Wine Glossary

A Short Glossary of Wine Related Terms and Meanings associated with the growing of wine grapes, winemaking and the marketing of wine…. Words For The Perplexed.

Acetic:
vinegar-like taste or smell from exposure to air. Vinegar is acetic acid.

Acidity:
wines contain acids, which vary in concentration.

Appellation:
French system regulating authenticity; applies to region where the grapes were grown.

Astringent:
high tannin content produces dry, puckering effect.

Balance:
relative degree of fruity quality, acidity, tannins, alcohol and other characteristics.

Bouquet:
complex of aromas, usually from aging.

Cooked:
prunish flavor, usually from excessive heat.

Cooper:
a maker of casks or barrels.

Corked:
a kind of spoilage, smelling of cork, usually from cracked or seeping cork allowing introduction of air or fungi.

Dry:
opposite of sweet.

Fruity:
aroma or flavor of apples, grapes, currants, pears, etc.

Green:
wine made from un-ripe grapes, producing tart flavor.

Honeyed:
smell or taste reminiscent of honey, characteristic of wines affected by ‘noble rot’ (Botrytis cinerea).

Length:
a lingering aftertaste.

Madeirized:
oxidized with a brownish color and stale odor. After the island of Madeira where wine is intentionally produced in open air vats.

Noble:
a classification of grapes that produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Riesling

Nose:
aroma. ‘Off-nose’ refers to odors indicating defect.

Nutty:
nutlike aroma, such as found in sherry or aged whites.

Oakey:
aroma from aging in oaken casks.

Oxidized:
spoiled from over-exposure to air.

Sommelier:
a specialist in selecting and serving wine.

Sparkling:
wine containing carbonation, such as champagne.

Sulphur:
an anti-oxidant introduced in some wines in small amounts. Fermentation creates minute amounts naturally.

Sweet:
having residual sugar from fermentation, from grape sugar incompletely converted to alcohol.

Vintner:
a winemaker.

Viticulture:
the art and science of growing wine grapes.

Vitis vinifera:
plant species encompassing most traditional European wine grapes.

Woody:
having the aroma or taste of aging barrels.

Yeasty:
smelling similar to bread. Yeasts are introduced to carry out fermentation and can be incompletely removed.