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π Helpful Terms
Wine vocabulary, in plain English
BodytastingHow heavy or full the wine feels in your mouth β from light (like skim milk) to full (like cream). Driven mostly by alcohol and richness.
TannintastingThe drying, grippy sensation in reds (like over-steeped tea), from grape skins, seeds, and oak. It gives a wine structure and helps it age.
AciditytastingThe tart, mouth-watering zing that makes a wine feel fresh and crisp. Too little tastes flat; plenty keeps it lively.
FinishtastingThe flavor that lingers after you swallow. A long, evolving finish is a mark of a fine wine; a short one fades fast.
Nose / BouquettastingThe aromas of the wine. "Nose" covers all its smells; "bouquet" usually means the complex scents that develop with age.
PalatetastingTwo meanings: the flavors you taste in a wine, and your own sense of taste ("she has a good palate").
Legs / TearstastingThe droplets that run down the glass after a swirl. They hint at higher alcohol or sweetness β not, despite the myth, at quality.
DrytastingNot sweet β the opposite of sweet. Nearly all the wine's sugar was fermented into alcohol. Most table wines are dry.
Off-DrytastingJust a touch of sweetness β noticeable but not dessert-sweet. Many Rieslings are off-dry, which is what makes them great with spicy food.
BalancetastingWhen no single element (fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol, sweetness) sticks out β they're in harmony. The hallmark of a well-made wine.
ComplexitytastingHaving many layers of aroma and flavor that keep evolving in the glass, rather than one simple note. A prized quality.
CrisptastingFresh and clean with bright acidity β a common, happy description for a good white or rosΓ©.
VarietalstyleA wine named for the single grape it's mostly made from β a "varietal wine" like Merlot or Chardonnay (the New-World way to label).
BlendstyleA wine made from two or more grapes combined β like a red Bordeaux or a GSM. Blending lets the winemaker balance strengths.
VintagestyleThe year the grapes were harvested, shown on the label. Weather varies year to year, so vintages differ. "Non-vintage" blends several years.
TerroirstyleFrench for the sense of place β how soil, climate, and site shape a wine, so the same grape tastes different in Napa vs. Burgundy.
Old WorldstyleWine from Europe (France, Italy, Spainβ¦), tending toward earthy, restrained, food-focused styles β usually labeled by place.
New WorldstyleWine from everywhere else (U.S., Australia, Chileβ¦), tending riper and more fruit-forward β usually labeled by grape.
OakedstyleAged in oak barrels, which add vanilla, spice, toast, and body. "Unoaked" wines (like Chablis) are leaner and crisper.
BrutstyleThe label term for a dry sparkling wine. Sweeter styles run up through Extra Dry (slightly sweeter) to Demi-Sec (dessert-sweet).
FortifiedstyleA wine with extra spirit added, raising the alcohol β think Port, Sherry, and Madeira. Often sweet and served in small pours.
ReservestyleA term for a higher-tier bottling β but it's loosely regulated in most places, so it doesn't always guarantee more.
AppellationstyleA legally defined wine region named on the label (Napa Valley, Chianti). It tells you where the grapes were grown.
CorkedfaultsA common fault from a tainted cork β the wine smells of wet cardboard or damp basement and tastes muted. Not your fault; ask for another.
OxidizedfaultsA wine that has had too much air (old, or open too long) β it goes flat, brownish, and sherry-like. Fresh fruit is gone.
DecantcareTo pour a wine into a carafe before serving β to aerate a young red so it opens up, or to leave sediment behind in an old one.
BreathecareLetting a wine sit in contact with air after opening so its aromas open and harsh edges soften. A swirl in the glass does it fast.
SedimentcareHarmless solids that settle in older reds (color and tannin). Not a flaw β just stand the bottle up beforehand or decant off it.
FlightservingA set of small pours tasted side by side, usually around a theme β exactly how our monthly tastings are run.
SommelierservingA trained wine professional (say "so-mel-YAY"), especially one who manages a restaurant's list and helps guests choose.
AerateservingTo deliberately mix air into the wine β by swirling, decanting, or a pour-through gadget β to help a tight young wine express itself.
No matching term β try another word.
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