| Wine Tasting Terminology Acetic Vinegary smell, tart on the palate. An irremediable fault. Acid / Acidity Sound healthy grapes contain natural acidity, which give the wine its crisp, refreshing quality.Too much acidity will make the tongue curl; a flabby finish results from too little. Aftertaste The taste that remains after a particularly fine rich wine has been swallowed; a fragrant internal bouquet. Alcohol One of the essential components of wine, giving it body and backbone. No smell or taste as such, but “peppery” on the nose of a young wine, a feeling of weight in the mouth, and warmth as it is swallowed. Alcohol content of “light” wines varies from around 11–14% by volume depending on the sugar content of the grape, which in turn depends mainly on the ripening sun. Aroma The element of smell that derives from the grape. Astringent A bitter, mouth-puckering effect due to excess tannin and acidity, mainly the former, noticeable in young red wines. It usually wears off as the wine matures, unless very pronounced. Austere Mainly in relation to taste; hard, somewhat severe. It could be just undeveloped and certainly indicating a lack of obvious flesh and charm. Balance The combination and vital relationship of component parts. Beetroot Or boiled beetroot; an analogous description of the root-like, mature Pinot aroma. Bite An acid grip in the end taste, more than a zestful tang and tolerable only in rich, full-bodied wine. Bitter Either a fault or do to too much tannin. Normally no fine mature wine should be bitter on the palate, though bitterness is considered a normal and desirable feature of some Italian reds. Bitter Almonds An almond kernal, acetate smell usually due to bad fining. A fault. Blackcurrants An evocative smell and taste generally associated with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Body A physical component; weight of wine, alcohol, extract. Varies according to wine type and vintage. Bottle-Age The ameliorating, softening effect of a wine aged in bottle, detected on the nose; a mellow sweetness; a honey smell on white wines. Bouquet The element of smell that is the result of the wine-making process and subsequent development in cask and bottle, complementary to but not the same as aroma. Caramel Sweet, toffee-like smell. Sometimes indicates an acceptable degree of maderization as in old Sauternes. Cedar A cedarwood, cigar-box smell characteristic of many fine clarets. Chaptalized A French term for adding sugar to the grape must in years when the natural grape sugar is deficient. Without it these wines would be lacking in alcohol and would be unstable. Characteristic A characteristic wine possess all the strengths or weaknesses normally expected of its grape type, district, style, vintage, age. Cheesy Or cheese rind: a descriptive term, not usually derogatory, applied to some clarets. Chocolaty Also descriptive, applying to the nose. Associated mainly with some of the sweeter, heavier, usually blended but not unattractive burgundies. Usually weighty and chunky on the palate. Chunky A term often used to describe hefty, somewhat coarse-textured red wine. Crisp Firm, brisk, refreshing, zestful. Indicates a good level of acidity, particularly in dry whites. Depth Depends on the context: a wine can have depth, i.e., richness of color, depth of nose-the opposite to superficial, one has to sniff longand hard to detect its latent fruit and character, depth of flavor, richness and complexity. Developed Usually qualified. e.g. underdeveloped, still immature but implying potential. Dry In relation to wine always means not sweet sugar fully fermented out. Dumb Usually used in the context of an immature fine red wine with an undeveloped bouquet. Sometimes the dormant bouquet can be aroused by patiently warming the glass in cupped hands. Estery Peardrops, a faulty chemical smell. Extract To do with the body of a wine and frequently loosely used. Soluble solids, excluding sugar, which add to the richness and substance of wine, essentially from ripe grapes; a measure of quality. Fading Can apply to color loss and general decline of bouquet and flavor: the result of age. Fat Usually referring to a combination of sweetness, alcohol, high extract, possibly glycerine, and implies a slight lack of counterbalancing acidity. Finish The end taste. A good positive finish is essential in a fine well-balanced wine. A poor finish indicateslack of quality, follow-through and acidity. Firm Sound constitution, positive. A desirable qualityon the palate. Fixed Acidity Part of the essential makeup of wine; its backbone or, perhaps a closer analogy, its nervous system. See also volatile acidity. Flabby Soft, feeble, lacking acidity on the palate. Flat The next stage after flabby, well beyond bland. Total lack of vigor on nose and on palate; lack of acidity; oxidization. Flowery Evocative. Can refer to nose; fragrant, fresh aroma; developed bouquet, or taste. Fluffy This is a term sometimes used when noting a loose-knit, distinctly unfirm, “hollow” wine. Fortified Wine A wine that has has brandy or a neutral spirit added during fermentation, or after the wine has been made, or both. Port, sherry, madiera, marsala, and the muscats of Australia are all fortified. Fragrant Self-explanatory and highly attractive. Can be applied to aroma, bouquet, flavor of aftertaste. Fresh Displaying or retaining attractive youthful properies on nose and palate. Fruity Rarely grapy. More a positive, fleshy quality of nose and flavor derived from sound, ripe grapes. Full Must be qualified or used clearly in a particular context: e.g., full (or deep) colored, full of flavor. Most often used in relation to weight. Full Bodied A big wine, high alcoholic content and extract; a mouth-filling table wine or a robust young port. Grapy Self-descriptive. Aroma and taste usually associated with very ripe Rieslings and Muscatel-type grapes. Green Unripe, raw youthful on nose or palate. Hard On the palate, severe, probably still tannic. Not a fault in young wine. Heavy Overendowed with alcohol, more than full bodied; clumsy, lacking finesse. High Toned An expression frequently used for the nose of a particularly marked but light volatile character, often associated with considerable fragrance but can verge on highish volatile acidity. Hollow A wine that has a first taste, something of a finish but no middle palate. Iron A character derived from the soil, noticeable more on palate than nose. Lafite often has it, as does Cheval Blanc. In a swingeinly metallic, harsh and tannic-acid way, it is noticeable in one or two young Australian and California wines. Lean Self-descriptive. On the palate, sinewy, firm. Legs The viscous droplets that form the ease down the sides of the glass when the wine is swirled. Light Referring to body: low alcohol content. Pale color, light nose (bouquet). Long Refers to length of flavor. A sign of quality. Maceration Carbonique A modern method of vinification that at best produces appealingly fresh and fruity wines, at worst superficial, flimsy, tinny ones. Maderized Heavy, flat, “brown” smell and taste of an overmature oxidized wine. Malic Acid A mouthwatering, raw-cooking-apple smell and tartness on the palate due to unripe grapes. Medium A term that ought always to be qualified. Medium color, medium body, etc. Medium Dry Half dry, some residual sugar, a demi-sec for example. Vouvray and many German wines. Or a slightly sweetened fortified wine. Medium Sweet Self-explanatory. Usually too sweet to accompany a main course. A light dessert wine. Must Grape juice in the cask or vat before it is converted into wine. Nose The overall smell of wine. Also, to nose, nosing. Nutty The smell of cob nuts (tawny port), and a particular and pleasant quality associated with oak and the Chardonnay grape and with some old amontillado sherries. Oak A smell deriving from maturation in small French oak casks. Adds a certain character and style but can be overdone. Oily Can apply to a particularly unctuous smell or a texture. A highly viscous white wine can also have an oily look. Oxidized Brown, old straw smell; flat stale taste of a wine destroyed bu the action of air in cask or in bottle through a faulty or shrunken cork. Peacock’s Tail The way the flavor of certain great burgundies can open up and fan out in the mouth. Peardrops An acetone, spirit-glue smell. A fault, usually in white wines. Peppery The effect of a high alcoholic content in a young wine, noticeably vintage port. Almost a physical, peppery assault on the nose, accompanied by a hot, peppery texture. Piquant A high-toned, overfragrant fruity nose verging on sharp, usually confirmed by an overacidic end taste. Can still be a refreshing, flavory drink, but not onee to keep. Plummy Can apply to both color and taste. A thick red-purple appearance; fruit, some coarseness on palate, often indicating an in-between state of maturity, or a particular style. Powerful Assertive, usually full bodied. Prickly On nose and palate, sharp edged, raw, acidic. Ripe Highly desirable in any context: ripe grapes (full complement of natural sugar); ripe smell and taste, both exhibiting the softness and sweetness resulting from ripe grapes. Round On the palate, a feature of a complete, well-balanced, mature wine with no hard edges. Sharp Acidity on the nose and palate somewhere between piquant and pricked. Usually indicating a fault. Silky Refers only to texture. For example, the feel of a ripe Pomerol. Smoky Both evocative and descriptive: the smell of burnt oak chips, of wood smoke. Spritzig / Spritz German termed, first detectable visually as tiny specks of air in the wine and then as a crisp prickle of youthful acidity and carbon dioxide in the mouth. Stalky Nose and taste. Not necessarily a fault, but undesirable: common, not as an attribute of fine wines. Stewed An unimpressive, fudged up, compounded sort of aroma lacking clearcut fruit. Stringy: A texture: on the thin side and scrawny side, lacking equability. Sulphury The prickle on the nose, rather like a whiff of a burnt match or coke oven, announcing the prescence of sulphur dioxide, a common white wine preservative. Not a fault. Often wears off in the glass but should not be too intrusive. Supple Texture, balance, pleasant combination of vigor and harmony. Highly desirable in a properly developing red wine. Sweet A wine with a high sugar content, natural or added. A property of all dessert wine. Tang/Tangy: Rich, high-toned, zestful bouquet and end taste, particularly in old madiera, tokay and some other old fortified wines. Tannin An essential preservative extracted from the skins of red grapes during fermen- tation. It dries the mouth. Tart Sharp, nose catching, tongue curling. Occasionally used as a synonym for the natural acidity in wine, but it also has an unattractive, even faulty connotation. A tart winemay be drinkable even though some would consider it less than pleasing. Thin Deficient, watery, lacking body. Not to be looked at as light. Tinny Metallic, acidic at the back of the palate. A tolerable fault. Toffee-nosed Sweet toffee, proaching maderization, but attractive. Unripe A condition of wine arising from the use of unripe grapescontaining malic acid, which gives the wine a smell of cooking apples and a raw, somewhat tart, end taste. Another term loosely used is Immature. Varietal A distinctive aroma and taste deriving from a specific grape variety. Velvety A textural description: silky, smooth, a certain opulence on the palate. Vinifying / Vinification The processes of wine making: preparing and fermenting grapes. Vinosity An abstract term indicating an intrinsic richness of quality stemming from fine ripe fruit, balanced, supple. Vinous Having a pleasant enough, positive winey smell and taste but lacking a recog- nizable varietal character. Volatile Acidity A normal component of wine but undesirable in excess, the danger signs being a vinegary smell and a bitter/acid end taste.Ifin excess, it cannot be remedied. Weight A measure of the body. Well Balanced All the components of the wine – fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol, etc.– in equilibrium. A highly desirable state and certainly expected of fine vintage wine, particularly when mature. Well Developed Component parts blended together, a desirable state of full maturity. Woody In relation to a wine nose or taste, as opposed to oak which is desirable. The result of wine kept too long in cask, particularly old casks with rotten staves. Yeasty Undesirable smell, usually accompanied by an unclean, beery-end taste. Zest / Zing A wine with an abundance of life. An attractive quality. |
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