Ever wonder about the words that experienced wine tasters use to describe the wine they are tasting? What are they talking about? It’s like a private language. Well just like any field or specialty, they have their own jargon. It just takes a little bit of getting used to and a little practice.
We have defined some common words they use to describe wine and what they mean. You should use some at your next party to impress your friends.
Here are some basics.
Aroma
It is certainly not complicated to figure out what this one is. It is a popular word however to use when tasting wine. In fact, smelling wine is one of the biggest part of the whole wine tasting and enjoying experience. Some drinkers smell their wine for quite a while before tasting it since it is a different experience all together. A wine is called aromatic if the smells are strong.
Balanced
A balanced glass of wine does not mean that you can balance it in your hand or on the table. There are specific aspects to wine: sweetness, tannins, alcohol and acidity. When you can’t pick out any one of these then your wine is considered balanced. That is, all 4 of these elements blend together nicely. A balance wine is much preferred.
Bouquet
Some people may know what this is. Just like a bouquet of followers the bouquet of wine has to do with its aroma. As mentioned above, the smell of a wine is a very large experience of the wine. You will find many wines have many flavors and as you smell them, you notice more flavors and layers to the wine. Once you become more trained and experienced at wine tasting and you really pay attention, you might be surprised with the things you pick up.
Finish
A wine can have a long or short finish and this has to do with the experience of the wine after you have swallowed it. You can think of it as what lingers and oftentimes it may have a different taste. It has nothing to do with drinking all of your wine.
Tannins
You may have heard of wine tannins. But what are they? Mostly from red wines, it is the substance that comes from the skin of the grape, the seeds and the stems. Tannins are necessary to preserve and develop a wine. Too man tannins in a wine however can be rough to drink. It sounds kind of strange to have solid substances in your glass of wine, but it makes perfect sense if you think about the fact that your wine is truly make of grapes.
There are so many more terms to know and learn, but these are some big ones and will get you started and sounding like a professional!
The Wine Shopper 