Glossary of Wine Terms
A list of common wine terms and their definitions used throughout this blog and the industry as a whole.
ABV
"Alcohol by volume" - The percentage of the wine's total volume that is alcohol
Alcohol
The warming or hot feeling in your throat and chest when you swallow a wine. The higher the alcohol, the more noticeable the sensation
Aroma
What the wine smells like
Balance
The interaction between the different taste elements of a wine such as acidity, alcohol, sweetness and tannins. In a well balanced wine, each of these components should be distinguishable from the others and none should be overpowering
Body
How the wine feels in your mouth; its thickness. Commonly described as light, medium or full. Light bodied wines will feel closer to the consistency of water, which full-bodied wines will be closer to milk
Brut
A wine (mainly sparkling) with little to no residual sugar
Complexity
When the prominent flavor of a wine changes as you drink it
Corked
When a fault in the cork of a wine bottle allows oxygen and other chemicals into the wine, spoiling it
Dry
The opposite of sweet. A wine having little to no residual sugar
Fermentation
The process of adding yeast to a sugary liquid (in this case grape juice) to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide
Finish
The taste left on your tongue after swallowing a sip of wine. This is generally described as short, medium or long.
Nose
Another term for the aroma of the wine
Reserva
Spanish term for a wine that has been aged at least 3 years in the cask and bottle. At least 1 of those years must have been in the cask.
Tannic
The drying feeling in your mouth when you take a sip of wine. Wines with a higher amount of tannins have a greater drying effect
Terroir
The environment that the grapes used to make the wine were grown. This is a combination of the location, climate and terrain
Vintage
The year the grapes used to make the wine were harvested
