If you’ve never been to a wine tasting, or have only been to one or two events, there is no question that there are a ton of terms that you are unfamiliar with. In order to effectively communicate within a group at a wine tasting, you should have a basic understanding of the common terminology. Some of these terms may have heard before, others may not ring a bell at all, but keep your mind open as you review the basic wine tasting terminology..

* Acidity- Helps preserve wine. All grapes (and by extension all wines) have acid. Wines extremely high in acidity often have a sour or tart taste. Wines low in acidity are described as tasting “fat” or “flabby.”
* Aeration – Occurs by either swirling the wine around in a glass or decanting the bottle into another container. Aeration softens the tannins by allowing the wine to “breathe” before consumption. Young red wines benefit most from aeration.
* Ascescence- Marks the presence of ethyl acetate and acetic acid. Noticeable by sweet and sour, sometimes vinegary smell and taste along with a sharp feeling in the mouth.
* Astringent- Rough, puckery taste caused by high tannin content. Astringency normally mellows out with age.
* Austere- Dry, hard and acidic wines that attacks the palate with tannic astringency. Often a young wine that will get better with age.
* Balance- No individual part dominates or overpowers the other. Sweetness balances acid; oak and tannin content is balanced by fruitiness.
* Big- Describes the overall body and taste of a wine. Big red wines are usually high in tannins while big white wines are high in alcohol and glycerin.
* Buttery- A texture as creamy as butter. Often used to describe a taste of better white wines such as Chardonnay.
* Finish- The aftertaste, or amount of time the flavors linger in your mouth. A exceptional finish will last anywhere from 15 to 40 seconds. Anything less than this is considered standard, or if under 8 seconds, a poor finish.
* Flinty- The taste experienced when stones/minerals are licked. High acidity and brings to mind a clean, earthly flavor.
* Green- The taste of wine made with under-ripe fruit. Often loosely describes some white wines with a greenish hue, such as Rieslings, which indicate a youthful wine. In recent years, the term “green wine” has taken on an alternate meaning, made with environmentally friendly production methods.
* Hollow- Wines missing a mid-palate taste often caused by too many grapes on inadequately pruned vines. Hollow wines have a strong initial impact and aftertaste but not much flavor while in the mouth on the tongue.
* Legs- The liquid rivulets that appear inside of a wineglass after the wine is swirled in order to evaluate alcohol content.
* Nose- The aroma or bouquet produced as you inhale the aroma of wine. Refers to the delectable odor or fermentation smells – whether desirable or undesirable – found in wine.
* Tannin- Naturally occurring bitter compounds found in grape skins, seeds and stems. Tannins have a hard, astringent taste. Also acts a preservative in aging wine.

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