WINE FEATURE
GLOSSARY
Planning on becoming a wine enthusiast?
Here are the basic enological terms you’ll need to get
familiar with!
Aperitif
Wine drunk before a meal to stimulate one’s
appetite
Appellation
French term referring to where wine grapes
are geographically grown.
Balanced
Containing elements (flavours, alcohol, acidity) in harmonious proportions.
Breathing
Process of swirling wine in a glass to let it
open up due to exposure to the air.
Dessert wine
In the UK, a sweet, low alcohol wine. In the
US, any wine with over 15% alcohol.
Legs
The rivulets of wine that race down the sides
of a glass when swirled. The higher the alcohol content, the thinner the legs.
Sommelier
A wine expert.
Varietal
Wines made from a single grape variety.
Vintage date
The year when a particular wine was made.
Nosing wine
Aromatic
The pleasant and distinctive smell of wine. It
is generally applied to younger wines, with
the term bouquet being reserved for more
mature ones.
Tasting wine
Acidity
Sensations like crispness and liveliness felt
along the insides of the mouth (with good
wines). If it is lacking, wines become flat or
flabby.
Body
The impression of how light or heavy a
wine feels in your mouth. Being full bodied
therefore means the wine has a robust and
very rich feel.
Clean
Wine that is pleasant and agreeable, without
any off-putting flavours or aromas.
Dry
Wine with no sweetness in taste. The opposite is sweet, except in sparkling wines
where dry means sweet.
Elegant
Describes a wine that is generally medium
bodied and well-balanced.
Finish
The aftertaste left in your palate after
swallowing the wine. A full bodied and well
balanced wine will for instance have a long
finish and vice versa.
Tannins
This refers to the textural characteristic
that makes wines taste dry. It is actually the
chemical compounds in grapes that affects
taste, colour and aging potential of wine.
Tart
Sharp taste of acidity in wines.
Nose
The smell or aroma of the wine, best sensed
just after you swirl it in your glass.
Smoky
An aroma/flavour in both red and white
wines that develops from the aging in oak
casks.
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