WINE BASICS ~ Terms

ACIDITY: The tartness or zesty sensation of a wine. In a good wine acidity brightens the flavor of the wine.

APPELLATION: Wine growing region with recognized boundaries.

AROMA: The smell of a wine, usually a younger wine.

BALANCE: The harmony between acidity, tannin, alcohol and sweetness in a wine.

BODY: This is a tasting term for how heavy or thick a wine feels in your mouth. A full bodied wine is sometimes referred to as “big’.

BOUQUET: The complex aroma of a mature aged wine.

CORKED: A wine ruined by a contaminated cork usually characterized by a musty smell.

CRISP: A well balanced light bodied wine that is high in acidity.

DRY: Wines with zero or low levels of sugar.

ENOLOGY: The study of winemaking; also spelled oenology.

ENOPHILE: A wine lover, usually a connoisseur, also spelled oenophile.

FINISH: The lingering aftertaste of a wine after it’s been swallowed. A long finish indicates a quality wine.

ICEWINE: A powerful dessert wine produced from grapes picked frozen and

crushed before they thaw.

LEGS: The droplets that slide down the side of a glass when the wine is swirled

OAKY: A descriptive term for the flavors of the oak barrels in which a wine is aged.

OENOLOGY: See enology

OENOPHILE: See enophile

SOMMELIER: A restaurant’s wine expert.

TANNIN: A naturally occurring compound in grape skins, seeds, and stems. Tannin gives wine its structure and enable wines to age well.

TERROIR: A French term for all the elements of a vineyard’s site. These include climate, geography, soil composition, water drainage, elevation, and surrounding vegetation.

VARIETAL: A wine that is named for the variety of grape used.

Examples: Chardonnay and Merlot

VARIETY: The type of grape used in a wine.

VITICULTURE: The study of grape growing.