Acidity; All wines contain some level of acid. The acid level needs to be in a proper balance with the other components and fruits in the wine so that you should be able to taste the crispiness and liveliness of the wine. This acidity is also vital in the aging process of the wine.
Aftertaste; This is the impression of flavor that you will get once you have swallowed the wine. It is also called the “finish” of a wine.
Aroma; The smell of wines, especially that of young wines.
Aromatic; This is a term that this used for wines that have a distinct aroma, especially those with herbs and spices in them.
Astringent; This term is used when the tannin level in the wine dries out the mouth.
Austere; A somewhat hard tasting wine, where the character and fruitiness have been restrained.
Big; A full bodied powerful in aroma wine.
Bitter; This is usually considered as a fault bit it is also a characteristic of certain Italian wines.
Body; The weight and texture that is found in wines. You can describe a wine as light bodied or full bodied.
Bouquet; The intermingling of aromas that fine aged wines produce.
Breed; This is the term that is referred to as the bloodlines of the wine grapes. It is also used when noting the soil, the grapes and the techniques that are used to produce a good quality wine.
Chewy; This term is used to describe wines that have an unusual thick texture to the wine. It feels like you need to chew the wine before you swallow it.
Clean; Fresh wines that seem to have no defects. This term also refers to the aroma, appearance and flavor of the wines.
Complete; A mature wine that has a satisfying feel and a great aftertaste on the palette.
Complex; This is where you will find a combination of flavors and aroma elements in various types of wines.
Corked, corky; The wines smell like cork rather than wine. This is because it was bottled in correctly.
Deep; A wine that has many layers of taste that slowly reveals itself.
Delicate; A light fragrance, body and flavor in the wine.
Distinctive; An elegant and refined character in the wine that sets it apart.
Dry; There is a little amount of sugar in the wine.
Earthy; You can detect this in certain wines. The smell and flavor is bit like the earth or soil.
Elegant; A refined charactered wine. This is usually to describe a stylish and quality wine.
Extra dry; You can find this term on champagne bottles as they describe the wine.
Fat; A wine that is full of flavor and body.
Fine; A distinguished wine.
Flat; A wine that is lacking in liveliness. Also a wine with an insufficient amount of acid.
Flavor; Describing how the wine tastes.
Full; Describes a wine that has a rich body
Green; A tart wine that is made from unripe grapes. Also has a lack of fruit flavoring.
Grip; Firmness of structure and flavor.
Hard; Stiff and undeveloped.
Heady; High in alcohol and very full bodied.
Herbaceous; Aromas that are reminiscent of fresh grass or hay. It can also be a characteristic of some wines like Cabernets.
Honeyed; You will find a taste or smell that is like honey.
Intricate; The interweaving of subtle flavors and aromas within a wine.
Legs; The rivulets of wine that you see running down the sides of the glass after swirling or sipping the wine.
Length; The lingering aftertaste that you get from a wine.
Light; This refers to wines that are light in alcohol, weight and texture. The feeling that you get in the mouth when you drink the wine is also described as light.
Lively; A fresh wine that has vitality and crispness.
Mature; A fully developed, ready to drink wine.
Meaty; This is a wine that is firm in structure with a chewy, fruity taste.
Mellow; A smooth, soft wine that has no harsh characteristics.
Noble; Wines that have a great balance and a harmonious expression. The wines that are made from these types of grapes are considered as the finest wines in the world. You can find Merlot and Cabernet among this lot.
Nose; The smell that comes from the wine. You can get “good nose” or a “bad nose”. A term used to detect faults in the wine.
Nutty; A nutlike aroma that develops in some wines.
Oak, oaky; This is the flavor and aroma that comes from aging the wine in oak casks or barrels. The taste is a mixture of vanilla, spices, smokiness and cloves.
Open; You can get the full character from the wine.
Oxidized; Flat, stale wines. Wines that have a sherry like and flavor and aroma. The state where wines becomes spoiled due to exposure to air.
Petillant; A light sparkle that can be seen in the wines.
Rich; A full, opulent wine with good body and aroma.
Ripe; Mature, fully ripe fruit.
Robust; A powerful, full bodied and heady wine.
Sharp; Biting or acidic.
Smoky; The aroma and flavor that a wine can get from being aged in an oak barrel or casket.
Sparkling; This is used where there are bubbles that are detectedable in the wine.
Spicy; A wine that has the characteristics of spices like cloves, mint, pepper and cinnamon.
Structure; The way that a wine in made with regard to its proportions and composition.
Supple; A wine that is yielding in flavor and is ready to drink.
Sweet; This usually indicates the presence of grape sugar that have not been completely converted to alcohol.
Tannin; This is a natural substance that is found in the skins, stems and seeds of certain grapes. This substance is also a major component in the structure of red wines.
Tart; A sharp wine that is acceptable to drink if it is not acidic.
Thin; Lacking in body and flavor.
Tired; Where a wine is past its peak flavor development. Old.
Vanilla; You will get this scent from the aging process of oak caskets.
Velvety; Smooth and very rich in texture.
Vigorous; A wine with a firm, strong body and flavor and a lively fruitiness.
Vinegary; Having the smell of vinegar.
Watery; Thin and lacking in any flavor.
Weedy; You will get the flavors and aromas of grass or hay. This scent becomes unpleasant only in excessive amounts.
Weighty; Forceful, strong, full bodied and powerful – terms to describe wines.
Woody; The aroma that comes when wine has been over aged in barrels or casks.
Yeasty; A bread smell that can be sometimes found in wines that have gone through a secondary fermentation process like champagne. Can be appealing if it is not excessive.
Young; Simple fine wines that have yet to become mature. Still undeveloped.
Rylee
Language
The language of wine gives us wine drinkers the image of sophistication. Often those who do not drink wine are not familiar with wine terminology like tannin, body, acidity, oak, fruitiness, legs and aromas. Wine lovers often debate the different types of wine, the right or wrong way to serve it, whether to decant or not and the flavors and aromas detected in it. They also discuss where wines are from, good years versus bad ones and so much more. It definitely can lead non-wine drinkers to think that we are more sophisticated than the norm. It can also make people think we’re a little pompous!
Reputation
Wine is, by and large, the drink of choice for many special events and for celebrations. Therefore people have come to associate it with people enjoying themselves. When you add wine to just about any occasion, suddenly things are more joyous and people feel like it is a special event. Wine’s reputation makes it sound like a sophisticated choice to drink, unless of course it comes in a box!
Rules
Now most wine drinkers know that there are no hard and fast rules for enjoying wine. However, wine has the reputation of having rules about what temperature to serve it at or what wines go with what foods. Yet in reality, it is all about your taste. Some people serve their red wines chilled or even with an ice cube in it because they simply cannot palate room temperature wine. Others simply enjoy their favorite wine with whatever meal they prepare, regardless of pairing suggestions. It is all about what you like.
Discovery
One of the things that adds to the mystery and sophistication of wine is that there is always something new to try and learn about. There are new wines, different vintages and wines from different regions or different producers to explore. The variety of wine is endless. For many people who enjoy wine immensely, life can be all about discovering new favorites, visiting wineries, making wine at home or learning about wine.
It is a complex subject. For anyone who wants to learn more about wine, there is much written about it. There are books, magazines, web sites and more. Although one of the best ways to explore new wines and learn about them is through wine tasting. Whether you do a wine tasting at home or go to an event, trying it yourself and talking with other wine lovers is the best way to make wine discoveries.
Wine is a sophisticated drink. It is very complex, but can nonetheless be enjoyed by anyone. Whether you have the desire to understand it or not, wine is a wonderful way to relax, enjoy a meal or just liven up a get-together.
Beatriz
1.Wine Bottle: If you are looking for a good wine gift, then it would be wise to go for a bottle of wine. A wine bottle would make the recipient quite happy and would also make an elegant statement. You can always go for Magnum, Imperial or Solomon types of wine bottles. The wine bottle would portray an elegant look if it’s in Burgundy, Mosel and Alsace colors.
2.Wine Basket:: Another perfect wine gift would be a Wine Gift Basket. This makes an excellent wine gift for parties or any other occasion. A wine basket is usually comprised of a couple bottles of wine with matching appetizers, chocolates with various spreads with chardonnay and cheese. You can always liquor shop and get an idea on how to make your wine basket into a perfect wine gift. A wine basket is always considered the best wine gifts of all. You can also gift it to a person who doesn’t drink at all. With a wine gift basket, you can never be embarrassed because even if the recipient is a teetotaler, the chocolates and the goodies beside the wine would be more than enough to bring a big smile on his face. However, it’s very crucial to be aware of the ingredients that would make the best wine gift basket. A good standard wine basket would consist of one or two bottles of wine, chocolates, spreads and meat. However, to make your wine gift basket look more sumptuous you should also add several other food products like smoked salmon, roasted nuts, bonbons and more.
3.Wine Accessories: Another great gift that would surely impress a wine enthusiast would be wine accessories. These accessories include corkscrews, lever model screwpulls, pocket and table model screwpulls. Champagne coolers, buckets and wine chillers. These wine accessories can also be added in a wine gift basket.
4.Wine Glasses: Taste of a good wine is always supplemented by the wine glass that you use. So in the spirit of wine tasting, it would be a great idea to gift a wine enthusiast with a set of gorgeous wine glasses. There are different types of glasses that can be gifted for different sorts of wines. If your host is serving red wine, or if your are presenting him with a red wine then, you should always go for Red Wine glasses. These glasses can be recognized by round wide bowl. In case of a white wine, White Wine glasses are the ideal choice. These glasses are recognized by their narrow and tulip-shaped sides. Finally, if you have chosen to gift champagne, then the best way to present a bottle of an exquisite champagne is with Champagne glasses. Also known as champagne flutes they are quite easily recognizable with their tall stems and narrow bowl on top.
With these wonderful wine gifts, you are surely going to be the life of the party and the recipient will remember you for a long time to come.
Calista
Sparkling rose wine is especially very famous as it is one of the few wines that taste really good with the sparkle rather than without it. As is obvious, rose wines are red wines. These wines taste real good and have an aroma. After carbon dioxide is added during bottling, sparkling rose wine is ready and once opened, the contents will fizz out. Generally, carbon dioxide is filled up to a pressure of 2 to 3 atmospheres in these bottles and one must be careful not to subject the bottle of vigorous vibrations, or the contents can splash out. Champagne is a sparkling wine and is used as a celebration drink; it is always “shaken well before use” so that the contents fizz out and mark the celebration mood.
Sparkling rose wine is produced in a number of places including France, Italy and the U.S. The sales of sparkling rose wine are high as compared to other luxury wines and this product is a “hit” in the online wine sales market. Sparkling rose wine is available as a sparkling wine or a semi-sparkling wine, the difference between the two being the level of carbon dioxide in the bottle. Sparkling rose wine has a carbon dioxide pressure of over 2.5 atmospheres in the bottled condition whereas semi-sparkling rose wine has a carbon dioxide pressure of 1 to 2.5 atmospheres.
Sparkling rose wine is one of the stars of the rose wine family. Rose wines are known for their mild colour which can be anything between pale orange to a deep shade of pink. Apart from the colour, there is no connection of rose wines with the flower ‘rose’ that we all know. Rose wines have all the health benefits of red wines. Sparkling rose wine is thus not only good to taste for enjoyment but also healthy. As is always said about wines, moderation is the key to taking complete advantage of all the health benefits they have to offer, sparkling rose wine should also be consumed in moderate quantities, not exceeding 2-3 glasses a day. Regular, moderate consumption has good health benefits and hence, is highly recommended for everyone.
Devin