Wine 101: Our Guide To Sounding Like A Vino Expert

Our Quick & Easy Glossary Of Terms

Need a refresher or a cheat sheet to make this all a bit easier? We have you covered with our quick and easy glossary of commonly used wine terms. Acidic: The sour or tart taste of wine. Acidity contribute to the keeping ability of fine wines. Astringent: A wine whose taste is bitter, mouth-drying, or puckery. Bitter: If the bitter component of a wine is most dominant, then it is considered a fault. Briary: A term used to describe a wine that has an aggressive "peppery" taste. Buttery: A term used to describe a good white wine, especially Chardonnay. Coarse: A wine-tasting term that refers to a rough or crude wine that is difficult to drink. Corky: Unpleasant aroma and flavor of a moldy cork. Creamy: Silk-like quality, the opposite of a crisp wine. Crisp: A term used to describe a wine that has a pleasing tartness and acidity without excessive sweetness. Dry: A tasting term used to describe the complete absence of sugar in wine. If it has slight sugar taste, then you would say it tastes "off dry." Earthy: Taste or smell suggests soil, mushrooms, or mustiness. Flabby: Tasting term for a wine that is too low in acidity. Flat: Similar to flabby, it lacks in both acidity and crispness. Flowery: A tasting term to describe an aroma of fresh flowers. Foxy: A tasting term used to describe the unique musky smell and taste of Concord grapes. Green: A tasting term that refers to wines made with under-ripe fruit. Oaky: Excessive oak flavors in wine. Peppery: Term used to describe spicy wines reminiscent of anise or cinnamon. Ripe: Well balanced fruity and sweet wine. Sharp: Excessively acidic. Smoky: A tasting term used to describe a wine that has clearly been oak-aged. Sour: Similar to acidic Tobacco: A tasting term used to describe red wines whose flavors resembled the taste of raw tobacco leaves. Warm: Used to describe wine with high flavor of alcohol. Weighty: A tasting term to describe a wine that is well-structured and balanced, but excessive in flavor. Grainy: The deposits sometimes found in wine bottles, most often with older wines. [Photo via, via, via, via]