The following is a glossary of wine terms:

Acidity: 

Term used to indicate quality of tartness, sourness, or sharpness to the taste, due to the presence of agreeable fruit acids.  Acid is perceived on the sides of the tongue and most intently on the salivary glands.  White wines often have a citrus or green apple flavor to acidity while red wine are more redolent of sour berries.

Aftertaste:

The taste sensation remaining in the mouth for a short period of time immediately after wine is swallowed. Both the character and length of the aftertaste may collectively be described as “finish”.  Wine can have textural, flavorful or both elements on the finish.

Aperitif:

French word meaning “to open” which refers to wine and other drinks taken before meals to stimulate the appetite.

Appearance:

This refers to clarity not color. Wines should be free of cloudiness and suspended particles.

Aroma:

This refers to the fruity scent in a young wine, not to be confused with “bouquet” which is a more complex scent in mature wines.

Astringency:

The degree of astringency of a wine depends primarily upon the amount of tannin it has absorbed from the skins and seeds of the grapes. Moderate astringency is a desirable quality in many red wines.  Though dryness refers to a lack of perceivable residual sugar in the wine, guests will often describe a tannic wine as very dry. 

Balance:

Balance indicates harmony among the principle constituents of wine.

Body:

The degree of concentration and intensity in a wine is referred to as the body of the wine. Light bodied wines tend to be low in alcohol, tannin, and extract. Big, heavy bodied wines tend to be higher in alcohol and flavor profile. Sweet wines are often very rich and unctuous in texture as a result of moderate alcohol and high levels of residual sugar.

Bouquet:

Scent of mature wine, to be distinguished from “aroma”, which is given off by young wines. The scent originates from the fermentation and aging of wine and is best noticed when swirling the wine in the glass. 

Brut:

French term applied to Champagne with little perceivable residual sugar. Brut is drier than Extra-dry.  Ultra Brut, Brut Nature, Brut Zero all refer to Champagnes with no perceivable residual sugar. 

Color:

Each wine has its own “right” color. A wine should be judged against the color that is correct for each wine type.

Crust:

Deposit of sediment by wine while aging in the bottle. The deposit adheres to the inside of the bottle as a crust.

Decant:

To pour wine gently from a large container or from the bottle in which crust or sediment has deposited, for the purpose of obtaining clear wine for serving.

Demi-Sec / Semi-Dry:

Used to describe a fairly sweet sparking wine.

Dry:

Opposite of sweet, free of sugar. A wine becomes dry when all sugar has been consumed by fermentation.

Fruity:

Having the fragrance and flavor of the grape, sometimes used to designate tartness.

Generic Wine:

Wine type names (such as Burgundy, Chablis, Chianti, Champagne) to denote that the wine is best described by general type rather than by the major grape variety used in its production. Generic wines are normally blends of several grape varieties in which neither percentage nor the character of any on variety dominates.

Magnum:

A large wine bottle with capacity of two ordinary bottles

Nose:

The name given to perceived odor of wine. It is composed of aroma, bouquet and fermentation volatiles.

Nutty:

Term denotes the characteristic flavor of Sherry.

Racking

Decanting from one large vessel to another, be it a 225 liter oak barrel or a 10K liter stainless steel tank.  This process allows the wine to breathe and it also clarifies the wine from the sediment.

Sec

French word for “dry”

Sour:

Disagreeable acid from vinegar acid. A sour wine is spoiled wine. Not to be confused with dry, astringent, or tart.

Table wine:

Wine with an alcoholic content below 14%, suitable for serving with meals at the table.

Tart:

Possessing agreeable acidity; in wine, tartness reflects the content of agreeable fruit acids.

Varietal:

A wine that is named for the principal grape variety from which it is made. In California, the law requires that any varietally labeled wine must contain at least 75% of the grape of which it is named.

Vintage wine:

Wine made from grapes that were harvested in one given year. Regulations specify that a vintage wine must contain at least 95% of its volume from grapes of the year specified.