Glossary
Acidity
One of the main characteristics of all wines, this trait makes a wine lively and zesty. Acidity is a large factor in a wine’s age-worthiness.
Aging
This refers to wine aging in barrel and in the bottle. The maturation of wine depends on its composition. This relies mostly on the presence of acidity and tannin in a wine.
Aroma
The perfume wine releases. Also known as the ‘nose’ of the wine, a wine’s aroma can be assessed by swirling and sniffing a wine prior to tasting.
Balance
Harmony or symmetry among a wine’s main features: fruit, sweetness, tannin, acidity, alcohol, and oak-aging, if any.
Bitterness
A flavor caused by the phenolic structure of a wine. These bitter phenols typically come from grape skins, seeds, and stems. Oak-aging can also impart bitter flavors.
Blend / blending
Two or more grape varietals are combined to create the final wine. Each grape varietal completes fermentation before blending.
Body
The feeling and weight of a wine on the palette. Body has three categories: light, medium, and full.
Acidification
The process of adding malic or tartaric acid to a wine. This is done by winemakers in hotter wine regions where grapes lose acid and are sweeter.
Complexity
Wines are either simple or complex. When complex, the wine appears to have many ‘layers.’ Its flavors evolve on your palette as you drink it.
Corked
A wine with a musty or damp cardboard smell and a flat taste. Cork taint results from the wine’s reaction to TCA, a compound that lurks in every winemaking facility.
Crush
This is the first step in the winemaking process. Grapes are crushed after harvest to release their juices.
Dry
A wine that contains less than 9 grams per liter of residual sugar.
Earthy
A descriptor for wine aromas or flavors that are similar to vegetation or soil. Mushrooms are a great example.
Enology
The science of winemaking. Several winemakers obtain a degree in enology.
Fermentation
The process where grape juice transforms into wine. Yeasts eat up the sugar in the juice, turning it into alcohol.
Fining
The process of clarifying a wine before bottling. Certain agents are used in extracting solids, like egg-whites or bentonite (vegan.)
Finish
The wine’s influence on your palate after it is swallowed. Like the aftertaste, the finish is measured by its persistence.
Flavors
These are the notes of wine detected on the palette. These are separated into three winemaking categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Fruity
The presence of sweet fruit aromas and flavors in a wine. Fruity notes develop in a wine’s primary fermentation. Younger wines tend to have more fruity notes.
Full-bodied
A wine that has a fuller mouthfeel. It also will have higher alcohol and sometimes more residual sugar. Both white and red wines can be full-bodied.
Hot
Typically refers to the high alcohol of wine. ‘Hot’ wines come from warmer climates, where grapes ripen faster and develop more sugars.
Length
This refers to a wine’s finish and how long it lasts on your palette.
Monovarietal
when a wine is made from a single grape type. This does not mean 100% of its composition is made of the same grape type, as sometimes the 85% is sufficient to call a wine monovarietal.
Noble rot
A valuable fungus called botrytis common in more humid grape growing areas. Botrytis enhances flavors in white grape varietals used in sweeter wines.
Nose
The nose of a wine refers to its scent / smell, as a glass is brought up to the nose for as a crucial step when tasting wine.
Nosing / to Nose
to smell the scent of a wine
Oak
Refers to the winemaking and aging process. Wine can be fermented and/or aged in oak. This imparts certain characteristics on the wine, like spicy flavors and body.
Oxidation
The interaction of wine with oxygen. This is typically kept at a minimum. In extreme cases, heavy oxidation can create undesirable aromas in wines.
Rough
A descriptor for wine that is still very young with lots of tannins. This gives it a noticeably ‘coarse’ texture.
Sommelier
Refers to an experienced wine professional typically holding a prestigious wine certificate or degree. Originally a French word meaning ‘wine steward’.
Spicy
Aroma or flavor in a wine that can come from oak-aging. This develops more baking spice notes. Some grapes inherently have spice notes, like black pepper-forward Syrah.
Structure
A wine’s structure relies on its five key characteristics: sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, and body. These create balance in a wine.
Sweet
The level of residual sugar in a wine. Wines can range from bone dry to very sweet (dessert wines.)
Tannins
The result of phenolic compounds in wine. Tannins come from grape skins, seeds, and stems during fermentation. Oak also can impart tannins on a wine.
Tartaric acid
A dominant acid type in wine. It is monitored by winemakers to maintain a wine’s flavor and color.
Texture
The wine’s mouthfeel. This can be described in several ways, especially with red wines because of their likeliness to have more tannin.
Typicity
The extent to which a wine reflects its terroir, or the land it is from. Varietal - short for Monovarietal
Vinification
A more formal term for winemaking.
Vintage
A wine’s harvest year.
Weight
The ‘heaviness’ of wine on the palette. This refers mostly to a wine’s alcohol content.
Wine
A drink made of fermented fruit juice, typically grapes.
Yeast
Microorganisms that convert sugar to alcohol. In winemaking, yeasts are either commercial or native.
Young
A wine that has only primary aromas and flavors. These are very fresh and usually fruit-driven. A young wine will have minimal oak notes present.
