The wine terms and definitions below will help you to describe and understand wine. These terms are used by wine critics, writers and wine makers–refer to my tasting notes as example.
ACIDITY
Grape acid giving a crisp ’edgy’ quality.
AROMATIC
Noticeable, pronounced ‘lifted’ aromas.
ASTRINGENT
The mouth puckering/gripping effect (red wines) caused by tannins.
BACK PALETTE
The very back of the mouth.
BACTERIAL
See funky but NOT good – Faulty, really bad.
BALANCE
When all the elements of the wine come together harmoniously with no single dominant stand out detracting from the overall sensation.
BITTER
Young hard tannins.
BODY
The perceived ‘weight’ of the wine on the palate.
BOUQUET
A wine’s aroma.
BREATHING
Interaction between wine and the air (oxygen) after the wine is opened/decanted or poured; generally leading to increased aromatics. Beneficial for older wines which may have become reductive.
BRIGHT
Clarity of the wine.
CAB MAC
Carbonic maceration is a reductive ‘in berry’ form of fermentation giving maraschino cherry characters and soft tannins.
CEDAR
Woody aroma primary in cabernet fruit and secondary from oak (confusing? Yes!)
CELLAR
An underground room where those lucky enough to have one stash their wine.
CHEWY
A mouth full of tannin.
CHUNKY
Big (clumsy) tannins.
CLOSED
A wine (usually young) with little initial aroma which (may) open with aeration.
CONCENTRATED
A dense wine (generally red) packed full of flavours, colour and texture.
CORKED
See Cork Taint.
CORK TAINT
Caused by mouldy or chlorine effected cork, tasting of wet newspaper or hessian (not good) supressing the wine flavour and aroma. If encountered dip some cling wrap into the wine which will reduce/remove the taint molecules (TCA/TBA).
DECANT
Pouring a bottled wine into a carafe or jug prior to serving in order to aerate the wine.
DOUGHNUT
The expression used to describe the way Cabernet sauvignon can often have a ‘hole’ in the middle of the palate.
DRY
Very low to no residual sugar post fermentation.
EARTHY
Tertiary character in older wines with pleasant sense of decay; think cheese, mushrooms, wet leaves, old logs etc.
EXTRACTED (OVER)
Very high levels of tannins subduing flavour perception.
FERMENTATION
The conversion of juice sugar to ethanol by yeast in winemaking.
FINISH
Aftertaste the better the wine the longer the aftertaste or finish.
FIRM
Tannic or acidic wine.
FLABBY
Generally low in acid or with a high pH (or both).
FLORAL
Having the sweet aroma of flowers.
FRONT PALETTE
The taste/texture sensation on the tip of the tongue and around the lips.
FUNKY
Generally meaning an odd earthy aroma or flavour which is not altogether unpleasant . . . but can be.
HARD
Tough, tannic, thin generally not an easy drink.
HERBACEOUS
Unripe flavours (generally) not to be confused with ‘herbal’ sometimes referred to as ‘green’.
HERBAL
Aromatics of dried herbs.
HOLLOW
A wine lacking body and palate weight. Not to be confused with the Cabernet doughnut.
JAMMY
Over-ripe berry/plum characters.
LEES
Dead yeast sediment in wine as it matures; crucial for sparkling wine production.
LEFTOVER
Wine! No such thing exists.
LEGS
The strings of wine that remain on the inside of a glass after swirling. The higher the alcohol content the more pronounced will be the legs.
LIFTED
Having a pronounced aroma.
LINEARITY
Focused sequential flavour and texture perception.
MACERATION
Fruit contact/soaking in the juice/must, can be before during and after fermentation depending on the effect the winemaker is after. With more contact the greater will be the extraction of colour and tannins from the berry.
MALO
Malolactic fermentation carried out by bacteria which can add complexing secondary characters to a wine; butterscotch, butter, cashew nut.
MID PALETTE
The taste/perception of a wine while still in the mouth.
NATURAL WINE
Wines not made by oenologists-winemakers.
NOSE
Aroma of the wine.
OAK
The type of wood barrels are made from, the flavour of which is taken up by the wine.
OAKEY
Wood/barrel flavours; vanilla, coffee, coconut, cedar, toast, woody, cloves.
OENOLOGY
The science of winemaking; pronounced: own-ology.
OXIDISED
Deterioration of the flavours and colour of wine due to prolonged contact with air.
PHENOLIC
Unpleasant tannins (in white wines) from skin contact or from pressings juice.
PHENOLICS
Tannins/Colour; in red wines; these ARE desirable.
pH
A measure of acidity; the lower the pH the higher the acidity.
PRIMARY
Aromas and flavours from the fruit; citrus, berry, pepper, capsicum, plum, gooseberry (to name but a few).
RAISINED
Over-ripe character from dried berries.
REDUCTIVE
Unpleasant aromas and flavours; rubber, rotten onion/eggs, burnt match, farty, produced by unhappy yeast during fermentation.
SECONDARY
Aromas and flavours derived from fermentation and winemaking; coffee, asparagus, pineapple, esters, butter, oak.
SEDIMENT
Solids at the bottom of an old bottle of red wine. Predominantly tannins.
SILKY
Very fine tannin perception.
SPICY
Aromas and flavours reminiscent of culinary spices; cloves, nutmeg, pepper etc.
STEELEY
Hard acidity not always a bad thing.
STEMMY
Harsh green ‘unripe’ tannins. Can be from whole bunch inclusion in the ferment.
STRUCTURE
The way the wine sits in and fills your mouth.
SUPPLE
A smooth non-aggressive wine.
TANNIN
Groups of phenolic molecules from the skin, seeds and stems of the grapes and from the oak wood of the barrels, bound together to give an astringent mouth feel.
TBA
2,4,6-tribromoanisole, the secondary cork taint molecule; no less unpleasant.
TCA
The primary molecule responsible for the cork taint defect 2,4,6-trichloroanisole.
TERTIARY
Aromas and flavours that develop as the wine ages; honey, toffee, cigar box, tobacco.
TOASTY (OAK)
The flavours from the oak wood after it is heat bent during production; vanilla, chocolate, coffee, toffee.
VA/VOLATILE ACIDITY
Acetic acid an unavoidable secondary metabolite of yeast produced usually in low concentrations. Also an avoidable fault produced by bacteria along with ethyl acetate which when in elevated concentrations imparts a nostril burning sharpness to the aroma which can smell either of vinegar and or nail polish remover.
VEGETAL
See Herbaceous.
VINTAGE
Either the fruit processing period or the particular year of the production.
ZINGY
High acid wines that really tingle on the tongue.