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Wine Dictionary
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acrid: Describes a wine with overly pronounced acidity. This is often apparent in cheap red wines.
assertive: Upfront, forward.
attractive: A lighter style, fresh, easy to drink wine.
balanced: Indicates that the fruit, acid and wood flavors are in the right proportion. A wine is well balanced when none of those characteristics dominates. Wine not in balance may be "acidic," "cloying," "flat" or "harsh."
barnyardy: Smell of farm animals. Negative.
big: A wine that is full-bodied, rich and slightly alcoholic tasting.
bite: A marked degree of acidity or tannin. An acid grip in the finish should be more like a zestful tang and is tolerable only in a rich, full-bodied wine.
bitter: One of the four basic tastes. Considered a fault if the bitterness dominates the flavor or aftertaste. A trace in sweet wines may complement the flavors. In young red wines it can be a warning signal, as bitterness doesn't always dissipate with age. A fine, mature wine should not be bitter on the palate.
Bordeaux wine: Any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France.
Burgundy wine: Wine made in the Burgundy region of France.
buttery: Refers to both flavor and texture or mouthfeel.
champagne wine: A sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to effect carbonation. While any bubbling wine can be called sparkling wine, Champagnes must be produced in the Champagne region of France.
character: A wine with top-notch distinguishing qualities.
chardonnay: One of the most famous wines in the white grape family. It is usually aged in oak barrels and comes from the Burgundy and Champagne provinces of France.
chewy: Describes rich, heavy, tannic wines that are full-bodied.
closed: Describes wines that are concentrated and have character, but are shy in aroma or flavor.
complete: A full-bodied wine rich in extracts with a pronounced finish.
complex: Describes a wine that combines all flavor and taste components in almost miraculous harmony.
cooper: Someone who makes wooden barrels, casks and other similar wooden objects.
corked: The wine tastes of cork, it is unpleasant to smell and taste, slightly musty.
crisp: Denotes a fresh, young, wine with good acidity.
cult wines: Specific wines for dedicated groups of committed enthusiasts who will pay large sums of money.
cutting edge: Stylistic, hip.
delicate: Used to describe light- to medium-weight wines with good flavors.
dense: Describes a wine that has concentrated aromas on the nose and palate. Desirable in young wines.
depth: Describes the complexity and concentration of flavors in a wine. Generally refers to a quality wine with subtle layers of flavor that go "deep." Opposite of 'Shallow.'
developed: Refers to the maturity of a wine.
dirty: Covers any and all foul, rank, off-putting smells that can occur in a wine, including those caused by bad barrels or corks. A sign of poor winemaking.
earthy: Describes a wine that tastes of soil, most common in red wines. Can be used both positively (pleasant, clean quality adding complexity to aroma and flavor) and negatively (barnyardy character bordering on dirtiness).
elegant: Describes a wine of grace, balance and beauty.
empty: Flavorless and uninteresting.
