Tafelwein (Germany)
A low quality classification for German wine, essentially 'table wine'. The best German wines are classified as Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP).

Tannic
A wine is called tannic when it has perceptible levels of tannin, a naturally occurring preservative that's essential to a wine's long life. Tannin is found in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes as well as in the wood of barrels often used to age reds and some whites. Young tannins can feel unpleasantly dry and gripping in the mouth.

Tannin
Found in grape skins, seeds and stalks. Tannins are harsh, bitter compounds which if present in large amounts make a wine difficult to drink as they leave a dry, puckered sensation in the mouth.

Tart
A wine with a high degree of acidity that still tastes in balance with other elements, such as fruit flavor or sweetness, is described as tart. Too much acidity and we criticize the wine as harsh or even sour.

Tartaric acid
One of a number of naturally occurring grape acids which contribute to the acidity of a wine. Other important acids include acetic, malic, lactic, citric and carbonic acid.

Tartrate crystals
During fermentation tartaric acid may be converted into potassium hydrogen tartrate, formed through its reaction with potassium. This compound may crystallise, when conditions are cold, to form small crystals in the wine. These are small, clear or white crystals. Some winemakers wish to prevent their formation and thus perform cold stabilisation. The crystals themselves are harmless and natural so the decision is a matter of aesthetics.

Tawny port
A wood-aged style of port. Prolonged periods of ageing in wood result in loss of pigment so this is a much paler, tawny-colored style of port, hence the name.

TCA
Trichloroanisole. See corked.

Tempranillo
Lush in texture, low in tannins, this grape has an affinity for oak. It's renowned in Spain's Rioja region and is very much in vogue today.

Terroir
A French term referring to the unique combination of soil, climate, elevation and topography that gives wine its character.

Texture
The way the wine feels in the mouth. Is it silky, velvety, rounded, or smooth?

Tired
A tired wine is uninteresting, old and dull. It has oxidized and the taste long since peaked, much like a wine writer who has been at his craft too long and is grumpy in all his assessments.

Toasty
Toasty describes a wine that smells or tastes like toast. This characteristic comes from the wine’s contact with the inside of a charred oak barrel.

Trocken (Germany)
An increasingly important German style, these are wines fermented until dry, with less than 9 g/l of residual sugar in the final wine.

Trockenbeerenauslese (Germany, Austria)
A sweet Prädikat category which translates literally as "dry berry selected". Essentially it refers to wines made using selected grapes affected by noble rot.