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Full-Bodied Glossary of Wine Terms
Wine is enjoyed by people all over the world from the casual drinker to wine sommeliers. There is nothing quite like enjoying a glass of wine while relaxing around the house and watching a little television. Some decide to have a little wine while at a lounge, wine bar or elegant restaurant. You may be familiar with the different types of wine brands, but what about the terminology? Wine is a type of alcoholic beverage made from many different types of grapes, skins and seeds. This source will provide you with a list of wine terms and their meanings.
Acetic a type of acid in wine related to vinegar that could ruin the taste of the wine. A very small amount, usually 0.03% to 0.06% is used to lift a wine's flavor and taste.
Acid(ity) component in wine that gives wine its distinctive color, balance and taste. It also protects the wine from bacteria. Acidity refers to the amount of acids present in the wine.
Angular wines that are too acidic. These types of wines are short of depth, generosity and roundness.
Aroma term used for the smell of wine. It originated from younger wines and its grape varieties.
Astringent a dry and harsh wine containing a great deal amount of acidity. Usually referring to red wines but applies to some white wines as well.
Attack one's mouth's sensations and very first taste produced from the wine.
Attractive An easier to drink wine. It has a fresh and lighter style.
Austere wines without a lot of fruit that shows a crisp acidity. This type of wine is usually hard and dry and lacks fruit.
Backbone the sense of alcohol and tannins present in wine with sufficient acidity.
Balance the interactions between a wine's two or more constituents mainly relating to the affects of acidity and sugar.
Big wine made from completely ripe grapes, with extremely rich flavors and taste and a great deal of fruit and alcohol levels up to 15% or more.
Body the amount of alcohol the wine contains which is either referred to as a light-bodied wine or full-bodied wine.
Botrytis a grey fungus affecting wine grapes that grows on the skin of the grape due to dehydration.
Bouquet the complex aromas that come around when a wine ages and matures in the bottle.
Brawny a wine considered to be full-bodied or wine with a higher alcohol content.
Breed term used to describe a wine's origins, based on its qualities and structure and the components the wine is made of.
Briary a wine containing an aggressive or peppery taste.
Brilliant the color of wine which is normally clear with no cloudiness or haze in its color.
Brix the measurement of sugar in grapes or wine measured by a hydrometer.
Browning term used to describe a wine's color and aging. In red wines, their color changes as it ages from a ruby color to a brown edge.
Cloying wine that has excessive sugar, but lacks acidity and is a little out of balance.
Complex wine that has and combines all taste and flavor components giving it depth, intensity, and balance.
Creamy wine that is related to having a silky and buttery taste.
Crisp wines that are clean and tart and higher in acid, generally describes a white wine.
Decanting process used with a decanter and wine where wine is poured into the decanter permitting the wine to come in contact with oxygen, giving it its aroma and chance to breathe.
Delicate A wine with a light flavor and aroma. This term usually refers to white wines.
Depth wine that shows outstanding aromas and flavors. It refers to how deeply composed the elements are in the wine.
Dumb An aged wine that has lost its fruitful taste, but has gained a bouquet style of wine. This type of wine is not showing up to its standards.
Elegant wine that is stylish, well balanced, and light-bodied. Usually, most white wines are considered when referring to this term.
Filtered method used to get rid of dead yeast cells in wine. This process is done before bottling the wine.
Firm wine that is neither soft, or harsh, but has a distinct balance, structure or flavor.
Floral wine that either smells or tastes like flowers or meadows.
Grassy usually referring to white wines with a grass-like taste or greens.
Harsh a hard and rough wine with high alcoholic components that has a taste referred to as rustic. This wine has extremely high acidity.
Hazy unfiltered types of wines. These types of wines have small particles that are visible to see. Also, this wine appears less brilliant, than wines that are brilliant.
Hearty a wine that is full-bodied with a volume of high alcohol.
Hollow a wine that is lacking on depth. This type of wine lacks texture and flavor in attack.
Hot wine that is high in alcohol that creates a burning feeling on the soft tissue on the back of the upper part of the mouth.
Legs liquid forms of the wine that runs down the inside of a glass or bowl in which the wine is located.
Lush wines that contain high residual sugars that are soft, richly concentrated and fat. This type of wine can never be a hard wine.
Matchstick wine that smells like rotten eggs because it has too much sulfur in it due to being improperly stored or too much sulfur dioxide was put in the wine during the stages of the bottling process.
Meaty wine that is full-bodied containing fleshy fruit, that's chewable and has a firm structure.
Musty a wine that has a moldy aroma resulting from improper wine-making.
Nose term used to describe how wine smells and the bouquet of a wine.
Peppery a wine that tastes and smells like black peppers and have a sharper taste than spicy.
Perfumed wine that has a delicate taste or aroma related to a floral or fruity fragrance.
Powerful the strength and intensity level of a wine. This type of wine has a high level of alcohol.
Puckery tasting term in wine referring to hard, dry and harsh components in the wine.
Residual Sugar term used for the amount of sugar still left in wine after fermentation. This type of sugar is required in some wines to give it a sweet unique taste.
Rustic wine that has is dry and has acidity that gives no sort of pleasure. These types of wines are hard and rough.
Sharp wine that is both unbalanced and strong with an extreme amount of acid taste.
Spritzy wine that gives a nice, small, light sparking feeling on the back of the upper part of the mouth due to carbon dioxide being present in the wine.
Structure the acidity and tannin levels in a particular wine. This term refers to the complete body of the wine itself.
Tannin harsh, rough substance found in the stem and seeds of grapes. This type of source is used to make wine last longer and age reasonably.
Tart wine with a high level of acidity.
Toasty wine that tastes or smells like toast because it came in touch with charred oak barrel.
Underipe grapes that never reach maturity on their vine but were still used during the process when grapes are transformed from juice into wine.
Vegetal wine that has a distinctive taste or aroma such as green vegetables or plants.
Watery wine that is thin and lacks texture such as fruit, acidity and alcohol.
Woody wine that begins to taste and smell like oak wood due to over-aging.