A little taste of Wine 101
On my many recent winery tours, I Christy ( the infamous wife) learned many different terms that helped me really appreciate Wine even more than I do now. The following is just a few tid- bits that I feel can help you on your next winery tour experience. Enjoy!
ACIDITY Vital component in wine that gives “bite” and life.
AFTERTASTE Strictly the flavor(s) left after the wine is swallowed.
BALANCE Vital relative measuring of different elements in a wine, especially sweetness, acidity, fruit, tannin, and alcohol.
BODY Important measures of a wine’s weight that is determined chiefly by its alcoholic strength, but also by its extract. The more body a wine has, the less like water it tastes.
BOTRYTIS Also called “noble rot,” Botrytis cinerea is a beneficial mold that, in just the right warm, humid circumstances, will begin to grow on the outside of grapes. As the mold sucks water from the grapes, they shrivel. This, in turn, concentrates the grapes’ sweet juice, allowing a very sweet wine to be made.
BREATHE What a wine is supposed to do if you leave the bottle open for a bit before serving. This
BUTTERY The sort of richness (and color) acquired by maturity
CRISP A complimentary term for a white wine with refreshing acidity.
LEGS The colorless streams left on the inside of a wine glass after a relatively alcoholic wine, more than 12 percent, has been swirled.
LIGHT The opposite of full bodied and not a pejorative term for wines that are meant to be delicate, such as many dry whites and some reds destined for youthful consumption.
MATURITY That period is a wines development after its youth and before its starts to decline. It can be after three years or after three decades, depending on the wind .
NOSE The nose of wine is its bouquet or aroma, depending on its state of maturity. It is the flavor you can smell. You nose a wine when you consciously smell it.
TANNIN Tannin is a group of beneficial compounds in wine that come mainly from the grape’s skins and seeds. Tannin gives wine structure and because it acts as a natural preservative, allows wine to age.
VARIETAL A type of grape variety. A varietal wine is an American term is named after the predominant grape variety from which it was made.
VINTAGE Either the harvest, or the year of the harvest.
