Wine definitions

Acidic/Acidity

One of the tastes of wine. All wines naturally contain acid, but it should always be in harmony with the fruit and other flavors. The presence of acid is necessary for wines to age and gives it a lively, crisp quality. Acid is tasted on the sides of the tongue and mouth.

Aroma

The smell of wine. There are an unlimited number of aromas in wine, and just as many descriptive adjectives for those aromas. True wine appreciation will allow you to decipher and describe those aromas for yourself.

Astringent/Astringency

A mouth puckering sensation caused by the acid and tannin in a wine. Astringency often declines as a wine ages.

Balance

Harmony among the wine’s components – a balance of acid, alcohol, fruit and tannins.

Body

The texture and weight of a wine. The component in wine that gives it body is glycerine.

Decant/Decanting

Pouring wine from its original bottle into another container (decanter), allowing the wine to “breathe”.

Dry

One of the more common wine definitions, a dry wine has little or no residual sugar left in it after fermentation.

Fermentation

The process of adding yeast to crushed grapes to turn their sugar into alcohol. Fermentation processes and times vary.

Full-Bodied

A wine which fills the mouth with flavors and alcohol. A full-bodied wine is also considered “thick”.

Oak

The smell, taste and character of a wine imparted by storage in oak wine barrels. Wines are generally fermenting in oak barrels or stainless steel.

Reserve

A term with no legal definition in the United States, it is implied reserve wines are aged longer and made better than regularly bottled wines.

Sommelier

The restaurant specialist who has considerable wine knowledge and assists guests with their wine selection.

Tannin

An ingredient found naturally in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. Tannins are usually found in red wines and give that dry, lip puckering sensation. Tannins are an important component in red wine and soften with age.

Varietal

Wine that is made from one dominant grape variety and whose labels states so.

Vintage

The year the wine is harvested. A wine’s vintage will be found on all wine labels.