| Wine Terms |
Has this happened to you? Your standing there in some trendy restaurant
around some people that you happen to be with that are drinking a glass of
wine. They start talking in their own secret code about the wines they are
consuming. They use phrases like, this one is so complex with a great finish,
but I feel that the tannins are a bit chewy. Then one of them turns to you and
asks you what you think. You start to tremble and sweat for fear of sounding
stupid. It's at this point that you wish you could tap your heels three times
and be somewhere in Kansas where they've never heard of wine!
Hey I've been there. My response sounded something like, I believe this
one is red and yours is white! Fortunately for you, I have created this page
with just a few wine terms that will get you well on your way to wine
snobbery! Feel free to print this page off and quiz yourself into perfection!
Acidity: Wines made from grapes that were high in acidity often taste tart or
sour. When you encounter a wine that is very tart or sour, you say, "This
wine is very acidic".
Aroma: This is the smell or flavors the wine gives off. Examples would be
appley, raspberry, vanilla, etc... "This wine has a strong blackberry aroma".
Balanced: A wine is balanced when all it's components like, fruit, wood
flavorings, sweetness and acidity are all in harmony with each other. No one
component is more noticeable than the others. "This wine is very balanced."
Barnyardy: When the wine smells like farm animals. Well...uh... I'll just let
you draw your own conclusions about this one. Be careful not to say this in
front of the winemaker.
Big: This implies that the wine is rich and full-bodied (See below) with a
slight trace of alcohol in the taste. "This Cabernet is nice and big." Not,
"Hey Bubba, that's a big ole' bottle of Boone's Farm you got there!"
Body: This is the weight of the wine in your mouth. If it is heavy, it's
full-bodied. If it's light, then it's light-bodied. In between the two is
medium-bodied. You should never refer to wine as having an attractive body
and for heaven sakes, never refer to a woman as full-bodied. It will cause
scars!
Brut: This describes a champagne or sparkling wine that is almost dry. This
will be on the label of the bottle somewhere. If it says Extra-Brut, then it is
really dry.
Buttery: This refers to the way a wine can feel and sometimes taste in the
mouth. You will notice this texture in a lot of California Chardonnays. "This
wine has a buttery texture to it."
Cedary: Sometimes wines that are aged in oak barrels gain a bit of a cedar
wood flavor. This can be very desirable in red wines like a Zinfandel or
Cabernet Sauvignon. You mostly smell this flavor and rarely taste it. It can
smell heavenly.
Chewy: A wine that is chewy is rich and jammy or full-bodied with lots of
rough tannins. A young Cabernet Sauvignon can be chewy. "This cab is
thick and chewy".
Closed: When a wine doesn't appear to have much of a smell or nose at all,
you say it's closed.
Complex: This describes a wine that has a lot of flavors and components.
"With all the fruit and oak flavors, this wine is quite complex."
Corked: When a wine that has a faulty cork that lets in bacteria, which
causes off odors like a musty smell, we say the wine is corked. "Hey waiter,
this wine is corked. Take it back!"
Demi-Sec: This describes a champagne or sparkling wine that is moderately
sweet.
Doux: The sweetest champagne and sparkling wine catagory.
Earthy: Although this sounds bad, it isn't always so. Especially when you
are tasting wines from Burgundy or Bordeaux, France. They would say the
earthy flavors are part of their terroir. I won't get into what terroir means at
this point. This in simple terms is soil-like in taste or other earthly aromas.
Extra-Dry: This describes a champagne or sparkling wine that is slightly
sweet. Note that this style is sweeter than those that are labeled "Brut". I
know, I know, it makes no sense at all, but hey, what can I say, the French
came up with this system!
Finish: This is the taste of a wine that remains in your mouth after
swallowing it. The longer the finish to the wine, the better the wine is. "This
wine is smooth with a nice lingering finish."
Flabby: Wines that lack any acidity at all. They don't have that zing to them
and therefore they take on this dull, often one-dimensional taste to them.
"This Pinot Noir lacks acidity and is quite flabby."
Flinty: This occurs mostly in white wines and it is a steely flintstone type of
aroma. "This Riesling is a touch flinty with hints of apple on the finish."
Fruity: Rich in fruity flavors. Duh!
Heady: When a wine has a high alcohol smell, you say it's heady. Maybe
because it makes your head spin. Yippee! "My good friend Ian does love a
good heady wine!"
Herbaceous: Rich in vegetative flavors like bell pepper, asparagus, etc...
This too can be desirable and can appear in both red and white wines. "With
their bell pepper overtones, Chilean red wines seem to take on a herbaceous
quality."
Legs: These are the viscous droplets that stick to the side of the wine glass
after you swirl the wine. The thicker they are and the longer it takes for
them to slide back down the glass, the more alcohol and or sugar level is in
the wine. "Wow, look at the legs on that one!" I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!
Musty: A wine that has a mouldy smell. Yuck!
Nose: The aroma, fragrance or smell if you prefer, of a wine. "This wine has
a lovely nose." Boy, I remember the first time someone whipped this term
out on me. I thought they needed a psychiatrist!
Oaky: A wine having wood flavors imparted from aging the wine in oak
barrels. These flavors can include, vanilla, nutmeg, toast, hazelnut, cedar
and butterscotch. Yum, yum! "This Chardonnay is too oaky."
Off-Dry: This describes wines that are slightly sweet. If you think about
this, it does make sense. "Just a bit off-dry." Get it?
Peppery: A wine that has a peppery taste to it. See also "Spicy" below.
This is very common in Syrah or Shiraz and Red Zinfandels.
Soft: This refers to a wine that is low in acidity, tannins and alcohol content.
Boring! "This wine was too soft for Ian." I'm retaliating on my Mom's
behalf!
Spicy: A wine can have several spice flavors to it. Some are; black and or
white pepper, mint, cinnamon, pumpkin, anise and cloves. "This Zinfandel
has spicy black pepper aromas."
Sweet: Okay, if I have to explain this one to you then all I can say is,
"Welcome to Planet Earth!"
Tannin: This is magic in a bottle! I kid you not, little elves put these in red
wines. They help fight cancer and heart disease, speed up your metabolism
(necessary for weight loss), why it's a little wonder drug that imparts a dry
sensation on the back of your tongue. It also allows some red wines to age
for decades without going bad. If they make a wine last for years, think of
what it can do for you! Run to the store and get some right away! There is
still some time left!
Toasty: Bread toast flavors that are imparted in a wine from oak barrels.
"Right after that third glass of wine, we are all feeling a bit toasty." This
last sentance was for all of you white zinfandel fans!
Alright now, that should get you started on your path of wine snobbery. Now
grab a glass and start practicing!
around some people that you happen to be with that are drinking a glass of
wine. They start talking in their own secret code about the wines they are
consuming. They use phrases like, this one is so complex with a great finish,
but I feel that the tannins are a bit chewy. Then one of them turns to you and
asks you what you think. You start to tremble and sweat for fear of sounding
stupid. It's at this point that you wish you could tap your heels three times
and be somewhere in Kansas where they've never heard of wine!
Hey I've been there. My response sounded something like, I believe this
one is red and yours is white! Fortunately for you, I have created this page
with just a few wine terms that will get you well on your way to wine
snobbery! Feel free to print this page off and quiz yourself into perfection!
Acidity: Wines made from grapes that were high in acidity often taste tart or
sour. When you encounter a wine that is very tart or sour, you say, "This
wine is very acidic".
Aroma: This is the smell or flavors the wine gives off. Examples would be
appley, raspberry, vanilla, etc... "This wine has a strong blackberry aroma".
Balanced: A wine is balanced when all it's components like, fruit, wood
flavorings, sweetness and acidity are all in harmony with each other. No one
component is more noticeable than the others. "This wine is very balanced."
Barnyardy: When the wine smells like farm animals. Well...uh... I'll just let
you draw your own conclusions about this one. Be careful not to say this in
front of the winemaker.
Big: This implies that the wine is rich and full-bodied (See below) with a
slight trace of alcohol in the taste. "This Cabernet is nice and big." Not,
"Hey Bubba, that's a big ole' bottle of Boone's Farm you got there!"
Body: This is the weight of the wine in your mouth. If it is heavy, it's
full-bodied. If it's light, then it's light-bodied. In between the two is
medium-bodied. You should never refer to wine as having an attractive body
and for heaven sakes, never refer to a woman as full-bodied. It will cause
scars!
Brut: This describes a champagne or sparkling wine that is almost dry. This
will be on the label of the bottle somewhere. If it says Extra-Brut, then it is
really dry.
Buttery: This refers to the way a wine can feel and sometimes taste in the
mouth. You will notice this texture in a lot of California Chardonnays. "This
wine has a buttery texture to it."
Cedary: Sometimes wines that are aged in oak barrels gain a bit of a cedar
wood flavor. This can be very desirable in red wines like a Zinfandel or
Cabernet Sauvignon. You mostly smell this flavor and rarely taste it. It can
smell heavenly.
Chewy: A wine that is chewy is rich and jammy or full-bodied with lots of
rough tannins. A young Cabernet Sauvignon can be chewy. "This cab is
thick and chewy".
Closed: When a wine doesn't appear to have much of a smell or nose at all,
you say it's closed.
Complex: This describes a wine that has a lot of flavors and components.
"With all the fruit and oak flavors, this wine is quite complex."
Corked: When a wine that has a faulty cork that lets in bacteria, which
causes off odors like a musty smell, we say the wine is corked. "Hey waiter,
this wine is corked. Take it back!"
Demi-Sec: This describes a champagne or sparkling wine that is moderately
sweet.
Doux: The sweetest champagne and sparkling wine catagory.
Earthy: Although this sounds bad, it isn't always so. Especially when you
are tasting wines from Burgundy or Bordeaux, France. They would say the
earthy flavors are part of their terroir. I won't get into what terroir means at
this point. This in simple terms is soil-like in taste or other earthly aromas.
Extra-Dry: This describes a champagne or sparkling wine that is slightly
sweet. Note that this style is sweeter than those that are labeled "Brut". I
know, I know, it makes no sense at all, but hey, what can I say, the French
came up with this system!
Finish: This is the taste of a wine that remains in your mouth after
swallowing it. The longer the finish to the wine, the better the wine is. "This
wine is smooth with a nice lingering finish."
Flabby: Wines that lack any acidity at all. They don't have that zing to them
and therefore they take on this dull, often one-dimensional taste to them.
"This Pinot Noir lacks acidity and is quite flabby."
Flinty: This occurs mostly in white wines and it is a steely flintstone type of
aroma. "This Riesling is a touch flinty with hints of apple on the finish."
Fruity: Rich in fruity flavors. Duh!
Heady: When a wine has a high alcohol smell, you say it's heady. Maybe
because it makes your head spin. Yippee! "My good friend Ian does love a
good heady wine!"
Herbaceous: Rich in vegetative flavors like bell pepper, asparagus, etc...
This too can be desirable and can appear in both red and white wines. "With
their bell pepper overtones, Chilean red wines seem to take on a herbaceous
quality."
Legs: These are the viscous droplets that stick to the side of the wine glass
after you swirl the wine. The thicker they are and the longer it takes for
them to slide back down the glass, the more alcohol and or sugar level is in
the wine. "Wow, look at the legs on that one!" I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!
Musty: A wine that has a mouldy smell. Yuck!
Nose: The aroma, fragrance or smell if you prefer, of a wine. "This wine has
a lovely nose." Boy, I remember the first time someone whipped this term
out on me. I thought they needed a psychiatrist!
Oaky: A wine having wood flavors imparted from aging the wine in oak
barrels. These flavors can include, vanilla, nutmeg, toast, hazelnut, cedar
and butterscotch. Yum, yum! "This Chardonnay is too oaky."
Off-Dry: This describes wines that are slightly sweet. If you think about
this, it does make sense. "Just a bit off-dry." Get it?
Peppery: A wine that has a peppery taste to it. See also "Spicy" below.
This is very common in Syrah or Shiraz and Red Zinfandels.
Soft: This refers to a wine that is low in acidity, tannins and alcohol content.
Boring! "This wine was too soft for Ian." I'm retaliating on my Mom's
behalf!
Spicy: A wine can have several spice flavors to it. Some are; black and or
white pepper, mint, cinnamon, pumpkin, anise and cloves. "This Zinfandel
has spicy black pepper aromas."
Sweet: Okay, if I have to explain this one to you then all I can say is,
"Welcome to Planet Earth!"
Tannin: This is magic in a bottle! I kid you not, little elves put these in red
wines. They help fight cancer and heart disease, speed up your metabolism
(necessary for weight loss), why it's a little wonder drug that imparts a dry
sensation on the back of your tongue. It also allows some red wines to age
for decades without going bad. If they make a wine last for years, think of
what it can do for you! Run to the store and get some right away! There is
still some time left!
Toasty: Bread toast flavors that are imparted in a wine from oak barrels.
"Right after that third glass of wine, we are all feeling a bit toasty." This
last sentance was for all of you white zinfandel fans!
Alright now, that should get you started on your path of wine snobbery. Now
grab a glass and start practicing!
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