Acid
| the tart,
freshness of natural fruit acids in wine, giving it a liveliness in
proper balance. |
| Amber | describes
the color in wines of dark golden hue. |
| Appleness | a
frequent characteristic of fine white wine. |
| Aroma | the
perfume of a wine deriving from the grape species determined by the
palate, contrasting with "bouquet". |
| Aromatic | the
delectable qualities from volatile essences. |
| Astringent | the
puckery taste-quality in young red wines. |
| Balanced | all
vinous elements in good harmony. |
| Big | a
compliment to a wine of robust character. |
| Bitter |
excessive tannin from stems, stalks, or seeds during crushing
for fermentation; too long in wood. |
| Body | the guts
of a wine, elements tangible to the tongue; the mouth-feel. |
| Bouquet | the
fragrance to the nose, before tasting. |
| Breed | from
grape variety, detectable after tasting. |
| Brilliant | a
wine of remarkably high clarity. |
| Bronze | the
amber hue apparent around the rim of a glass of aged red
wines. |
| Character |
the salient taste characteristics asserted. |
| Clean | a
well-made wine, well-stored, with no alien tastes. |
| Clear |
transparent, without sediment or filmy cloudiness. |
| Cloudy | a sick,
or imperfect wine containing sediment. |
| Coarse | young
wine without breed, lacking finesse. |
| Color | a clue
for the wine taster's eye. |
| Common | a simple
term for an ordinary wine. |
| Corky |
indicating an off-taste from a diseased cork. |
| Delicate | light
wine, usually white, young and fresh. |
| Distinguished |
balanced harmony of an exceptional wine. |
| Dry | without
sweetness, measurable by degrees of sugar; not "sour". |
| Earthy | some
vineyards translate their soil noticeably in the wine. |
| Elegant | a
flattering term for a truly fine wine. |
| Fine | as opposed
to "beverage" wine "pour la soif" (for thirst). |
| Flat | lacking
acidity, insipid; in champagne, without effervescence. |
| Flinty | often
used to describe Chablis, dry, clean, sharp. |
| Flowery | appeal
to the nose. |
| Foxiness | a
deplorable characteristic of some native eastern American grape
species, approximating animal-den odor. |
| Fragrant | the
opulent address of bouquet. |
| Fresh | meaning
young and lively and clean. |
| Fruity | the
generous flavor of young wines. |
| Full | a
full-bodied wine's alcoholicity and viscosity. |
| Great | only a
few wines, of a few vintages qualify as "great". |
| Green |
disagreeable acidity. |
| Heavy | a wine
that is full-bodied, but lacking finesse. |
| Light | less than
14% alcohol by volume. |
| MaderisÉ |
past its prime with an acquired brownish color. |
| Mellow | softness
from proper age. |
| Mild | lacking in
character. |
| Moldy | an
unpleasant taste extracted by wine from fungus on grapes, or from musty
casks. |
| Noble |
showing, by aroma, its aristocratic grape variety
origins. |
| Nose |
refers merely to the qualities of bouquet and
aroma. |
| Nutty |
a term frequently used to describe the unique taste of
Sherry; a "fino" or Amontillado is said to have "green walnut"
taste. |
| Ordinary |
a term for common table wine. |
| Perfume | lyric
description of a wine's bouquet. |
| Petillant | a
wine that is slightly sparkling. |
| Piquant | a young
wine of certain captivating bouquet, taste. |
| Powerful |
expanded bouquet and balanced vinous character. |
| Premium | prized
above more common wines. |
| Principal | an
important wine of premium stature. |
| Ripe | at the
peak of perfection in its life cycle. |
| Robust | a more
flattering term than coarse. |
| Rounded | with
all vinous elements well-balanced. |
| Ruby | resembling
in color the brilliantly clear red jewell. |
| Rough |
insufficient age. |
| Silky | the
satin-smoothness of some dessert wines. |
| Small |
unpretentious wines of humble origin. |
| Smooth | without
harshness. |
| Soft | a loose
term suggesting low acidity. |
| Sound | a
well-made wine with no defects. |
| Spicy | arising
from grape variety as part of aroma. |
| Stemmy | an
excess of tannin from skins, stalks, seeds. |
| Sturdy | a wine
that indicates it can stand aging. |
| Sweet | the
detectable amount of residual grape sugar. |
| Tart | possible
too high in total acidity, green, fresh. |
| Thin | deficient
in alcohol or body, watery. |
| Velvety | the
soft mouth-feel of an excellent wine. |
| Weeper | a wine
leaking from its cork or capsule. |
| Woody | from
over-long storage in oak. |
| Yeasty | young
wine, still in barrel, tasting of its yeasts. |
| Young | a
comparative comment. A four-year-old Bordeaux is still young, as is a
six-year-old Port or Maderia, while Rhine wines are often best less
than two years old. |