Guide
Wine Tasting Terms
This list of wine tasting terms is by no means all-encompassing. We put this together as a starting point, an easy go-to list when you begin your wine journey. The world of wine is ever-changing, and so the words we use are ever-changing as well.
Getting a grasp of these basics is an excellent first step into understanding wine and the people who drink it.
The easiest way to learn a new language, of course, is to speak it. In our courses and classes, the London Wine Academy tutors will be sure to elaborate on all of these wine tasting terms. After spending an afternoon with us, you’ll be one of those experts sprinkling terminology through casual conversation.
The easiest way to learn a new language, of course, is to speak it. In our courses and classes, the London Wine Academy tutors will be sure to elaborate on all of these wine tasting terms. After spending an afternoon with us, you’ll be one of those experts sprinkling terminology through casual conversation.
| Acetic | The wine has been "got at" by bacteria |
| Acidity | The essential natural component which gives wine freshness and zing and prevents it from cloying. |
| Aggressive | Over-tannic or over-acidic. |
| Alcoholic | Over-alcoholic wines tastes "hot", burns the palate. |
| Almond | Bitter Almond can denote Tocai from Italy. |
| Aniseed | Found in red Burgundy and - to a lesser extent - Bordeaux and some Northern Italian whites. |
| Apple | A smell often found in young white wines. Unripe apple is often a sign that a wine has not undergone malolactic fermentation. |
| Apricot | Common in the white Rhone's of Condrieu and Chateau Grillet and other examples of the Viognier grape, and in wine from botrytis-affected grapes. |
| Aromatic | Often associated with wines made from grapes such as the Gewürztraminer and Muscat. |
| Artificial | Used to describe wines whose taste seems to have been created chemically. |
| Attack | The quality in a wine which makes you sit up and take notice. |
| Austere | A wine difficult to approach, with fruit not obvious. Wait for the flavour to open out in the mouth. |
| Backward | Not as developed as its age would lead you to expect. |
| Bad eggs | Presence of hydrogen sulphide, usually a result of faulty cellaring or wine-making. |
| Baked | Like stewed fruits, probably from an over-warm vintage. |
| Balance | A balanced wine has its fruitiness, acidity, alcohol and tannin (for reds) in pleasant harmony. |
| Banana | A smell usually associated with young wine, fermented at low temperatures and - in the case of reds - in an oxygen free environment. A sign of maceration carbonique. |
| Beefy | Big, hearty, meaty wine. |
| Beeswing | A skin which forms on certain old ports, leaving a characteristic residue in the glass. |
| Big | Mouth-filling, full-flavoured, possibly strongly alcoholic. |
| Biscuity | Often used to describe the bouquet of Champagne. |
| Bite | High acidity, good in young wine. |
| Blackcurrant | Found in Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir wines. |
| Blowsy | Exaggeratedly fruity, lacking bite. |
| Body | A full-bodied wine fills the mouth with flavour. |
| Bottle-sick | Newly bottled wines may take some time (sometimes months) to recover from the shock of air-contact and sulphuring at bottling. |
| Bouquet | Smell. |
| Butter | A richness of aroma and texture found in mature Chardonnay, and/or evidence of malolactic fermentation. |
| Cat's Pee | The pungent smell of Sauvignon Blanc and Muller-Thurgau. |
| Cedar | An aroma of maturing claret. |
| Chaptalised | Chaptalisation is the process of adding sugar to fermenting must to increase the alcoholic strength. If overdone a wine tastes "hot". |
| Cherry | A characteristic of Beaujolais. |
| Chocolate | For some people, a sure sign of the pinot noir grape. |
| Cigar-box | See cedar |
| Closed | Has yet to show its quality. |
| Cloudy | A sign of a faulty wine. |
| Cloying | A sickly taste, sweetness without acidity. |
| Clumsy | An unbalanced wine. |
| Coffee | Special characteristics of old, great Burgundy. |
| Complex | Having a diverse, well blended mixture of smells and flavours. |
| Cooked | A "warm", stewed fruit flavour - may suggest over warm fermentation or the use of grape concentrate. |
| Corked | A wine spoiled by a bad cork has a musty smell and flavour. |
| Crisp | Fresh, lively, with good acidity. |
| Crust | Deposit thrown by a mature port. |
| Depth | Wine with depth fills the mouth with lingering flavour. |
| Dirty | Badly made wine can taste unclean. |
| Dirty Socks | Cheesy sourness accompanying badly made white wine. |
| Dry | Having no obvious sweetness. |
| Dried out | A wine that has lost its fruit as it has aged. |
| Dumb | No apparent smell. |
| Dusty | Sometimes used to describe tannic Bordeaux - literally the dusty smell of an attic. |
| Earthy | Not as unpleasant as it sounds - an "earthy" flavour can characterise certain fine Burgundy. |
| Eggy | Carelessly handled sulphur can produce an eggy smell. |
| Elegant | Restrained, classy. |
| Eucalyptus | A flavour and smell often found in Cabernet Sauvignon. |
| Extract | The concentration of the grapes flavours in the wine. |
| Farmyard | A characteristic of Burgundian Pinot Noir. |
| Fat | Used to describe mouth filling wines, especially Chardonnay and white wines from the Rhone and Alsace. |
| Finesse | Understated, classy. |
| Finish | How a wine's flavour ends in the mouth. Can be "long" or "short" |
| Flabby | Lacking balancing acidity. |
| Flat | Short of acidity and fruit. |
| Forward | A precocious wine showing its qualities earlier than expected. |
| Generous | Big, mouth-filling, round. |
| Gooseberry | The smell of Sauvignon Blanc. |
| Grapey | Its surprising how rare this flavour is : Muscat and Riesling are often grapey; so is good Beaujolais. |
| Grassy | Green smell of young wine, especially Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. |
| Green pepper | Can be the sign of Cabernet Sauvignon. |
| Grip | Firm wine has "grip". Essential to some styles. |
| Herbaceous | Think of a cross between grass and flowers - "planty". |
| Hollow | Lacking depth and roundness. |
| Hot | Used to describe over-chaptalised, over-alcoholic wines. |
| Jammy | A jammy fruit smell often signifies red wines from hot countries. |
| Lanolin | Some white wines have an oily softness reminiscent of lanolin. |
| Legs | The visible evidence of glycerine in a wine, these are the "tears" that run down the glass's side after swirling. |
| Lemon | Young whites may display a lemony freshness. |
| Length | The time the flavour stays in the mouth. |
| Malic acid | The component of wine converted by malolactic fermentation into softer lactic acid. Smell like green apples in young white wines. |
| Meaty | A wine to get your teeth into. |
| Mellow | Soft and mature. |
| Metallic | Taste/smell arising from the use of poor equipment. |
| Mint | Often found in cabernet sauvignon. |
| Mouldy | Taste/smell arising from rotten grapes, poor wine-making or a bad cork. |
| Mouth-puckering | Young, tannic or over acidic wine has this effect. |
| Nose | The smell of a wine. |
| Nutty | Especially of Chardonnay and sherry. |
| Oaky | In moderation, pleasant, like vanilla. |
| Old socks (clean) | A promising sign of young white Burgundy, particularly Chablis. |
| Oxidised | If a table wine looks and smells of sherry, it's oxidised - a diagnosis confirmed by its colour: brown for red wines, deep yellow for whites. |
| Palate | The flavour, and what you taste it with. |
| Pear drops | Smell which is usually the mark of a very young wine. |
| Pepper | Black, not green: the sign of the Grenache or Syrah in the Rhone. |
| Petrol | A desirable aroma of mature Riesling. |
| Quaffing, quaffable | Everyday wine, usually soft, fruity and undemanding. |
| Residual Sugar | The natural grape sugar left in a wine which has not been fermented into alcohol. |
| Ripe | Grapes were fully ripe when picked. |
| Robust | Solid, full-bodied. |
| Round | Smooth and harmonious. |
| Short | Wine with a short finish. |
| Structure | Wine with a good structure has, or will have, all its elements in harmony. |
| Sulphur | The antiseptic used to protect wine from bacteria. |
| Tannin | The mouth-puckering ingredient in red wine. Softens with age. |
| Tobacco | Like cigar-box, found in oak-aged reds. |
| Vanilla | Aroma of wines matured in American oak casks. |
| Vegetal | Earthy, wet-leaf smell; cabbagey, often of big Italian red wines. |
| Violets | Floral red Burgundies and Chiantis can smell intensely of violets. |
| Volatile | In an unstable - volatile - wine, acids evaporate from the surface giving vinegary, sometimes "greasy" smells. |
| Yeast | Like newly baked bread; smell found in Champagne, Muscadet sur lie and in some nuttily rich white wines. |