Reference
Wine Glossary: 45 Essential Wine Terms Explained Simply
Every wine word a beginner meets, defined in plain English — so the label and the conversation both make sense.
Wine has a lot of words attached to it, and most of them sound more complicated than they are. This glossary takes the 45 terms you’re most likely to meet — on a label, on a menu, or in a tasting note — and explains each one in a sentence or two of plain language.
There are no wrong answers here. You don’t need to memorise anything. Skim it, search it, or keep it open next to your glass and look things up as they come. Every definition is written to make you feel more confident, not more tested.
Tasting terms
Body, tannin, acidity, sweetness and finish — what you actually taste.
Grapes terms
The classic grape varieties and what each brings to the glass.
Regions terms
Terroir, appellations and the Old World vs New World divide.
Winemaking terms
Oak, vintage, fermentation — what happens grape to glass.
Styles terms
Sparkling, rosé, orange, fortified, dessert and more.
Label terms
Reserve, cuvée, estate — the words on the bottle.
Serving terms
Decanting, breathing and the words around the table.
FAQ
Questions & answers
What does dry wine mean?
Dry simply means not sweet. During fermentation the yeast converts the grape sugar into alcohol, and when almost all the sugar is gone the wine tastes dry. Most everyday red wines and many whites are dry. It has nothing to do with how a wine feels physically — that drying, grippy sensation comes from tannin, which is a different thing.
What are tannins in wine?
Tannins are natural compounds that come from grape skins, seeds and stems, and from oak barrels. They create that slightly drying, grippy feeling on your gums and the sides of your tongue — a bit like strong stewed tea. Red wines have more tannin than whites because they’re made with the skins. Tannin gives a wine structure and helps it age.
What is the difference between Old World and New World wine?
Old World means wine from Europe’s traditional wine regions — places like France, Italy, Spain and Germany. New World means the newer wine-producing countries, such as the USA, Australia, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand. It’s a rough style shorthand more than a quality judgement: Old World wines often lead with earth and restraint, New World wines often with ripe, upfront fruit.
What does it mean to let wine breathe or decant it?
Letting wine breathe means giving it contact with air after opening, which can soften it and open up the aromas. Decanting is pouring it into another container to speed that up, and to separate the wine from any harmless sediment in older bottles. Young, bold reds usually benefit most; most whites and lighter reds are happy straight from the bottle.
What does ‘corked’ wine mean?
A corked wine is a faulty bottle, not one with bits of cork floating in it. A natural cork can carry a compound called TCA that makes the wine smell musty — like damp cardboard or a wet dog — and mutes the fruit. It’s harmless to drink but unpleasant, and it’s a genuine fault, so it’s fine to return a corked bottle in a shop or restaurant.
Learn the wine in your glass
Scan any label to identify a wine, learn why it tastes the way it does, and build your palate. Free at launch.