Glossary of Wine Tasting Terms

Acidity The quality of tartness or sharpness in the taste of wine due to the presence of natural acids. Not to be confused with sourness, dryness, or astringency.

Balance A balanced wine is one whose components -- sugar, fruit, tannin, acid, alcohol, wood and so forth -- are evident, but do not mask or dominate one another.

Bouquet The various fragrances noted by smell, created by the development of wine from the fermentation and aging process, whether in barrel or bottle.

Complexity The various elements that make up bouquet, aroma and taste in a wine. When a wine is described as having the aroma of fresh peaches or apples, it is displaying some of its complexities.

Corked Describes an unpleasant musty odour (mushrooms) or flavour imparted to wine by a defective (mouldy, poor, soft, or disintegrating) cork or by chemicals used in the processing of corks.

Cryomaceration A wine making procedure used in making white wines that holds the skins and the crushed grapes at extremely low temperature prior to fermentation, enhancing the fruit and other flavours.

Dry A wine with little or no noticeable sugar, usually containing less than 0.2 percent sugar. On champagne and sparkling wines, dry often refers to faintly sweet -- not as dry as brut.

Finish The tactile and flavour impressions left in the mouth while a beverage is being swallowed. Some beverages finish harsh, hot, and astringent, while others are smooth, soft and elegant.

Full-Bodied A term relating to the body or mouth-filling capacity of a wine. Additionally, it applies to wines that are robust, intensely flavoured, and comparatively high in sugar, or alcohol content.

Generic Wine "Place-name" - wines that are named after European wine-producing districts such as Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, Port, Rhine, Sauternes, Sherry and so forth.

Maturity The stage in the aging of wines when they have developed all of their characteristic qualities to full perfection.

Oaky The odour and/or flavour of wines aged in small oak barrels. Some oak barrels impart a toasty or spicy vanillin odour and taste which is desirable in moderation but undesirable if exaggerated.

Proprietary Wine Wines carrying a made-up name originated by a specific winery or proprietor.

Tannin A bitter compound found in the seeds, stems, and skins of grapes, and is extracted from wooden barrels. It is quite astringent and causes a puckering sensation in the front of the mouth.

Varietal Wine The name of the dominant grape used in a wine -- Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese. Varietal wines require that at least 75 percent of that grape variety is used.

Vintage The year that the grapes were picked or harvested for the making of wine, with the date shown on the label.

[A growing collection of terms that will be added to over time from various sources.]

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Wine Quotes & Toasts

Quickly bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may whet my mind and say something clever."

Euripedes

It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend; one's present or future thirst; the excellence of the wine; or any other reason."

Latin saying 

Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved."

Medieval German saying 

God made only water, but man made wine.

Victor Hugo

Wine cheereth God and man."

Judges 9:13

A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry."

Ecclesiastes 8:15

Wine is sunlight, held together by water."

Galileo Galilei

Wine rejoices the heart of man and joy is the mother of all virtues."

Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

No thing more excellent nor more valuable than wine was ever granted mankind by God."

Plato

Wine is the pearl in the oyster of the grape.

Charles A. Nardone, Mirabella Ranch, Texas USA 

Both to the rich and poor, wine is the happy antidote for sorrow.

Euripides

Drink no longer water but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

St. Paul, 1 Timothy 5:23

A waltz and a glass of wine invite an encore."

Johann Strauss

Wine is a constant proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Benjamin Franklin 

Now is the time for drinking, now is the time to beat the earth with unfettered foot. "

Horace

Good wine is a good familiar creature if it well used."

Shakespeare 

A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine."

Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 

What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others.

Diogenes

Wine is bottled poetry."

Robert Louis Stevenson  

Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages."

Louis Pasteur

Good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach.

Spanish saying 

Contact Details

Nardone Baker Wines

Admin/Production
PO Box 386, McLaren Vale, South Australia, 5171, Australia.

Sales/Distribution:
10 Gray Street, Kilkenny, South Australia, 5009, Australia
Phone +61 8 8445 8100 
Fax +61 8 8445 8200

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