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts....you know, nuts!

OAKY: describes the aroma and taste of oak.

ROBUST: well-developed body and flavor in a wine.

SOFT: a wine with low tannin, acid or alcohol content that makes little impact on the palate.

SUPPLE: a supple wine has well-balanced tannins and fruit characteristics.

SWEET: the presence of discernible sugar in the wine.  One of four basic tastes.

TANNIC:  deriving from an assortment of organic compounds found in grape skins, seeds and stems.  Affects mouth feel and texture of wine leaving a dry, chalky sensation, perhaps the taste of leather or tea, and sometimes bitterness.

TIRED: a wine whose charm has passed...a wine that should have been consumed when it was first given to you by your sister-in-law but wasn't.

VANILLA: the flavor produced by vanillin, a substance found in oak and imparted to the wine during wood-aging.  It is apparent in the nose and after taste. Typically associated with mature Bordeaux and Burgundy reds and some chardonnays.

WOODY:  a musty, overbearing flavor and/or aroma in the wine.  Caused by storing it in wood too long or by a defect in the cask.

YEASTY:  The odor and taste of a wine just as it emerges from fermentation.  Obscuring the nose at first, it generally disappears with age. 

ZESTY: invigorating!!   

And isn't that the perfect word to end on?  Not that that is the end...because there are literally dozens of words that are commonly used to describe wine character and taste.  Wine tasting wheels are available to help if you want to REALLY explore the bouquet, investigate the body, test the balance or just discover the spectrum of tastes from subtle to explosive that can be found in your favorite wine. 

 WINEMAKING TERMS

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IS THAT LABEL YIELDING TERMS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE?

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