Wine Lingo

Have you ever been in a wine conversation, or overheard one with someone describing the wine as “this wine is complex”, “it’s full bodied”, “and high in acidity”, “tannic and it has long legs in the glass”. What the heck do all those things mean? Let’s explorer and demystify some wine lingo.
Or, you’re shopping at your favorite wine shop trying to pick out a good bottle of wine for dinner. As you cruise down the aisles, you pause to read a review taped to the shelf, and you suddenly realize you don’t understand half of what you’re reading. Well, take comfort: you’re not alone. Here are a few terms, and easy to understand definitions.

Acidity: refers to the tartness of a wine. A wine can be described as crisp or soft, depending on the amount of acidity. Usually high-acidity wines will be described as crisp, while those with low acidity are called soft. Acidity is a key element in successful food-and-wine pairing. Generally, the most food-friendly wines have moderate alcohol with a crisp acidity.

Body: wines that feel heavy and rich in your mouth are full-bodied, you may also hear the term “big” to describe these types of wines. Light wines with little to no mouth feel are light bodied. Medium-bodied wines fall in between. The amount of alcohol can also determine a wine’s richness and body, and also the intensity of flavor. Wines with low alcohol will feel light-bodied.

Complexity: refers to the aromas and flavors in a wine and how they interact with each other. The more layers of flavor and aroma, the more complex the wine and usually the higher its quality.

Finish: describes a wine’s aftertaste, be it a fruit, its acidity, or the oak, or tannins. Generally, the longer the flavor lasts after you swallow the better quality the wine.

Tannins: these come from the skins, seeds, and stems of the grapes and also from the barrels, and are usually found in red wine. Tannins can make your tongue feel fuzzy, or have that puckering effect. If so, then there is a good deal of tannins in the wine. Wines high in tannins are often described as firm or chewy, and those without a lot of tannins are called soft or supple.

Fruit-forward: wines are dominated by the flavors of fresh fruit—berries, apples, cherries, and so forth.

Jammy: wines taste of very ripe, almost overripe berries. Zinfandels are often described as “jammy”.

When you get ready to taste your wine look for the legs (or tears) as they trickle and run down the inside of a glass after you swirl it. The legs are clues to how much alcohol or residual sugar the wine contains; legs that are slow to run down the inside of the glass indicate a wine with more alcohol or residual sugar.

Those are the most common terms. I hope this demystified some of them!

Until next time, cheers!