Glossary of Wine Terms and Definitions

Acidity
The proper acidity level in a wine gives it a fresh taste. But if the acidity is too high, then the wine will taste sour or tart.

Aging
Aging refers to the storing of wine in bottles, in hopes of improving its taste and aroma. Red wines are aged in oak barrels to improve their complexity.

Appearance
A wine’s appearance refers to the clarity of the wine. If it’s crystal clear, they say it’s brilliant. If it’s cloudy, it has sediment in it. 

Appellation
Appellation refers to where the grapes were grown. For example, if the wine label says “Napa County”, it’s required by law to be made from at least 85% of grapes from Napa County. 

Aroma
A wine’s aroma comes from the origin of the grape.

Balance
Balance is what a wine taster looks for in a wine. A balanced wine tastes of acid, tannin, sugar, alcohol and flavor, all coming together in harmony. 

Big
A big wine tastes rich and full-bodied.

Blending
Blending is the process of putting two or more wines together, in the hopes of making a better wine. (Could this be the same process as making shooters?)

Body
A wine taster looks for body in a wine by testing its consistency, texture, thickness, and viscosity. If he says a wine has body, then it has a higher alcohol or sugar content than most.

Bouquet
A wine’s bouquet is the smell you get from its production and aging processes.

Brilliant
Brilliant is another wine taster’s term, used to describe wine that’s crystal clear, with no cloudiness or sediment.

Character
A wine’s character is what a wine taster would describe as it’s style of taste.

Clarity
A wine’s clarity refers to its clearness and absence of sediment.

Cloying
A wine taster would say a wine is cloying if it’s so sweet that the sweetness stays in the mouth after tasting it.

Cremant
Cremant Champagne isn’t as carbonated as regular Champagne, and usually tastes light and fruity.

Crisp
How do you like your wine – crisp? If so, then you like wine with good acidity and pleasant taste, but not too sweet.

Decant
To decant a wine, you gently pour it, being careful to leave any sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

Demi-sec
Demi-sec Champagne is medium-sweet.

Dry
A dry wine has no sugar.

Early harvest
Early harvest wines are made from grapes that are picked before they fully mature. The wine is light (and less filling?) because it’s low in alcohol.

Earthy
A wine is described by a wine taster as earthy if it tastes of mushrooms, mustiness, or soil. (Do you know what soil tastes like?)

Enology
Enology is the science of winemaking.

Estate bottled
If a wine is estate bottled, it’s been produced from the winemaker’s own grapes, grown in his own vineyard, and made in his own winery. It’s usually very good quality wine.

Flabby
Flabby is a wine taster’s term for a wine that’s low in acidity and high in pH, meaning it doesn’t taste very good at all. It’s also a term for something you won’t get, if you drink wine, instead of a lot of beer

Flinty
You know that taste and smell that’s in the air when you strike a piece of steel on a flint? Well, a wine can taste like that – flinty – meaning it has a hard, dry, clean taste.

Flowery
And you know that sweet aroma of fresh garden flowers? Well, that can refer to a wine, too. Wine tasters use this term for a wine with a very aromatic character.

Foxiness
A wine with a foxy aroma smells good (believe it or not) and particularly refers to the smell and taste of Concord grapes and wine.

Fruity
Fruity wines are those that taste just like the grapes.

Generic wine
Generic wines are blends of ordinary wines, and are usually found in the “cheap” section of the wine store.

Herbaceousness
Herbaceousness is a wine taster’s term that refers to how much a wine tastes like vegetables. (Really?).

Hot
Hot is a word wine tasters use to refer to a wine that has a high alcohol content.

Late harvest
Late harvest, or overripe grapes are used to make dessert or full-bodied table wines.

Nose
Nose refers to – you guessed it – the smell of wine, including the aroma and the bouquet.

Petillant
A petillant wine is somewhat sparkling, or carbonated, but not as much as Champagne.

pH
pH refers to the amount of hydrogen in a liquid. In wine or juice, it refers to its acidity.

Punt
If you turn a bottle of champagne over, you’ll see a concave indentation in the bottom. It’s called a punt, and it’s there to collect sediment.

Sec
Sec is French for dry. When used on Champagne labels, it means sweet.

Sommelier
When you’re at a restaurant, and you want to see a wine list, call for the sommelier. That’s what they call the wine steward, or the waiter in charge of the wine.

Sour
When a wine tastes sour, you’re tasting the acid in it.

Spicy
Spicy is another wine tasters term, referring to a wine that tastes like it has spices added to it. The German wine, Gewurztraminer, is a good example of a spicy wine.

Tannin
Tannin is a by-product of the winemaking process, and comes from the grapes, and from wood, if it’s aged in barrels. If a wine has a strong tannin content, it’ll taste bitter, and will make you pucker up.

Tart
Tart is a word wine tasters use to describe an acidic wine, which will be a pleasant-tasting wine.

Tastevin
If you ask to taste a wine in a restaurant, the sommelier will bring you your sample in a shallow silver or gold cup, called a tastevin.

Vintage
A wine’s vintage is the year the grapes were grown.

Viniculture
Viniculture is the science of growing grapes.