Acidic/Acidity

One of the tastes of wine. All wines naturally contain acid, but it should always be in harmony with the fruit and other flavors. The presence of acid is necessary for wines to age and gives it a lively, crisp quality. Acid is tasted on the sides of the tongue and mouth.

Aerate

To allow a wine to “breathe” by exposing the it to oxygen. Aerating a wine helps it to mellow and develop its full flavors, especially red wines. Decanting is a way to aerate wine.

Aroma

The smell of wine. There are an unlimited number of aromas in wine, and just as many descriptive adjectives for those aromas. True wine appreciation will allow you to decipher and describe those aromas for yourself.

Astringent/Astringency

A mouth puckering sensation caused by the acid and tannin in a wine. Astringency often declines as a wine ages.

Balance

Harmony among the wine’s components – a balance of acid, alcohol, fruit and tannins.

Body

The texture and weight of a wine. The component in wine that gives it body is glycerine.

Bouquet

All the aromas in a wine collectively make up its bouquet.

Breathe

To aerate or to allow air to mix with the wine.

Character

The features of a wine that distinguish it from any other wine. A good wine should have character.

Chewy

This wine term describes a red wine with a thickness and abundance of tannins.

Complex

Having many different flavors and aromas. A good wine should be complex.

Crisp

Usually associated with the acidity in wine and more often with white wine, this denotes a fresh, light character.

Decant/Decanting

Pouring wine from its original bottle into another container (decanter), allowing the wine to “breathe”.

Delicate

Light texture and subtle flavors. A delicate wine should not be paired with highly flavored foods.

Dry

One of the more common wine definitions, a dry wine has little or no residual sugar left in it after fermentation.

Earthy

More often used to describe European wines, these have aromas and flavors resembling the earth, perhaps even soil or rock.

Fat

One of the more unusual wine definitions, "fat" refers to a wine with full body and light acid.

Fermentation

The process of adding yeast to crushed grapes to turn their sugar into alcohol. Fermentation processes and times vary.

Finish

The final impression a wine leaves in your mouth. A finish which lingers (long) is good, and one that barely exists (short) is not so good.