Talk the talk

Like every hobby on the planet, from stamp collecting to sky diving, wine also has its own language that has to be learned so you can sound like you know what you are talking about. I guess it would be too much to just be able to say "this wine is really good" or "this is crap" but no, there has to be a large glossary of terms to describe every little detail.

In this post I will start working through some of the most common terms used in wine and try to interpret them in a way that can be understood by the masses. I won't be able to get to all the terms right now so I'll try to cover the basics.

Varietal - This basically means the dominant grape used in that particular wine. Chardonnay, Merlot, and Riesling are all examples of different varietals.

Vintage - This term refers to the year that the grapes were grown and harvested. Most wines are aged for a period of time before they are bottled but no matter how long that is, the harvesting year is what appears on the bottle.

Tannin - These are natural substances found in grapes that cause the “puckering” sensation when drinking wine. Tannins also act as a natural preservative that allows wine to age.

Acidity - Pretty obvious, this term refers to the total acid content of the wine. Acidity is important because the amount of acid can make a big difference in the make-up of the wine, especially when determining if the wine is “sweet” or “dry.”

Dry Wine - The easiest way to put it is wine that is not sweet. This type of wine has little or no residual (unfermented) sugar because it has all been converted into alcohol.

Sweet Wine - Just the opposite of dry wine, sweet wine has more residual sugar. There are different levels of both depending such as semi-sweet depending on the percentage of sugar in the wine.

Body - This term refers to the weight of the wine in your mouth. The body of the wine is usually described as light, medium, or full-bodied. The best example of how the body is measured would be the differences in skim, 2%, and whole milk. It’s the same idea with wines.

There is plenty more terms where these came from but this should get you started. I hope it helps!!!