Sometimes, I like a wine, but I don't know how to describe it, and I really have a kind of pain that "can only be understood, cannot be expressed". However, after reading the wine terminology book brought by the Red Wine Encyclopedia, I believe you will never be in pain again. This is a treasure book painstakingly compiled by The Encyclopedia Jun, read it carefully!
Wine tasting terms are broadly divided into four categories: fruity, sweet, body and aftertaste.
1. Fruity taste
(1) Common terms to describe the fruity flavor of wine: fruity, sweet and delicious, fruity condensed, rich and gorgeous, tannins, jam, juicy, ripe, new world style.
These terms are often used to describe wines with sweet and fruity flavors, but this does not mean that the wine being described is sweet, but only that it has a sweet smell of fruit in it.
Fruity terms in red wine: raspberry, black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, jam, prune, preserves, raisins, roasted spices, toffee, vanilla and tobacco.
Fruity terms in white wine: lemon, roasted apple, honey orange, ripe peach, mango, pineapple, ripe pear, cantaloupe, caramel and vanilla.
(2) Common terms to describe the deliciousness of wine: herbaceous, earthy, plant, extremely dry, elegant, restrained, grape stalk, mineral, suitable for meals, Old World style.
The opposite of the fruity red wine is a delicious wine with earthy and herbal flavors. While the above words do not completely and impartially evaluate a wine, they can at least describe the outstanding flavor in the wine. Wines that can be described in the above terms also have a fruity taste, but are generally more sour or bitter fruity.
Tasty terms in red wine: cranberry, blackcurrant, green pepper, green pepper, olive, wild strawberry, tart cherry, mulberry, bilberry, peony, wild blueberry, dried herbs, sage, leather, tobacco, charcoal, tar, gravel, baking, mineral.
Tasty terms in white wine: lime, lemon, citrus, bitter almond, green apple, apple peel, gooseberry, green pepper, grapefruit, green papaya, thyme, mountain radish, grass, flint, mineral.
2. Sweetness
After the wine is fermented, the sugar that is not completely converted into alcohol is called residual sugar, and the sweetness of the wine comes from this. The sweetness of wine can also be divided into four degrees.
Bone Dry: Extremely dry wines contain almost no sugar and usually have a strong sense of convergence. Extremely dry red wines are tannic with bitter tannins with delicious or bitter fruity notes, while extremely dry white wines have hints of grapefruit or citrus.
Dry: Most stationary wines are dry, and the residual sugar contained in dry wines is divided into 4g/L or less.
Off Dry: The residual sugar content of micro-sweet wine is between 4-12g/L. Most slightly sweet wines are white, and some of the top Italian red wines can also be classified in this category. At the same sweetness, high-acid wines such as Riesling taste drier than low-acid wines.
Sweet: Sweet wine has a residual sugar content of more than 45g/L. The world's most prestigious sweet wines are German and Canadian Ice Wine, Tawny Port, Tokaji and Rutherglen Muscat.
In addition, the sweetness of sparkling wine is generally expressed in terms of dry (Brut) and semi-dry (Demi-Sec).
3. Wine body
Now, you should know more about the fruity taste and sweetness of wine, let's take a look at the body of the wine. There are many factors that affect the body of the wine, such as alcohol content, tannin content and acidity. The body can generally be divided into three types.
Light Bodied: Light bodied wines are like unsweetened iced green tea or refreshing lemonade, with a delicate taste and a long aftertaste. In general, many light-bodied wines have lower alcohol, tannins and higher acidity, with exceptions.
The terms that describe the body of a red wine light: delicate, delicate, elegant, crisp, thin, delicate, crisp, floral.
The terms that describe the light body of white wines: light, brilliant, fruity, ethereal, light, lively, exciting, harsh, transparent, long aftertaste, full of vitality.
Medium body (Mediun Bodied): This type has little to do with white wine, while medium body red wine is between light and heavy body red wine, and the tannins are also in moderate content, which is very suitable for drinking with a variety of foods.
Terms that describe the medium body of red wines: suitable for meal pairings, moderate, elegant, juicy, spicy, firm, sour, rounded, soft.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that some classic medium-bodied red wines are almost aged in oak barrels.
Full Bodied: In the mouth, you can feel the structure and intensity of heavy body wines, but in general, heavy red wines have high tannin content and alcohol content, and the alcohol content is sometimes higher than 14%. Tannins and alcohol embody the structure of wine, so they are key factors in heavy body red wines. Among them, some heavy body red wines are self-contained and do not fit with food, while others are majestic and tannins bitter, suitable for pairing with creamy foods.
The terms that describe the heavy body of red wines: full-bodied, delicious, plump, rigid, firm, majestic, high alcohol, high tannins, firmness, layered, strong, concentrated.
A term that describes the heavy body of a white wine: full-bodied, delicious, creamy, buttery.
Tip: Older wines in new oak barrels have a stronger taste and a heavier body.
4. Aftertaste
Drink wine do not be too urgent, taste slowly, in order to experience the wonderful aftertaste. Don't underestimate the aftertaste, it is a key factor in determining whether a wine is good or not. Well, there are generally the following types of aftertaste.
Smooth aftertaste: The terms used to describe this aftertaste are smooth, rounded, soft, plump, creamy, buttery, delicious, silky, and fluffy.
This aftertaste is common, and it can be divided into three types: sharp acid, tannin sweet, and preserved fruit sweetness.
Sharp acid aftertastes are more common in highly acidic wines, and are commonly found in cool climate appellations or vintages. This wine has a sour fruity flavor with a subtle bitterness in the aftertaste. This aftertaste is also commonly used to determine the quality of white wines, and the aftertaste of top light white wines generally lasts for 15-20 minutes.
The sweet aftertaste of tannins is common in red wines aged in oak barrels, while preserved fruit sweetness is more common in light red or aged red wines.
Spicy Aftertaste: The term used to describe this aftertaste is juicy, sharp, balsamic vinegar, tight, spicy, and lively.
The spicy aftertaste means that the wine has a strong aftertaste and may feel similar to eating mustard in the mouth. There are many reasons for this aftertaste, including grape varieties and acids contained in wine. While some of the aftertastes are of good quality, this aftertaste sometimes reflects the lack of balance in the wine.
Bitter aftertaste: Bitterness brings a feeling of convergence, like a sharp knife scraping your mouth, but this feeling is actually the result of the interaction of proteins in saliva with the condensed tannins in wine.
Among them, the bitterness in red wine comes from tannins, while the bitterness in white wine comes from phenolic substances. However, the bitter aftertaste is not very popular, but such wines taste great when paired with greasy food.
Terms that describe the bitter aftertaste of red wine: chewy, strong, layered, firm, restrained, tight, stiff, rough, thick, dried herbs, oregano, bay, bitter chocolate.
Terms that describe the bitter aftertaste of white wine: tight, citrus, bitter almond, green mango. (Translated by Zhu Yan/Wine Encyclopedia, text/WineFolly)
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