Wine glossary: Tasting

Tasting terms

Acidity

The fresh, mouth-watering, zingy quality in wine — the same tartness you get from a squeeze of lemon. Good acidity makes a wine feel lively and pairs well with food.

Aroma

What a wine smells of, such as cherry, lemon or black pepper. Strictly, aromas come from the grape and from fermentation; the smells a wine picks up with age are its bouquet.

Astringent

A drying, puckering feel in the mouth, mostly caused by tannin. A little gives a red wine structure; too much feels harsh.

Balance

When no single element — fruit, acidity, tannin, alcohol, sweetness — sticks out awkwardly. A balanced wine feels harmonious and complete.

Body

How heavy or light a wine feels in your mouth, from the watery feel of skimmed milk (light) to whole milk or cream (full). It’s about weight and texture, not flavour.

Bouquet

The deeper smells a wine develops as it ages in barrel and bottle, such as leather, mushroom, dried fruit or toast. Young wines have aroma; older wines add bouquet.

Buttery

A rich smell of butter, most often found in Chardonnay. It comes mainly from diacetyl, a compound made during malolactic conversion, which often also gives the wine a softer, creamier feel.

Closed

A wine that shows little smell or flavour, often because it is young or served too cold. Air, a little warmth or a few more years in bottle can open it up.

Complexity

When a wine offers many different aromas and flavours that change and unfold as you sip. A complex wine keeps revealing something new, rather than tasting one-note.

Corked

A faulty wine spoiled by a tainted cork, smelling musty like damp cardboard or a wet dog. Harmless but unpleasant, and a genuine reason to return a bottle.

Crisp

Fresh and refreshing, with lively acidity and no heaviness. Used most for whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño or Pinot Grigio.

Dry

Not sweet. A dry wine is one where almost all the grape sugar has fermented into alcohol, leaving little or no sweetness.

Earthy

Smells and flavours that recall soil, forest floor, mushrooms or wet leaves. Common in Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo and many older reds.

Finish

The flavour and sensation that linger after you swallow. A long finish that stays pleasantly with you is usually a sign of a well-made wine.

Flabby

A wine that lacks acidity, so it feels soft, heavy and dull instead of fresh.

Fruit-forward

A wine where ripe fruit is the first and loudest thing you notice. Typical of wines from sunny, warm regions.

Herbaceous

Green, leafy or grassy smells, such as cut grass, green pepper or tomato leaf. Typical of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Hot

When the alcohol stands out as a warm, burning feeling in the throat or nose. It means the alcohol is out of balance with the rest of the wine.

Jammy

Tasting of cooked or very ripe fruit, like jam. Usually a sign of very ripe grapes from a hot climate; it can be meant as praise or as criticism.

Juicy

Mouth-watering and full of fresh fruit, usually from ripe fruit combined with good acidity.

Legs

The streaks or ‘tears’ that run down the inside of the glass after you swirl. They mainly reflect alcohol and sugar levels — fun to notice, but not a reliable sign of quality.

Length

How long the flavour stays after you swallow. The same idea as finish; a long one is usually a sign of quality.

Medium-sweet

Clearly sweet but not syrupy, sitting between off-dry and dessert wine. Also called semi-sweet. Many German Kabinett Rieslings and demi-sec Vouvray sit around here.

Minerality

A debated, hard-to-pin-down descriptor for aromas some wines suggest, like stony, chalky, or wet rocks. It is an impression, not a literal taste from minerals in the soil.

Mouthfeel

The overall physical sensation of wine in your mouth, like how smooth, silky, rough, or fizzy it feels, separate from its actual flavours.

Nose

Wine-speak for the smell of a wine, as in “a nose of strawberries”. Nosing a wine simply means smelling it.

Oaky

Smells and flavours from oak barrels, such as vanilla, toast, coconut, smoke or sweet spice. “Oaky” usually means a lot of them.

Off-dry

Just a touch sweet — noticeably softer than fully dry, but not a dessert wine. Many aromatic whites like Riesling are made in an off-dry style.

Palate

Two meanings: the taste of the wine in your mouth (“a juicy palate”), and your own sense of taste (“a trained palate”). Anyone can build a palate with practice.

Petrol

A smell of kerosene or petrol found in some Rieslings, especially with a few years of age. It comes from a compound called TDN, and many Riesling lovers prize it.

Residual sugar

The grape sugar that stays in the wine after fermentation (the process where yeast eats sugar and turns it into alcohol). Yeast didn’t convert this leftover sugar, so more of it means a sweeter wine.

Round

Smooth and soft, with no sharp edges of acidity or tannin.

Savoury

Flavours that are not fruity or sweet, such as herbs, olive, meat, leather or earth.

Silky

Smooth, fine and light in texture, like silk. Often used for good Pinot Noir.

Spicy

Smells of black or white pepper, clove, cinnamon or liquorice. Pepper is typical of Syrah and Grüner Veltliner; sweet spice often comes from oak.

Structure

The frame of a wine: its acidity, tannin and alcohol, as opposed to its fruit. Good structure helps a wine age.

Sweet

A wine with noticeable sugar left in it. Sweetness ranges from off-dry to lusciously sweet dessert wines.

Tannin

Natural compounds from grape skins, seeds, stems and oak that create a drying, grippy feeling on your gums, a bit like strong tea. Found mostly in red wines and key to how they age.

Tart

Sharply sour, like an unripe apple or a cranberry. A little tartness is refreshing; a lot makes a wine feel thin.

Toasty

Smells of toast, brioche or biscuits. They come from toasted oak barrels or, in sparkling wine, from long ageing on the lees.

Typicity

How well a wine shows the character expected of its grape and place. A Sancerre that tastes like Sancerre has typicity.

Velvety

Smooth and plush, but richer and thicker than silky. Often used for Merlot.