🚚 Delivery in 4-5 business days, straight to your doorstep!
Speak Like an Expert — Essential Wine Glossary
Imagine yourself at a dinner party with friends.
They decide to open a bottle of wine to complement the moment.
They pour the first glass.
Your long-time friend, after bringing the glass to their nose, shares:
- It's floral.
Your friend who joined you for dinner takes the first sip and adds:
- But it's thin-bodied and you can feel the tannins.
In this situation, you think to yourself: what are they talking about?
If you couldn't follow the conversation, don't worry. After reading this article, you'll know the main terms in the wine glossary and will speak like an expert.
Open
Wine with low color density.
Acidity
Essential element of wine. Produced during fermentation. A wine with the right acidity becomes fresh and lively. In the right quantity, it produces fresh and lively wines.
Matured
Wine whose finishing and aging processes have occurred harmoniously, allowing it to reach its full potential.
Buttery
Wine with a buttery texture.
Aroma
Olfactory sensations released by the substances present in the wine.
Attack
First impression caused by the wine when tasted.
Velvety
Wine with a smooth and pleasant texture on the palate.
High Alcohol
Wine with a high alcohol content.
Grape Variety
Name used to designate grapevines that present a set of common characteristics. A grape variety in different soils and climates gives rise to wines with different characteristics. However, there are aromatic components that remain from the grape variety.
Character
Personality of a good wine. Special characteristics that distinguish the wine from others.
Full-bodied
Wine with a strong structure and character. It is viscous, thick, and fills the mouth.
Complex
Wine rich in aromas. It provides multiple sensations, resulting from the combination of intense and pleasant aromas and flavors.
Body
It is the sensation of consistency and weight of the wine in the mouth.
Tank
Cement or stainless steel container used for fermentation or wine storage.
Short
Wine in which the taste is not persistent and has no finish.
Decanting
Process where the wine is placed in a special container (decanter) with the aim of separating the wine from the sediments that settle at the bottom of the bottle.
Sweet
It is a wine whose residual sugar content is equal to or greater than 45 grams per liter.
Harsh
Wine with a lot of tannins, not soft and velvety. It has high levels of acidity.
Elegant
Distinguished wine, harmonious in color and aroma. Balanced and delicate.
Full-bodied
Full, heavy wine with high alcohol content.
Enology
Specific branch of agronomic sciences that studies wine production technologies and enological practices.
Oenologist
Specialist with specific training and knowledge in enology.
Aging
Term designating the evolution of a wine over time. Its characteristics evolve during aging.
Balanced
Wine that exhibits harmony among all its components: acidity, tannins, and alcohol. None stands out above the others.
Aging
Period during which the wine remains in bottles or wooden casks for controlled aging of the wine.
Structured
Wines in which tannins stand out.
Mature
Mature wine ready to drink.
Finish
Final sensation that the wine leaves in the mouth. It can be long or short depending on how long the sensation remains in the mouth.
Fresh
Wine that conveys a sensation of freshness through its natural acidity.
Fruity
Wine with fruit aromas, such as blackberry, cassis, cherry, strawberry, and plum in reds, and peach, apricot, melon, passion fruit, and pineapple in whites.
Floral
Wine with flower aromas, such as acacia, rose, violet, and jasmine.
Generous
Quality fortified wine.
Herbal
Wine with vegetal aromas reminiscent of grass.
Insipid
Wine that does not evoke taste sensations. It lacks character and has a neutral aroma.
Tasteless
Wine without taste and aromatic qualities.
Young
Fruity wine with low tannin levels and pleasant acidity.
Tears
Drops on the inside of the wine glass that indicate the alcohol and sugar content present in the wine.
Clear or Clean
Term used to characterize the color, aroma, or flavor of a wine made without sediment.
Fortified
Wine with a high alcohol content. Contains significant amounts of sugar due to the interruption of fermentation and the addition of spirits. It is a more alcoholic wine compared to table wines. See, for example, Port, Madeira, and Moscatel wines.
Long
Wine where the aromatic characteristics manifest themselves in a prolonged way on the palate and retronasally, even after swallowing.
Soft
Smooth wine that evokes sensations of softness in the mouth. It has low tannins.
Nose
Term referring to the odors that make up the aromatic profile of a wine. These aromas can be primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Natural
It is a wine that has not been adulterated and reflects the terroir.
Oxidized
Wine that has lost its freshness and aromas due to excessive contact with oxygen.
Palate
Sensation evoked by the wine during the tasting process.
Persistence
Duration of the sensations in the nose and mouth evoked by the wine, after swallowing or spitting.
Personality
Distinctive character of the wine. It can result from the terroir or the winemaking process.
Round
Balanced, harmonious, soft, and velvety wine.
Reserve
Quality designation granted to a wine that presents characteristics that impress the senses. It has at least 0.5% alcohol by volume above the minimum mandatory level.
Dry
Wine that produces a dry sensation in the mouth. It has less than 35g of sugar.
Tannins
Bitter compounds present in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes. A wine with many tannins produces a rough sensation in the mouth.
Terroir
Term that describes the unique characteristics of a region and how they affect the wine's flavor.
Oily
Wine rich in glycerol, smooth and soft on the palate.
Now you know the main terms in the world of wine. Use this wine glossary and speak like an expert when you are tasting a wine.
