Wine Tasting Terms

Wine Tasting Terminology

Aftertaste: Try to use "finish" instead of 'aftertaste' when wine tasting. Aftertaste sounds like an unpleasant lingering reminder. In any case, it is the taste that remains after you swallow the wine - this can be far different than the taste you sensed while actually drinking the wine.

Apple: When wines are described as apple, it means that it's a crisp, fruity flavor that you find in some Chardonnays.

Apricot: As with apples, apricots have a distinct yet subtle flavor in wineàtypically whites.

Balanced: Something most wines want to be - not too sweet, not too sour, not too fruity, and not too dry. A good mix of everything.

Banana: Yes, the yellow curvy fruit. Banana can be tasted in Beaujolais and Pinotage, as well as a few other wines.

Blackberry: Used often to describe Zinfandels as well as Merlots.

Black Cherry: Chianti and Merlot are two that come to mind.

Buttery: a buttery flavor is typically found in Chardonnays , and a buttery flavor is enhanced if the wine has gone through malolactic fermentation.

Corked: This is a bad thing for any wine. The fungus that grows on cork sometimes turns a wine into a damp-cardboard tasting liquid. I've had slightly corked wines that were still drinkable, but in general, if it smells like damp cardboard, send it back. Note that this does NOT have anything to do with the wine having cork bits in it, or being old. It is a *taint* caused by cork mold.

Crisp: Like a good apple - fresh, lively, sharp tasting. Many whites are crisp.

Dry: How can a wine be dry when it's obviously wet? But in wine tasting, dry means "not sweet". A dry wine is usually great with food.

Earthy or Gamy: Sort of like venison and earth rolled together. Rough and ready, like a good Baco Noir. This kind of wine holds its own against strongly flavored foods.

Grassy: It's like rolling in your yard after someone has cut the grass. Sauvignon Blancs are said to be ôgrassyö

Legs/Tears: these are the 'drips' of the wine that slide back down the inside of the glass in long streaks, looking sort of like legs. Better-bodied wines have legs. Usually reds.

Oaky: Oak is used in ageing wine (oak barrels). Oak chips or powder can be added during the fermentation stage. Certain wines take on a distinct oak flavor.

Tannic: Red wines have tannins, which gives you that mouth-puckering sensation when you drink them.

Vanilla: Vanilla can be found in white ports, California reds, and a few other wine types.

Vinegar: When a wine gets old, it tends to taste more and more like vinegar. If the wine is not stored on its side, the cork can dry out and let air in, and make this happen prematurely.