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Wine Terms

Here are some commonly used wine words. In no time at all, you will be using these words at your next Wine Tasting!

Acidity: Describes a tart or zesty taste in the mouth producing refreshing qualities in balanced wines. Acidity also helps wine age.

Acrid: A wine with overly pronounced acidity; tasting sharp and biting.

Alcohol: During fermentation, yeasts convert natural sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide. Wines with low alcohol are “light” bodied, and wines with high alcohol are “full bodied”.

Aftertaste: The taste or flavors that linger in the mouth after the wine is tasted, spit or swallowed.

Aroma: Refers to the smell of the wine derived from the grape varietals it was made from.

Assertive: Upfront, forward.

Attractive: A light-style, easy to drink wine.

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Baked: A negative term used to describe a wine that has an aroma or taste that seems overripe, or even burnt. This can happen to a wine when left to oxidize.

Balanced: Indicates that the components of the wine (acid, alcohol, fruit, tannin, etc.) are in the right proportion. A well balanced wine is one where none of these characteristics are more dominant than the other.

Barnyardy: Smell of farm animals.

Big: A wine that is full-bodied, robust, and usually high in alcohol.

Bite: A marked degree of acidity or tannin.

Bitter: A harsh flavor in wine that is considered a fault if the bitterness dominates the flavor or aftertastes. A fine, mature wine should not be bitter on the palate.

Body: The weight of wine in your mouth, commonly known as full-bodied, medium-bodied or light-bodied. Kelley Cellars uses the following terms to describe body: light bodied whites: Crisp; light bodied reds: Fruity; medium bodied whites: Mellow, medium bodied reds: Velvety, full-bodied whites: Sumptuous; full-bodied reds: Robust.

Bouquet: A tasting term used to describe the smell of the wine as it matures in the bottle.

Brix: A measure of the sugar content of grapes before they are harvested.

Brut: French term that indicates a sparkling wine is dry to very dry.

Buttery: Refers to both flavor and texture or mouthfeel. This term is often used to describe a Chardonnay (particularly American and Australian) that has been put through Maloactic fermentation.

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Character: A wine with first-rate distinguishing qualities.

Chewy: Rich, heavy, tannic wines that are full-bodied.

Crisp: Kelley Cellars uses this term to describe a fresh, young, light bodied wine with good acidity, such as Riesling or Pinot Grigio.

Closed: Describes wines that seem to have potential, are concentrated and have character, but are lacking in scent and flavor.

Complete: A full-bodied wine rich in extracts with a definitive finish.

Complex: Describes a multi-faceted wine that combines all flavor and taste components in harmony.

Corked: A wine that tastes of wet cardboard, and is unpleasant to smell and taste.

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Delicate: Used to describe light-to-medium-weight wines with good flavor.

Dense: A wine that has intense aromas on the nose and palate.

Depth: Describes the complexity and concentration of flavors in a wine.

Dessert wine: A sweet wine, typically harvested late in the season.

Developed: Refers to the maturity of a wine.

Dirty: Covers any and all foul, rank, off-putting smells that can occur in a wine, including those caused by bad barrels or corks.

Earthy: A wine that tastes of soil, most common in red wines. Can be used both positively (pleasant, clean) and negatively (barnyardy character).

Elegant: A wine of grace, balance and beauty.

Empty: Flavorless, without character.

Extra Dry: A confusing term that actually describes a sparkling wine that is slightly sweet.

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Fading: Describes a wine that is losing color fruit or flavor, often a result of age.

Fat: Typically a full-bodied wine with great fruit balanced by nice acidity.

Finish: The taste that remains in the mouth after swallowing; a long finish indicates a wine of good quality.

Flabby: Lacking acidity on the palate.

Fruity: Any quality referring to the pronounced flavor of a wine. Often used when referring to a young wine.

Full-bodied: Fills the mouth; opposite of “thin-bodied”.

Graceful: A wine that is subtly harmonious and pleasing.

Grapey: Simple flavors and aromas associated with fresh table grapes.

Green: Typically refers to flavors associated with grass or vegetables. Can be a flavor of wines made from under-ripe grapes.

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Heady: The smell of a wine high in alcohol.

Herbaceous: The taste and smell of herbs. Good Sauvignon Blanc is often described as herbal.

Juicy: Kelley Cellars uses this term to describe a light intensity red wine, typically simple and fruit forward, such as young Pinot Noir.

Legs: The droplets that form and ease down the sides of the glass, when the wine is swirled. Legs have nothing to do with quality.

Mellow: Kelley Cellars uses this term to describe a medium-bodied white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc.

Mouthfeel: How a wine feels in the mouth and against the tongue.

Murky: Lacking brightness, a mired view.

Musty: Having a moldy smell.

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Neutral: A wine without outstanding characteristics.

Nonvintage: Without an indication of a specific vintage (year). This is typically used for sparkling wines, when multiple vintages are blended to produce the wine.

Nose: The smell of the wine, both the aroma from the grape varietal and the bouquet from aging.

Nouveau: A young wine made for immediate drinking. The most famous Noveau is Beaujolais Nouveau from France, released each November.

Oaky: A descriptive word used for toasty and/or vanilla smells and flavors. The newer the barrel, the more likely it will produce higher oak flavors. American oak typically produces more pronounced oak flavors than French oak.

Oxidized: Stale wines. Wines become stale from too much exposure to air.

Pedestrian: Plain.

Peppery: The taste of pepper in a wine; more pointed than “spicy”.

Perfumed: Refers to a delicate, scented bouquet.

Potent: A strong, intense, powerful wine.

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Quaffer: A wine to drink and not sip.

Residual sugar: Natural grape sugars remaining in a wine because it has not converted to alcohol during the fermentation process.

Robust: Kelley Cellars uses this term to describe a full-bodied, intense and vigorous red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Round: A well-balanced wine in fruit, tannins and body.

Seductive: Describes a wine that is appealing.

Short: Describes a wine that does not remain on the palate after swallowing.

Simple: Often describes an inexpensive, young wine, with few characteristics that follow its initial impression.

Smoky: A subtle wood-smoke aroma.

Soft: A wine with low acid/tannin, or alcohol content with slight impact on the palate.

Sparkling: A wine with bubbles. Kelley Cellars uses this term to describe our sparkling wines, such as: Champagne (France), Cava (Spain), Prosecco (Italy).

Spicy: The presence of spice flavors such as anise, cinnamon, cloves mint and pepper.

Sumptuous: Kelley Cellars uses this term to describe a full-bodied white wine, such as Chardonnay.

Supple: A wine with well-balanced tannins and fruit characteristics.

Sweet: Describes the presence of residual sugar and/or glycerin.

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Tannin: A dry sensation derived from the seeds, skins, and stems of grapes, and from barrels. Tannic wines have a puckery quality similar to a strong tea.

Tart: Sharp-tasting because of acidity.

Terroir: French term describing the soil, climate, orientation to the sun, etc. of a vineyard.

Thin: Lacking body and depth.

Toasty: Describe a hint of the wooden barrel. More often associated with dry white wines.

Varietal: Wine made from a particular variety of grape, for example: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Velvety: Kelley Cellars uses this term to describe medium bodied red wines, such as Merlot which have a rich flavor and silky texture.

Zesty: A wine that is enlivening.

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