Terminology
- Acidity: The tartness of wine. High acidic wines tend to make your mouth pucker, but this is a good thing. Highly acidic wines pair better with food. There are usually three levels of acidity: high (tart), medium (crisp) and low (soft).
- Balance: A wine is balanced when it's acidity, fruit and tannin are all in proportion. Balance is desired. When one aspect is dominant, it's usually considered a bad thing.
- Body: Refers to the weight of the wine in your mouth. It can feel heavy (or full), medium or light depending upon the amount of alcohol, glycerin and sugar. Heavy or full-bodied wines are usually more alcoholic.
- Corked: A wine that has an unpleasant taste that overpowers all the others aromas and flavors. It is a signal for a bad wine.
- Crisp: Refers to the sharp taste of a wine.
- Dry: The absence of sweetness. Dry wines usually contain little sugar and are therefore a good pair with foods.
- Oenophile: A wine lover or connoisseur
- Soft: Oppositie of crisp. Soft is also called smooth, and it describes the texture of a wine.
- Sommelier: A wine expert who specializes in pairing wine with food.
- Sweet: The opposite of dry. Do not confuse sweetness with fruitiness.
- Tannic: Wines have a certain amount of tannic acid. If the wine leaves a raspy feeling in your mouth (like that of cranberry juice) that means it has a high level of tannic acid. There are three levels of tannin: high (astringent), medium (firm) and low (soft). Highly tannic wines go well with heavy foods like beef.
- Varietal: Refers to the type of grape used to make the wine.
- Vintage: Refers to the year of a wine's birth. The year is extremely important to experienced wine drinkers when considering that such things as the amount of rainfall one year can change a wine's taste.
Learn morewine terms including types, regions colors and descriptions.