The Wine Dictionary
The next time you have a wine tasting party, give the following guide to your guests. It will help them as they describe the wine as well as provide some fun “cocktail party” trivia for after the party discussions.
Acetic: An acid that can be present in wine. When present with ethyl acetate, it will give off the vinegary fragrance of spoiled or old wine.
Acidic: A wine descriptor for elements of tartness or sourness. All wines will contain some acidity, however, the younger the wine, the more acid will be present. A wine with an abnormally high acid content may be considered imbalanced.
Aroma/Bouquet: The aroma of a wine is the smell that comes specifically from the grape. The bouquet of a wine is the smell that derives from the fermentation process. Bouquet is used to refer to the “whole” of the wine, often independent of the type of grape that was used to make the wine.
Balance: When a wine is said to be balanced, no one note, or flavor, sugar, acid, tannin, alcohol, etc., is more prominent than another. Each flavor and fragrance is evident and can be noted. Younger wines are more often not as balanced as older wines.
Balloon: Believe it or not, some wines can be described as having a balloon scent/flavor. This plastic like, powdery note can be picked up in some Chardonnay varietals from cooler climates.
Big/Full: Wine with a stronger, more robust, flavor is described as being “big” or “full-bodied”.
Bitter: This description, along with sweet, sour and salty, comprise the four basic taste sensations. Bitterness in wine is directly associated with the amount of tannin present.
Body: When a wine’s body is referred to, one is normally speaking of the way the wine feels in the mouth. This weight is derived from the physical characteristics and alcohol content of the vintage. A heavier wine is described as having a full body where some zinfandels are lighter in body and flavor.
Brilliant: A brilliant wine is perfectly clear and usually has a higher than normal acidity.
Brut: A brut wine is an extremely dry variety of wine. Often this is a dry, sparkling wine.
Clean: A clean wine has no off-odors or off-tastes. It is most often properly balanced.
| 
Email this Article
Print this Article
