Wine Lingo
By Matt Sheker
The wine’s bouquet gives off a slight hint of milk chocolate, with aromas of berry fruits and cassis and a cedar-and-smoke center, which helps elongate the earthy tannic finish.
Have you ever heard someone describing a wine in these terms? “Wine lingo” has become a necessary part of describing wine attributes. For example, a smoky flavor does not mean it smells like a cigar or fireplace, but rather a smoked sausage or other such cured meat that we can relate it to. The tannic finish helps describe a wine’s astringency, which is essential for the aging process. These types of adjectives are designed to create a common description to help others decipher a wine’s characteristics. Wines can contain various chemical compounds that allow us to associate with everyday smells, which in turn allows us to describe what we taste, based on the aromas of the wine.
Sometimes, wine lingo gets in the way of the true essence of the wine and starts to dilute the purpose behind the adjectives. Using too many descriptions for a wine, or using terms that people are not accustomed to, can have an adverse effect. If someone describes a wine as having a mango or honeysuckle aftertaste and we have never experienced those flavors before, then the description does not serve its purpose. On the other hand, if you don’t give enough descriptions, you do not do it justice. Typical words like young , firm , yummy , mouthful , delicious , elegant , soft , full-bodied , and stringent help you with the “feel” of the wine, but not necessarily with its characteristics. Referencing words like asparagus , grapefruit , green apple , strawberry , and pear can help someone relate to what the wine has to offer, with the assumption that we are familiar with and have tasted these foods before. This is designed to assist with the flavor and texture of the wine, and does not indicate that the wine will overwhelm you with characteristics similar to carbonated beverages.
Sometimes, wines have so many aromas that we just relate it to a category like fruit or berries, or a classification like vegetables. Winemakers will use certain types of barrels to achieve a cedarwood aroma, such as American oak to achieve a chocolate taste; and also use it to get a cappuccino-cocoa flavor. This is all by design, with the vintner wanting you to capture these aromas.
With your next bottle of wine, try to go beyond the bright acidity, great balance, lovely body, and beautiful nose, and describe the wine to the friend next to you, using such wine lingo terms as mineral finish , earthy overtones , butterscotch aroma , and buttery richness .