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Wine Tasting Terms
Wine Definitions: Nose / Character / Taste
Wine Definitions: Nose
Acetic: Wine smells and or tastes of vinegar.
Aggressive: Harsh tastes or impressions due to excesses of tannin, acid or alcohol.
Aromatic: Used to describe perfumed or very distinctive aromas such as from Gewürztraminer.
Blackcurrant: Aroma associated with Cabernet Sauvignon often referred to as cassis.
Body: Impression in the mouth of weight and consistency mainly due to alcoholic strength and extract.
Bouquet: Smells / aromas that develop as a wine matures.
Buttery: Smell and flavours of butter. Sometimes seen in heavily oaked Chardonnays.
Caramel: Taste and or smell of caramelised sugar.
Cardboard: Smell of damp papers or cardboard.
Cedar: Smell associated with many red wines that have been matured in oak. Similar to the smell of pencil shavings.
Corked: Wine fault recognised by a distinctive mouldy rotting smell.
Crisp: A marked level of acidity.
Ethyl Acetate: Smell of solvents such as some glues or lacquers or pear drop sweets.
Eucalyptus: A pleasant aroma sometimes found in red wines from Australia.
Farmyard: Vegetal or animal odours.
Flinty: Mineral aromas and flavours usually associated with dry white wines.
Flowery / Floral: Fragrant scents like fresh flowers.
Geraniums: Smell of geranium leaves, usually associated with excess sorbic acid.
Gooseberry: Often used to describe the aroma of young /sauvignon Blanc.
Grapey: Smell of grapes – often found with Muscat.
Herbaceous: Vegetal, grassy and smell of leaves.
Musk: Heavy waxy / vegetal aroma of mature Semillon and Sauternes.
Nose: Bouquet or aroma.
Pear Drops: Smell similar to nail polish remover or acetate.
Perfumed: Fragrant
Wine Definitions: Character
Acidic Having an excess of acid.
Aftertaste: Flavours that linger after the wine is swallowed.
Astringent: Dry puckering effect in the mouth usually caused by an excess of tannin.
Balance: A wine is in balance if the relationship of acid, tannin, alcohol and fruit is such that none of these is in excess or lacking.
Bottle Age: Time spent maturing in the bottle.
Buttery: Smell and flavours of butter. Sometimes seen in heavily oaked Chardonnays.
Chewy: Wine with lots of tannin and full bodied. Big wine
Clean: No off flavours. Fresh in the mouth.
Closed: Young wines that are not displaying their full potential of aromas or taste yet.
Cloying: Usually sickly sweet wines that lack acid to balance the sweetness.
Coarse: Harshness sometimes found in over tannic young red wine.
Cooked: Aromas and taste that associated with cooked fruit - baked, jimmy.
Crisp: A marked level of acidity. Used to describe white wines that have refreshing acidity.
Delicate: Light wine with subtle flavours.
Earthy: Impression of damp earth on the nose and palate.
Flabby:: Lacking in acid.
Flat: Lacks acidity and character. Sparkling wine that has lost the bubbles
Fleshy: Smooth full bodied reds usually.
Fruity: Abundance of fruit flavours.
Full Bodied: Heavy in texture and flavour as opposed to light wines.
Gamey: Rich pungent aromas sometimes found in big reds.
Grapey: Smell of grapes – often found with Muscat.
Green: Young wine that is harsh. Tastes of unripe fruit.
Harmony: Well balanced.
Hot: Too high in alcohol producing a warm / burning sensation.
Inky: Opaque purple colour and a metallic flavour.
Light: Light bodied – as opposed to full or medium bodied. Wines meant to be drunk
young are often light bodied.
Meaty: Substantial chewy wine.
Mellow: Soft wine with no harshness. Can have a hint of sweetness.
Oily: Referring to texture or consistency. Mature Rieslings can often have this character.
Petillant: Slightly sparkling.
Robust: Full bodied wine.
Round: Well balanced wine.
Short: When flavour does not linger on the palate.
Spritz: Slight sparkle, same as prickle.
Thin: Lacking in body.
Wine Definitions: Taste
Buttery: Flavour of butter.
Cassis: See blackcurrant.
Cigar: Box See cedar.
Citrus: Aroma or flavours of citrus fruits.
Complex: Displaying a range flavours, often developing constantly in the glass.
Finish: Flavours lingering after the wine has been swallowed. A wine that has lingering flavours will be described as having good length.
Flinty: Mineral aromas and flavours usually associated with dry white wines.
Fruitcake: Aromas and flavours of a rich mixture of dried fruits.
Jammy: Usually wines from warm climates and soft dark fruit, cooked flavours dominate.
Length: Used to describe the lingering flavours (or not) after the wine has been swallowed. See Finish.
Liquorice: Sometimes found on the palate of reds.
Maderised: Taking on the character of Madeira through oxidation.
Oxidised: Wine that has had excess contact with air. It will be flat and characterless.
Peppery: Spicy impression.
Prickle: Slight sparkle on what should be a still wine. Same as spritz.
Residual Sugar: Sugar remaining in a wine that has not been fermented out.