1/12/2009 Tasting terms

The following alphabetical list is a comprehensive guide to the words most commonly used by professionals.
(B) is for bad - descriptive terms generally used to criticize wines.
(G) is for good - those that are usually used to praise wines.

ACIDITY - Acidity is a term that refers to the amount of acid in a wine. Acid is the chemical compound that makes things taste tart, like vinegar or citrus foods. Acidity is part of the structure of wine, giving it lift and intensity. Without acidity wines taste flat or flabby while with too much acidity they can be seem shrill, tart and excessively lean.AFTERTASTE, strictly the flavor(s) left after the wine is swallowed, although it is often used interchangeably with finish.
ACETIC, the most common volatile acid. Often found in cool-fermented white wines but a fault when present in excess.
AROMA describes a simple, often fruity smell or flavor present in young wine (c f bouquet). Wines with very strong smells are described as AROMATIC.
ASTRINGENT, critical term usually used for white wines, and sometimes for reds, with a high level of tannins. (B)

BACKWARD- This is a wine tasting term used to describe a wine which is young and not showing well. It is backward because the structure (acid and tannin) are in the forefront while everything else (fruit flavors, etc.) are hiding behind the structure. Sometimes a backward wine will open up with additional aeration in a decanter, but it often means the wine is young and needs more time.
BALANCED, a wine in which all dimensions - acidity, sweetness, tannins, and alcohol - make a harmonious whole (although tasters are indulgent about high tannin levels in young red wines). (G)
BARNYARD - You will often hear people describe a wine as having barnyard aromas or related terms like "horsey, manure, animal, etc." This literally means there are aromas that smell a bit stinky. However, this isn't always a bad thing! You'd be surprised but many people like a little stink in their wines, adding to the complexity. Too much may be off-putting, but a bit can be nice. This is sometimes just a product of the wine and where it came from, but in some cases can be related to a bacteria called Brettanomyces, or Brett for short, which can have these characteristics. Don't worry, it is harmless! Some people like a bit of Brett in wine and others don't.
BERRY - Berry aromas and flavors are very common in wine. When someone describes a wine as smelling like berries, it doesn't mean that there were berries used to make the wine. All traditional wines are just made from grapes. But those grapes, depending on the type and where they were grown, can develop complex aromas, often imitating various other fruits. Common berries and related fruits to find in wine include cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, blackberries and currants. You can use any of these and more as wine tasting terms or descriptors.BLIND TASTING, an attempt to identify and/or assess wines without knowing their identity. Masked bottles, not blindfolded humans are involved. ‘Single blind’ means that tasters know roughly what they taste but not the identity of individual bottles. ‘Double blind’ means that they don’t know anything about the wines.
BODY, important characteristic of a wine that is determined chiefly by its alcoholic strength, but also by its extract. The more body a wine has the less like water it tastes.
BOTTLE AGE, the mellowing effect of years spent inside a bottle. .
BOUQUET, flowery word used for the much more complex and multi-layered smells or flavors which develop as a result of ageing wine in barrels and bottles c f aroma.

CHEWY, another wine tasting term describing the mouthfeel of the wine. A chewy wine is big and burly, feeling almost like a solid in your mouth rather than an ethereal light liquid. This is a common descriptor for full-bodied wines that are a bit rustic like some Syrahs, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and others.
CLOSED, Another one of the wine tasting terms that is often used to describe a wine which is too young or going through a phase that it is not showing that much. Similar to backward, a closed wine may hint at greatness but isn't giving up the goods. Many wines that require aging go through closed phase where you don't get much aroma or flavor out of it only to later blossom and show its depth and complexity. Again, aerating a closed or backward wine may help bring out some of its personality, but in some cases this won't work.CONCENTRATED, good extract and/or intense flavor(s). (G)
COMPLEX, this describes a wine which has a myriad of aromas and flavors. The opposite of a "simple" wine, a complex wine has various aromas and flavors that compliment each other.
CORKED - This is one of the confusing wine tasting terms for beginners. It does not mean that the cork has been pulled out. It also does not mean that the wine smells like cork (good cork doesn't really smell like anything). What it means is that the wine is flawed because it has been exposed to a compound called TCA (2,4,6-traichloroanisole). TCA generally comes from mold which has infected the cork. This compound has a distinctive musty aroma that some people describe as moldy, wet newspaper or cardboard, wet dog or a damp basement. Even a small amount of this can obscure the normal aromas and flavors of a wine and thus this is a faulty wine. Some people are more sensitive to TCA then others. (very B)
CREAMY, This is a descriptor of the feel of the wine in your mouth, the mouthfeel. A creamy wine literally feels creamy in your mouth, having a richness similar to heavy cream. This is common in rich wines with low acid such as is common with California Chardonnays. It is usually a result of both malolactic fermentation and oak aging which adds a rounded texture to wine.
CRISP, perceptible acidity, generally used for white wines. (G)

DRIED OUT, old wine in which the initial fruit has faded leaving a deficit of flavor and extract. (B)
DRY - Another of the more confusing wine tasting terms, dry can be used a couple different ways. Most accurately, dry describes a wine which has no residual sugar, the opposite of sweet. However, most newbies use dry to describe the mouthfeel of a tannic wine. Tannins have a mouth drying feeling. When many people say that a wine is very dry, they mean it has lots of tannin, they are not commenting on the level of sugar in the wine. So try to avoid using dry to describe tannins, be as specific as possible so that people know what you mean. Just as an example of how this can be confusing, young Vintage Port, a dessert wine from Portugal, is very sweet with residual sugar, but at the same time has large amounts of tannin. Therefore, someone could potentially say these are sweet AND dry! Quite confusing indeed!
DUMB, not smelly.

EARTHY - Grape wines grow in dirt (and stones and rocks, etc.). Therefore, it is not surprising that some wines have aromas or flavors resembling earth and are described as earthy. This is not a bad thing. This can often be a very nice complexity that compliments the fruit aromas and flavors in a wine.
EXTRACT, important dimension of a wine, the sum of its solids, including phenolics, sugars, minerals and glycerol.

FINISH, The finish is the aftertaste of a wine. A great wine has a long finish which lingers pleasingly on your palate. It should be long and have good flavors and sensations in your mouth, tempting you to take another sip. A bad finish is one which is very short or has off flavors (bitter, astringent, etc.) which are not appealing.FIRM, with perceptible tannins. (G)
FLABBY, too low in acid. A wine without enough structure, particularly acid and tannin, to stand up to its other components can be described as flabby. It feels flat and without intensity and can even seem syrupy. (B)
FLAVOR. See aroma.
FLORAL - One of the wine tasting terms describing a wine with flower-like aromas or flavors. This can be a very pretty complexity in some wines.
FORWARD, having aged more rapidly than expected.
FRESH, attractively acid (inevitably coupled with the next-but-one term for wines like Beaujolais). (G)
FRUIT is the youthful combination of flavor (aroma) and body that derives from the grapes rather than the winemaking or ageing process.
FRUITY is used either to describe wines with good fruit or, often as white wine marketing speak, as a euphemism for slightly sweet.
FULL, or FULL-BODIED, wine with considerable body.

GREEN, too acid. (B)

HARD, too tannic. (B)
HERBAL - A wine that has aromas or flavors of herbs. Again, this can be a nice complexity as long as it is not overpowering.HORIZONTAL TASTING, a comparative tasting of different but related representatives of the same vintage.
HOLLOW, lacking fruit. (B)
HOT, too alcoholic, leaving a burning sensation on the palate. (B)

INTENSE, this describes a wine which packs a punch flavor-wise. An intense wine explodes in your mouth with flavor, making a big impact on your palate. This doesn't mean that wine is necessarily full-bodied or heavy. Instead it means that it has powerful flavors and often has acidity that helps make those flavors stick out powerfully. So you can have a light-bodied wine, like a German Kabinett Riesling, which has intense flavors.

JAMMY, one of the wine tasting terms that describes a very ripe wine, often fairly low in acid, so that its fruit flavors and feel resemble jam.

LEAN, lacking fruit but not acid. (B)
LEGS, see tears.
LENGTH, persistence of the tasting experience on olfactory area and mouth after swallowing. Such a wine may be called LONG. (G)
LIFT(ED), wine with a perceptible but not excessive level of volatility