Wine Terms Simplified

When people start talking about wine, there are all sorts of wine terms get thrown around – Tannic! Acidic! Bold! As we started doing research for this episode, we realized that there was no way we could cover every single winey word that you would need to know, so we picked our tops in the hopes that they would give you a good foundation.

We started with what we called the BIG THREE:

Acidity:  the fresh, tart, or sour taste that comes from natural fruit acids in the wine

Dry:  the opposite of sweet , a taste sensation that is often attributed to tannins and can cause your mouth to pucker a bit

Tannins:  Textural elements (from skins, seeds, and wood) that cause a bitter, dry, and puckery mouthfeel 

Then we got into some other really important terms we thought you should know:

Varietal:  type of grape

Body/Structure: How heavy or full wine feels in the mouth

Earthy: A smell or taste related to the earth – think soil, forest, mushrooms

Finish:  Basically, the aftertaste

Vintage:  Year the grapes were grown and harvested

Nose/bouquet:  nose is the singular smell, bouquet indicates it has secondary smells other than primary fruits

Blend: combination of different varietals

Vinotype: basically your wine preference by combining your own personal sensory sensitivities with your culture, tradition, and life experiences

Unsophisticated Tip:

You don’t have to use these terms to enjoy wine!

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

Photo by Rafael Barquero on Unsplash

“Wine makes all things possible.”

George R.R. Martin, The Mystery Knight