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Wine Terms
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NOSE:
Describes the smell of the wine. Many interpret the terms nose,
aroma and bouquet as if they were the same. They are
not.
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AROMA
Smells associated with grapes.
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BOUQUET
Smells associated with bottle aging and the winemaking process.
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FINISH:
The final impression after swallowing wine: hot (alcohol
finish), astringent (tannic finish) or tart (acidic finish).
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BODY
In its simplest form, it's weight on your palate. If
a wine is light-bodied, it would be like drinking fat-free
milk. A medium-bodied wine could be compared to heavy
cream--definitely more substance. And finally, a full-bodied
wine would be like a thick milkshake--it envelopes your whole
mouth. The are exaggerations, but demonstrate the concept
of the term "body".
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FERMENT
The conversion of natural sugar from grapes into alcohol.
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LIGHT-BODIED
These wines are considered low alcohol wines while full-bodied
wines have high alcohol content.
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COMPLEXITY
This refers to a variety of things happening taste-wise
and is associated more with red wines than whites, partially
because of the tannins found in reds.
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TANNINS
A substance found in the skin, seeds and stems of red grapes,
as well as oak barrels. Red grape skins are used in the
production of red wine, therefore tannins will be present in
varying degrees. In white wine, the skins are not used--thus
no tannins, unless aged in oak barrels.
- STYLE
- This is the role of the vintner in the winemaking process.
Grapes contribute about 95% of the quality while 5% is the individual
winemaker's input. Red wines, with their tannins, offer
more opportunities for the vintner to add style. Some considerations
when creating a "style" would include:
- Fermenting: Stainless steel or oak,
for how long and at what temperature
- Aging: How long, if aging at all; in
French or American oak, if oak at all, how much bottle aging,
if any
- Grapes: If a blend, how many, what kind
and what percentag
- RESERVE
In the US, this means little or nothing. In most Old World
countries, it suggests better quality.
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ESTATE-BOTTLED
Indicates that control over the grapes, vineyards, winemaking
process and bottling was all done by the same company.
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VINEYARD NAME
This might appear on more expensive wines and represents a
specific vineyard where the grapes were grown. This could
be important when a single company has several vineyards that
produce different quality wine. By knowing the specific
vineyard, one has a better idea of the quality.
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