Words To Describe Wine

A glossary of terms used to describe wine characteristics, flavours, and qualities.

Acetic: Describes a sour, vinegary odour referred to as volatile acidity, too much of which will make the wine undrinkable.
Acid: The sharp, tart effect of the green fruit of young wine on both the nose and tongue.
Aroma: The perfume of fresh fruit. It diminishes with fermentation and disappears with age to be replaced by the “bouquet.”
Astringent: The rough, puckery taste sensation caused by an excess of tannin in especially young red wines. It diminishes with age in the bottle.
Baked: Quality of red wine made in a very hot climate from very ripe grapes.
Balanced: Having all natural elements in good harmony.
Big: Full of body and flavour, high degree of alcohol, colour, and acidity.
Bitter: Self-descriptive. Sign of ill-health caused by inferior treatment such as excessive stalks during crushing or even metal contamination.
Body: The weight and substance of the wine in the mouth; actually a degree of viscosity largely dependent on the percentage of alcohol and sugar content.
Bouquet: The fragrance a mature wine gives off once it is opened. It develops the two aspects of the olfactory sensations — aroma and bouquet.
Brilliant: Bright and sparkling in appearance so that one can see the light through the wine. Opposite of dull and cloudy.
Character: Positive and distinctive taste characteristics giving definition to a wine.
Clean: A well-constructed wine with no offensive smells or tastes.
Cloudy: Unsound condition of hazy, dull-looking wine. Not to be confused with the condition of a recently shaken old wine whose deposit hasn’t yet settled.
Cloying: Too much sweetness and too little acidity.
Corky: Disagreeable odour and flat taste of rotten cork due to a defective cork in the bottle.
Depth: Rich, lasting flavour.
Dry: Completely lacking sweetness. Should not be confused with bitterness or sourness.
Earthy: What the French call Goût de terroir. The peculiar taste that the soil of certain vineyards gives to their wine. Disagreeable when too noticeable.
Elegant: Well balanced, with finesse and breed.
Fat: Full-bodied but flabby, which in white wines is often due to too much residual sugar. When applied to red wines, it means softness and maturity.
Finesse: The breed and class that distinguish a great wine.
Finish: The taste that the wine leaves at the end, either pleasant or unpleasant.
Flabby: Too soft, almost limp, without structure.
Flowery: The flowerlike bouquet that is as appealing to the nose as the fragrance of blossoms.
Foxy: A pronounced flavour found in wines made from native American grapes; the same smell as in grape jelly.
Fruity: The aroma and flavour of fresh grapes found in fine young wines. It diminishes with age.
Geranium: Smelling of geraniums, an indication that the wine is faulty.
Green: Harsh and unripe with an unbalanced acidity that causes disagreeable odour and a raw taste.
Hard: Tannic without softness or charm. It can mellow with age.
Insipid: Lacking in character and acidity; dull.
Light: Lacking in body, colour, or alcohol, but pleasant and agreeable.
Long: Leaving a persistent flavour that lingers in the mouth. Sign of quality.
Luscious: Juicy and soft, filling the mouth without a trace of dry aftertaste. Usually attributed to sweet wine well balanced with acidity.
Maderized: Flat, oxidized smell and taste reminiscent of Madeira. Term is applied to wines that have passed their prime and have acquired a brown tinge.
Mellow: Softened with proper age.
Musty: Disagreeable odour and stale flavour caused by storage in dirty casks of cellars; mouldy.
Oxidized: Having lost its freshness caused by contact with air.
Piquant: Dry and crispy acid, prickling the palate with its tartness.
Ripe: Full; tasting of ripe fruit, without a trace of greenness.
Rounded: Well balanced and complete.
Sharp: Excessive acidity, a defect usually found in white wines.
Short: Leaving no flavour in the mouth after the initial impact.
Smooth: Of a silky texture that leaves no gritty, rough sensation on the palate.
Soft: Suggests a mellow wine, usually low in acidity, and tannin.
Sound: Healthy, well balanced, clean-tasting.
Sour: Like vinegar; wine that is spoiled and unfit to drink.
Spicy: Definite aroma and flavour of spice arising from certain grape varieties (Gewürztraminer).
Sulphury: Disagreeable odour reminiscent of rotten eggs. If the smell does not disappear after the wine is poured, it is an indication that the wine is faulty.
Sweet: Having a high content of residual sugar either from the grape itself or as the product of arrested fermentation.
Tannic: The mouth-puckering taste of young red wines particularly from Bordeaux. Too much tannin makes the wine hard and unyielding but also preserves it longer.
Tart: Sharp, with excessive acidity and tannin.
Thin: Lacking body and alcohol. It is too watery to be called light, and will not improve with age.
Velvety: A mellow red wine and a smooth, silky texture that will leave no acidity on the palate.
Vigorous: Healthy, lively, firm, and youthful. Opposite of insipid and flabby.
Watery: Thin and small without body or character.
Woody: Odour and flavour of oak due to long storage in the cask.
Yeasty: Smelling of yeast in fresh bread. Sign that the wine is undergoing a second fermentation, possibly because it was bottled too early, and is therefore faulty.