In light of the approaching festive season of wining and dining, we’ve put together eight wine terms to have you sounding like a pro—or at the very least, sound like you know your stuff. You can thank us later.
#1 B O U Q U E T
Definition: The composition of flavors that is identified by aromas; divided into primary (fruit-based) and secondary (more developed) aromas.
How to use it: The bouquet is full of fruit.
#2 T A N N I N S
Definition: The texture of how the wine feels; how smooth or aggressive the wine feels.
How to use it: This wine has smooth tannins.
What it means: The wine has a smooth mouthfeel.
#3 V I S C O S I T Y
Definition: The extent to which a wine resists movement; the more resistance, the higher the viscosity, and vice versa.
How to use it: The viscosity of the wine is high.
What it means: The wine is full bodied.
#4 A C I D I T Y
Definition: The freshness of a wine judged by its sourness; the more sour a wine, the higher its acidity (and freshness).
How to use it: This wine has high acidity.
What it means: This wine is quite fresh.
#5 B O D Y
Definition: The weight of the wine linked to its alcohol percentage.
How to use it: This wine is full bodied.
What it means: This wine is dense and has a higher percentage of alcohol.
#6 S A L I N I T Y
Definition: The degree of saltiness of a wine; the saltier a wine, the higher its salinity, and vice versa.
How to use it: The wine has high salinity.
What it means: The wine is made of grapes that grow on ground with high mineral content.
#7 R E S I D U A L S U G A R
Definition: The amount of remaining sugar in a wine after fermentation, judged by its sweetness.
How to use it: There is high residual sugar in the wine.
What it means: The wine is sweet.
#8 F I N I S H
Definition: The duration that the flavors of a wine remain on the palate after tasting.
How to use it: This wine has a short finish.
What it means: The flavors of the wine dissipates quickly after tasting, and does not linger on the palate.
About the writer:
Mandy Lynn is a former I-S Magazine writer and current columnist at Nookmag; her dining and nightlife features are published in Men’s Folio, Singapore Tatler Dining and The Drinks Business, amongst others. For bite-sized food recommendations, follow her on Instagram and Facebook, or join her Gourmet Adventures to keep up with the latest dining and nightlife news.
Errrr, sorry but effectively half the explanation of the terms here are wrong. For e.g, an old wine of say vintage 1982 can still be high in acidity when you taste it today.. so to equate high acidity to “freshness” is wrong. Also no one really talks about ‘viscosity’ when tasting wine. I sure wouldn’t wanna be caught dead saying “hmmm, the viscosity of this wine is high.” when trying to describe a wine as full bodied!
I need to pile in here with my two cents to add to Amber’s post above.
High residual sugar doesn’t necessarily mean the wine is sweet. Sweetness is a perception on the palate, and if the wine is very fresh, oops, I mean has very high acidity, then it would not taste sweet at all, regardless of how much residual sugar it had.
If any reader really aspires to sound like a wine pro, there are far more reliable and knowledgeable guides around than this cobbled-together hash of mishmash and half-truths.
Hear hear.
I have never read a more misleading, simplistic and half-hearted attempt at writing about wine.
Incredible.