Glossary of Wine Tasting Terms

Aftertaste
The flavour that remains after you swallow. Surprisingly, this may differ significantly from the taste while the wine is in your mouth. The persistence of the aftertaste - the length - may be used as an indicator of the quality of the wine.

Aggressive
Describes a wine that has an unpleasantly harsh taste or texture, usually due to high levels of tannin or acid.

Anise
Faint liquorice element.

Appearance
Refers to a wine's clarity, not colour. Common descriptors refer to the reflective quality of the wine; brilliant, clear, dull or cloudy for those wines with visible suspended particulates.

Apple
Pleasant apple-fruit aroma, particularly characteristic of Chardonnays made without excessive oak.

Apricot
Apricot flavours are often noted in sweet white wines, particularly if affected by botrytis.

Aroma
The smell of a wine is part of the tasting experience, because smell and taste are closely related. It is interchangable with bouquet.

Astringent
Describes wines which leave a coarse, rough, furry or drying sensation in the mouth. Astringency is usually attributed to high tannin levels found in some red wines (and a few whites). High tannin levels are frequently found in Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. A wine's astringent quality often diminishes as the wine ages.

Attack
A technical term for the first impression the wine makes as it reaches your palate, distinguished (in time sequence) from 'middle' or 'mid-palate' and 'finish' or 'aftertaste.'

Austere
Tasting term for relatively hard, high-acid wines that lack depth, roundness, richness and body. Can also describe young wines that need time to soften. Some very good wines - French Chablis and Italian Gavi - may be described as austere.

Backbone
Describes the structure of a wine, referring to balanced acidity, alcohol and, in red wines, tannin. Wines lacking structure are thin or flabby.

Backward
Wines described as backward are undeveloped and not ready to drink. They are often young and tannic, and may also be described as austere. The opposite of forward.

Balance
A tasting term. Wines said to have balance have a harmonious combination of tannin, acidity, texture and flavour. A wine may show many good characteristics, but it will not be complete unless it is balanced.

Barnyard
'Earthy,' 'organic' character reminiscent of country lanes. Expected in red Burgundies, and in proportion, considered desirable.

Beaujolais-like
Resembling Beaujolais - Light, fruity and fresh, a wine more for quaffing than contemplation.

Big
A broad, general term for a full-bodied, strong, assertive, robust and flavourful wine. Some people like wines big, others prefer them delicate. Such wines are also said to be chewy.

Bitter
Not common in wines but found occasionally - particularly in the aftertaste, and usually in subtle, refreshing form - in some Italian wines and Alsatian whites. If the bi...

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