Good Morning!

As I learn more and more about wine some of the information I learn puzzles me. The vocabulary is fun to figure out so I made a list of words that mean one thing in the “real” world. But these terms mean something different in the wine world.

Flabby – A wine is heavy on the palette. It is normally in need of more structure, mostly acid is missing from the wine.

Body – Is the total mouthfeel and weight of the wine in your mouth. Good example of this is milk, have you ever tried Whole milk, 2% and fat free milk? That is like full body, medium body and light body wines.

Finish – Is the taste after you sip and swallow or spit. The longer the flavors last in your mouth, that is called a long finish and if the flavors disapear quickly, that is called a quick finish. Well made wines will have a lengthy finish, balanced flavors and no one flavor should stand out or should end the finish, like bitterness or alcohol or even oakiness from the barrel.

Hot – This means high alcohol. If you taste a wine and it tastes “boozie” and you feel the warmness in your throat and nose, that is what is called Hot or heat.

Cloying – When the fruitiness or sweetness in the wine tastes unbalanced. Have you ever stopped drinking regular soda and then after awhile you have one and it tastes heavy and sweet? That is what cloying feels like.

Corked – This is the easiest term to describe, if you open a bottle of wine and it smells musty, like rotted wood or even wet cardbord, you will know when it is corked. It is not pleasant, just pour it out and start the night over. Corked wine can happen from tainted corks, but some studies are showing some barrels can become tainted as well.

Complex – After drinking many wines this term will come to life for you. Wines will have depth, many aromas, flavors and it will change in the glass as the night progresses.

Nose – This all about the aromas you experience while tasting the wines. Sometimes you will hear this called bouquet.

Structure – This has many different meanings but a structured wine has even balance of acids, tannins and alcohol. I well structured wine will age beautifully.

Tannins/ Tannic – Tannins come from the grape skins, stems and seeds of the grape, as well as the oak barrels. It is a perceived as an astringency in the back of your tongue.

Terroir – Is a French term that encompasses all the things about the wine from the soil, weather and climate of the vineyard. From vine to bottle.

Viscosity – This is the thickness, the body, the weight ad overall mouthfeel of the wine. This is really the term Body but in a WAY bigger term, it sounds cool to say it!

I hope these terms are a little clearer for you, it helped me!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi