Top 10 things you need to know to have a useful wine vocabulary
Wine vocabulary?
Wait? What? Why?
Let’s talk about this!
Basically, wine is a language all its own. Knowing some of the vocabulary is like learning to ask for directions in a foreign country. It’s helpful and makes you feel a little more confident. (However, if you confuse the words for right and straight in French you will go in a circle. Shout out to the policeman who finally tired of me showing up in the same spot, and just had us follow him to the train station.)
Clueless and lost is not a good look on anybody.
Knowing some wine vocabulary will help:
to avoid bad wine,
when shopping for wine,
when ordering wine in a restaurant,
figuring out what wines you really like,
and when you just need some direction to better appreciate wine if you are feeling lost.
If you are already super comfortable with wine vocabulary, read on anyway. I may put a fresh spin on it. At the very least, I’m entertaining.
In no particular order, let’s get this vocabulary party started:
Number 1- grape varieties
There are over 10,000 grape varieties. That is way too big a party. You will want to know some of the really popular ones. I’m talking Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Zinfandel for red wines. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for white. Many of these are common around the world.
Italy has 100’s of grape varieties, but knowing just Sangiovese and Nebbiolo are 2 of the most popular grapes should be enough to for now. For Spain, which also has 100’s of grape varieties, just knowing that Tempranillo and Garnacha exist would be helpful. I did a whole post about Spain and some of their great wines. You can check it out here.
Just knowing the names of the varieties helps. Exploring what each brings to the party is the fun stuff!
If you want to see some wine charts and flavor wheels that go really deep on varieties, check out Wine Folly. I would link to specific ones, but it totally depends on what you are looking for.
Just to let you know: a varietal is a wine made from a single variety of grape. As with most wines, the reality varies. In the United States, only 75% of the wine must be that variety. I threw in that extra wine vocabulary as a bonus.
Number 2 - Acidity
Many people hear acid and think, OH NO! That sounds bad. But acid in wine is the sidekick that can bring life to the party! It can add brightness and make the wine taste more refreshing. It is great balancing out the sweetness in wine. It also can make you salivate which really helps when matching with food. I often mention that Italian wines are food wines. The acid in them goes great with food. Without food you are too aware of the acid.
WHICH LEADS ME TO INTRODUCING:
Number 3 - Balance
Let’s keep going with the party idea. Some parties just work, and are great. Then there are the parties where one loud person throws everything off. In wine, you do not want one loud component to drown out every other one. You also do not want one really quiet person bringing the energy level way down. A delicious wine is a balanced wine where every part of the wine plays well with the other parts.
Number 4 -Tannins
Tannins are the adults in the room at the party. They provide structure. Tannins occur naturally in the skins of the grape. Some grapes have thicker skins (Cabernet Sauvignon, for instance) so they are more tannic. Pinot Noir has less. White wines and rosé have little.
Tannins are what makes tea taste bitter. If tannins are overwhelming you will feel a certain dryness.
At this point, you may say: That sounds awful! Well let’s not forget BALANCE. If the wine is balanced, tannins will just join the party and make it better. Tannins are also what allows wines to age gracefully.
Number 5 - Oak aging
Oak is an interesting member of the party. While acidity and tannins occur naturally, oak joins the party during wine making. You may hear it mentioned often.
Trying to keep it really short and simple:
Many wines receive some oak contact. This can range from expensive oak barrels down to staves(small planks) to chips (large splinters) and at the lowest end adding cheap oak essence. For more expensive wines there are a lot of rules as to what is allowed.
The winemaker decides how oak will be used. Some decide not to. You may see some Chardonnays advertised as un-oaked.
Just so you know, French Oak is more expensive than American Oak. If you visit a winery they will tell you which they use, and whether it is new oak. Winemakers get very excited sharing this with you. If you don’t share that excitement, just smile and nod.
The use of oak will give certain flavors to the wine and it may also add tannins.
Number 6 - Body
This is an easier one. Body in wine is often described as mouth-feel. Is the feel of the wine more like skim milk, whole milk, or cream? Body in wine comes from a combination of alcohol, tannins, sugars, and other flavors.
Number 7- Finish
Finish is whether the good flavors of the wine remain on your tongue. Like a good party, do good feelings stay with you or are you just out in the cold? Some wines taste good and then just immediately drop off. Some wines have unpleasant flavors that stay with you. Delicious wines should keep delivering.
Number 8 - Terroir
Terroir is like the 'personality' of the wine that comes from its surroundings. It is a French term, but used all over the world. It refers to the unique combination of factors that influence the taste and character of wine. These factors include the specific location where the grapes are grown, such as the soil type, climate, altitude, and even the angle of the slope.
In the wine world, terroir is big. You will hear that term often. If you want, just nod and agree.
Number 9 - Wine Regions of the World
Wine can be a global adventure. Each “Wine Country” area has its own personality and style. You certainly don’t need to know about everywhere, but it should be fun hearing about certain of the most famous ones.
If you don’t want to join me going down the rabbit hole of too many wine regions, just skim this. You don’t need to know this many at all. I just get excited sharing.
In the United States, although every state (seriously, every state) makes wine, the most famous wine regions are on the two Coasts. California has the most with Sonoma, and Napa, and Paso Robles, and the Santa Barbara area. I have multiple posts about the last two areas. I will be traveling to Sonoma in October. My 4th or 5th trip! I will be writing more when we get closer to the date.
You could also look at Oregon and Washington state. In New York there is the North Fork of Long Island and the Finger Lakes. Not sure if either of the ones in New York really have a “wine country” vibe, but they are definitely wine regions.
Now to the Old World. Basically, the Old World is Europe and the rest of the world is New World. I write about this A LOT. If you want to know more, click on this link. It is from my first post of Fun Monthly New Year’s Wine Resolutions. If you haven’t followed them, you can always start now.
In France, the regions you really should know about are Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.) There are many many more, because that is what they do.
Knowing about Tuscany in Italy will get you far. As with France, there are many more.
I wrote about Spain in one of my Fun Monthly New Year’s Wine Resolutions. If you want, read about it here.
I could easily go on and on but I’ll spare you. If, however, you are really into it, read all of my posts. You will know more than enough to have a good wine vocabulary.
If you want to feel really confident pronouncing some of the wine words, here is a how-to-say- it link.
Now on to the big one.
Number 10 - How to describe wine
I roll my eyes with most wine notes. Those are the laundry list of descriptions of the nose (aroma and/or bouquet of the wine, don’t worry which) and flavors of the wine. They are personal to the taster.
These are examples of wine notes by 3 experts of the same wine:
classic varietal and incredibly complex nose of crème de cassis, freshly sharpened pencils, green tobacco, and damp earth, with a kiss of background sappy spring flowers
restrained cedar and vanilla notes (despite spending two years in 100% new French oak) and delicate herbal shadings accenting cassis and black cherry fruit. Full-bodied, velvety and somewhat open-knit on the palate
Brooding black fruit is complemented by classic notions of cigar box, tobacco, iron and clove
I do not find this helpful, and many people are intimidated. As I have mentioned in other posts, I am very suggestible. If someone smells something, I probably will too. I’m not sure what sappy spring flowers smell like, but some of the other stuff I may get if someone mentions it.
But what should you be thinking if you want to describe what you are tasting?
Do not overthink! Just enjoy!
If you want to describe the aromas because you want to be able to find a similar wine, that’s fine. Don’t worry if you can’t recognize any aromas. That could be the wine variety. Swirling the wine a little may help.
But if you do smell anything, try to come up with anything you have ever smelled. Is it more fruity or flowery or savory? No need to get more specific unless you want to.
For taste, same principle. It took me years to realize that I preferred wines that are more “fruit forward.” These are not sweet, but some berry flavor may come through. Other people prefer less fruit, and more savory. Whatever you prefer. it’s your choice!
The goal of a useful wine vocabulary is to be more comfortable with wine language. You can have more delicious wine tasting experiences. It’s easier to ask questions when you have the vocabulary. No need to get lost in the wine aisle or freaked out by a wine list. Do not let anyone intimidate you!!
Wine is meant to be enjoyed!
It should add to your life.
Enjoy the journey!!
Yep! That’s the idea!!
