Wine Terms to Know
Getting to know wine is endless, there’s always something to learn which is what makes wine so exciting! There’s so much more than what the eye sees in a wine glass but knowing a little more about wine helps you to understand what a good wine is, but more importantly what wines you love, and why you love them.
The world of wine can appear to be complex, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve designed this curated wine guide, so you understand some of the basics of wine and to get you on your way understanding a little more about wine. There are many other terms we could have included here, but we will keep these for future articles!
By understanding key elements and characteristics of wine, you’ll be able to mindfully notice these while tasting and perfect your wine tasting ability.
Let’s get to it!
Alcohol: Alcohol is the by-product of the fermentation process, and a big component contributing to the balance of a wine. A bottle of wine will generally be between 10% - 15% ABV, sometimes going up to 22% for fortified wines. Higher alcohol wines will give you a ‘warm’ sensation towards the back of your throat.
Acidity: All wines will have a degree of acid in them, acidy makes a wine crisp and fresh on the palate, whereas a wine with low acidity will feel slightly smoother and rounder. As grapes grow through the season, they start with high levels of acid and as they ripen, acid reduces, and sugar levels increase.
Body: The body of a wine is referring to the weight of it in your mouth. A really great example to demonstrate this, is if you take a small mouthful of full cream milk. Take note of the mouthfeel and the weight of it. Then take a sip of skim milk and make the same assessment! Wine is very similar; a quick example might be a Pinot Noir compared to a Cabernet Sauvignon. Both varying weights to the wine.
Sweetness: Sometimes people can confuse the sweetness of a wine with its fruity-ness. Sweetness in wine generally is the natural sugars leftover in the grape juice. Usually called the Residual Sugar, this is a measurement of how much natural sugar is remaining in the wine after fermentation has completed. Wines which have had all the sugar fermented are referred to as dry wines.
Tannin: A natural component of grapes. It is the presence of Phenolic compounds in the wine that contribute to its bitterness. Technical aside, tannin is found in the seeds and skin of a grape as well as the stem of a grapevine. Grapes with thicker skins will have higher levels of tannin. Due to the making process, red wines generally have tannins evident, unless you have white wine fermented with skin contact. Tannin is the ‘drying out’ sensation, similar to when you place a wet tea bag on your tongue, watch what it does to your mouth – that’s the tannin!
Structure: This is really the relationship between the components of a wine, eg tannin, alcohol, acidity and how they work together in the wine. For instance, you wouldn’t want a wine that is high in alcohol, so much so that it takes over other elements of the wine. There needs to be a balance between these elements and if you add in the relationship of these with flavours and aromatics of the wine, you will find this is an evaluation whether a wine is ‘balanced’.
‘Wine legs’: We’ve probably all heard someone say, ‘look at the legs on this wine!’, but what does this even mean and why does it differ across wines? When you swirl your glass, you will notice little droplets that will run down the inside bowl surface area. More legs, or thicker legs, can indicate that a wine is higher in alcohol and/or high in sugar content. As the wine is swirled, the legs are caused by the alcohol evaporating and only the wine/water/sugar remaining on the sides.
Finish: The finish of a wine is very important when it comes to wine tasting and wine evaluation. Wine associations who rate wines often use the finish and last flavours to make their assessment as it is an indicator of quality. Essentially the finish is how long the wines taste remains on the palate after a wine is swallowed. If you have a wine that you can still taste on your palate around 20-30 seconds after, that would be considered a long finish!
Old World vs New World: A wine term to know that relates to the history of wine. To put in simplest terms, think of the Old World as where the modern winemaking techniques originated, predominately through Europe. When we look at ‘New World’ wines, they are places where wine making techniques may have been adopted and younger countries making wine, examples include Australia, America, New Zealand and South Africa. Old World wine characteristics are usually lighter bodied, lower alcohol, less fruity with more mineral and earthy flavours. New World characteristics are fuller bodied, higher in alcohol with fruit forward flavours which can sometimes be ‘jam’ like.
Veraison: This occurs through the grape growing season. The term refers to the process of the grapes ripening, or more specifically, ripening from berries to grapes. At this stage the grapes change in colour. For example, for red grapes, they turn from green to a purple colour.
Terroir: The term means ‘land’ in French and refers to the complete environment a wine comes from that gives a wine its characteristics. It is definitely an underused term. It incorporates the soil, climate, microclimates and geography where grapes are grown that contribute to the way wines taste. For example, if you were to try a Cabernet Sauvignon from France versus the Napa Valley, you will find the two will be distinctively different in flavour. The Old World, particularly France, places terroir at the heart of their wine making and the purpose for their wines.
Fermentation: A straight forward here but obviously one to know. Wine is really just fermented grape juice! Grapes are for the most part, filled with water. They contain acid and as they ripen, the acid levels decrease, and sugar levels increase. At an optimal level determined by the wine maker the wines are picked. Fermentation is commenced either by the natural occurring yeast on the grape or by adding cultural yeast to kick off the process. The yeast eats the sugar, and the by product is carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Malolactic Fermentation: These is a little more of a wine fact, nonetheless good to know for when you’re tasting a lot of wines. This secondary fermentation some wines go through essentially converts tart malic acid found in wines to lactic acid. This is process driven technique that wine makers adopt and through converting malic acid to lactic acid provides a smooth, ‘buttery’ mouthfeel. Most red wines go through this process and some white wines, such as Chardonnay.
Wild Fermented: You might see this term on wines when you purchase them. All grapes naturally occurring yeast on them. A wine maker may choose to ferment the grapes with these natural yeasts and to not add any cultural yeasts. The difference in flavour is definitely noticeable and very enjoyable, however wild yeast can be quite unpredictable during the fermentation process which leaves the wine maker with less control over the end result, so majority of the time cultural yeast is used.
Barrel fermented: Another wine making technique where the winemaker may choose to ferment a wine directly in an oak barrel, not typical for white wines, perhaps the occasional Chardonnay but for the most part red wines may go through this process. By fermenting wines in oak, they become more rounder, smoother and develop vanilla and oak flavours. As Oak is a natural product with tannins found in it, so these tannins and the flavours will impart onto the wine.
Corked: this doesn’t mean the cork has fallen into the wine, but it is a term used to describe a wine fault, with the wine having suffered cork taint. Generally, you will get an aroma of cardboard, wet dog or mould – not all that pleasant!
Complexity: A complex wine has different flavours that evolve on the palate, they are layered and complex usually due to high quality grapes. You will find different flavours will introduce themselves in your mouth right towards the finish of a wine.
So there we have it! A few wine terms to get you on your way to becoming a master taster of wine. After all, it’s about knowing what you love and why you love a certain wine, so these wine terms will get you on your way to discovering exactly this.
Cheers,
Curated Drops
