When people start talking about wine, there are all sorts of wine terms get thrown around – Tannic! Acidic! Bold! As we started doing research for this episode, we realized that there was no way we could cover every single winey word that you would need to know, so we picked our tops in the hopes that they would give you a good foundation.
We started with what we called the BIG THREE:
Acidity: the fresh, tart, or sour taste that comes from natural fruit acids in the wine
Dry: the opposite of sweet , a taste sensation that is often attributed to tannins and can cause your mouth to pucker a bit
Tannins: Textural elements (from skins, seeds, and wood) that cause a bitter, dry, and puckery mouthfeel
Then we got into some other really important terms we thought you should know:
Varietal: type of grape
Body/Structure: How heavy or full wine feels in the mouth
Earthy: A smell or taste related to the earth – think soil, forest, mushrooms
Finish: Basically, the aftertaste
Vintage: Year the grapes were grown and harvested
Nose/bouquet: nose is the singular smell, bouquet indicates it has secondary smells other than primary fruits
Blend: combination of different varietals
Vinotype: basically your wine preference by combining your own personal sensory sensitivities with your culture, tradition, and life experiences
Unsophisticated Tip:
You don’t have to use these terms to enjoy wine!
Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!
Photo by Rafael Barquero on Unsplash
“Wine makes all things possible.”
― George R.R. Martin, The Mystery Knight
The Unsophisticated Palate 