Even if you’ve found a wine that you really love, it might be hard to describe exactly what you like about it. Over the thousands of years wine has existed, a specific wine terminology has developed that lets you translate what just happened in your mouth (and nose) into words other people can understand. For every wine, there are four general categories of sensation to describe:
- Structure
- Aromatics
- Texture
- Overall experience
Structure
Structure is an umbrella term that covers a wine’s sweetness, acidity, tannins, and alcohol. The best wines balance the four components in a delicate interplay.
1. Sweetness
Wines run the gamut from sweet to dry (i.e., not sweet). Off-dry wines are semi-sweet, somewhere between the two extremes.
2. Acidity
Though all wines contain acid, it’s generally more important in white wines than red wines because red wines also contain tannins. Acidity is often called the backbone of white wine, because it gives the wine firmness. A wine with high acidity is described as tart or crisp, while a wine with less acidity is called soft. A wine with too little acidity is flabby.
3. Tannins
As acid is to white wines, tannins are to red wines. Tannins are molecules that exist naturally in grape skins, stems, and seeds; they give red wine its trademark puckering sensation in the hollow between your cheeks and gums. Red wines high in tannins are called astringent, while those slightly less so are called hard or firm. Red wines low in tannins are called soft.
4. Body
The alcohol content of a wine affects its body—its “weight” in your mouth. In general, the higher the alcohol content, the more full its body. A wine can be full-bodied, medium-bodied, or light-bodied. A full-bodied wine has the consistency of whole milk, while a light-bodied wine feels more like skim.
Aromatics
The aromatics of a wine are the complex and often multi-layered “flavors” that you smell through the nasal cavity at the back of your mouth. These flavors have been categorized into a number of families—burnt, earthy, floral, fruity, herbal, spicy, woody, and so on. A wine’s aromatics can be described more specifically—for example, as having an undertone of cinnamon, grass, rosemary, or strawberry.
Some serious wine enthusiasts are trying to develop a universal standard of wine aromas and actually keep various flavors (such as drops of vanilla extract or strawberry jam) close at hand to help them describe more precisely the wine they’re tasting. For now, no universally accepted standard for describing wine exists, which means you’re free to describe a wine’s aroma with whatever descriptive terms spring to mind. No matter how creative you are, it would be tough to outdo some of the wild wine aroma descriptors already out there: “horsey,” “manure,” “asparagus,” and “stewed,” for instance.
Texture
A wine’s texture is sometimes called its mouth-feel—the tactile sensations you get in your mouth while drinking it. The Australian Wine Research Institute has come up with eleven different families of texture that can help you describe the wines you taste:
- Particulate: Talc, wet clay, powder, plaster, dusty, grainy, chalky, sawdust
- Surface smoothness: Furry, fine emery, velvet, suede, silk, chamois, satin
- Complex: Soft, supple, fleshy, mouth-coat, rich
- Drying: Numbing, parching, dry
- Dynamic: Pucker, chewy, grippy, adhesive
- Harsh: Hard, aggressive, abrasive
- Unripe: Resinous, sappy, green
- Weight: Watery, thin, full, viscous
- Texture: Syrupy, creamy
- Heat: Hot, warm
- Irritation: Chili, pepper, tingle, prickle, spritz
Overall Experience
There are a number of different terms and concepts that wine lovers use to describe the overall experience of drinking a wine. These terms allow them to describe how the structure, flavor, and texture of a wine work together.
Complexity
The structure, aromas, and texture of a wine often change, grow, or deepen in the time that it takes to swallow a mouthful. In a complex wine, the various components are multi-layered, with new flavors and textures becoming more or less prominent over time. A straightforward wine contains fewer flavors and changes less over time. Complex isn’t “better” than straightforward or vice versa — all that matters is your personal preference. Do YOU like it?
Length
Length is a mark of quality and craftsmanship in a wine. Short wines provide an initial burst of flavor but then die as they’re swallowed. Long wines have a lingering, cleansing aftertaste, called a finish.
Depth
The depth of a wine refers to the intensity and dimension of its flavor. Both complex and straightforward wines can have depth as long as the flavor is resonant and strong.
Typicity
An individual wine may be “typical” within its family or more of an outlier. For instance, a Pinot Noir that shares the basic characteristics of the family of Pinot Noirs is said to have typicity. There’s actually a raging debate in wine circles about typicity: many winemakers claim that the current emphasis on typicity hurts craftsmanship by promoting conformity.
How to Identify Bad Wine
Wine can go bad for many reasons. Here are some of the most common signs that a wine has gone bad:
- The cork is shriveled or wet, thus the seal isn’t maintained
- Smells sulfurous (like rotten eggs)
- Smells like acetone (nail polish thinner)
- Smells like cardboard
- Tastes flat, dusty, stale, rotten, or vinegary
Your own nose is your best indicator that a wine has gone bad. Never drink a wine that smells bad.
Wine was meant to be enjoyed. Go enjoy your wine.
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