Mar 01, 2025
by Greg Martellotto

Wine Speak Made Easy: A Simple Guide to Wine Terminology

Mar 01, 2025
by Greg Martellotto

Why Learn to Speak Like a Wine Geek?

It isn’t necessary to enjoy the glass. You can talk with your friends using any language you want.

BUT . . .

If you order wine in a restaurant or buy it at a retail shop, you need to describe what you want. Forget about all those descriptions you read everywhere, unless it comes from someone you trust. They are either one person’s opinion or marketing.

We created a list of wine terms simply stated to help you better understand this amazing beverage. Read our easy wine terminology tips and tricks to decide for yourself.

Grape & Vine Cycle

Appellation

A legal term defining where wine grapes are grown. (ex: Willamette Valley, Bordeaux)

The 2017 Pecchenino Siri d’Jermu Dolcetto has great concentration, typical of this appellation.

Balance

When a grape’s components reach optimal ripeness: acids = sugar; the pulp is not too dry or diluted; tannins are developed; grapes are not over- or under-ripe.

Theorize Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful balance of spices like nutmeg, thyme with cherry pie, cedar, vanilla bean, touches of coconut and molasses, gingerbread.

Botrytis

The fungus botrytis cinerea causes ripe grapes to shed water, which concentrates the sugars inside. Under the fancier name, Noble Rot, it creates delicious sweet wines. (ex: Sauternes from Bordeaux)

A dry core of botrytis gives an almost mineral character to the wine in the 2014 Chateau Clos Haut Peyraguey Sauternes.

Clone

A grafted grapevine. Growers choose clones based on desired traits.

Grape Components

Acid

An essential component of wine grapes: the others are sugar, tannin, and water. Acids balance sugars. When grapes ripen, sugars increase, and acids decrease.

Pulp

The inside of a grape berry containing sugars, acids, and water. Seeds inside the pulp are not part of it.

Tannins

Natural grape compounds in the skins and seeds and in the wood of grapevines. Red grapes contain more tannins than white grapes.

Grape Growth Cycle

Budbreak

After the dormant season, buds open to release shoots and leaves.

Flowering

As buds mature, flowers (which become grapes) bloom, then self-pollination and fertilization occur.

Fruit Set

After (successful) fertilization of flowers, berries begin to form.

Veraison

When the color of the berries begins to change from green to purple (red grapes) and from green to yellow/gold (white grapes.)

Phylloxera

An invasive species of aphid (insect.) It destroys the roots of European grapevines, but not North American vines.

The combination of Prohibition and then phylloxera took its toll on many wineries early on, including Liparita.

Rootstock

The base of a grapevine onto which a clone is grafted. Used to avoid pests such as phylloxera.

Terroir

A French word encompassing every aspect of a vineyard’s growing conditions which is revealed in a wine. Some definitions include human factors such as winemaking.

Varietal

A single wine grape variety. (ex: Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay)

Viticulture

The wine-growing process.

Vitis Vinifera

The scientific name of the family of grapevines uniquely suited for wine grape-growing. Originated in Europe.

Wine Production

Aging

Allowing wine to mature before selling in barrels, tanks, or bottles.

The barrel aging led to a 2016 Martellotto "Il Capoccia" Reserve wine that has developed incredible depth of flavors, and an intoxicating nose.

Barrel-aged

Wines maturing in oak barrels after fermentation.

Faustino has one of the largest barrel rooms in Rioja and Europe with 47,000 new oak barrels.

Sparkling Wine

Produced using methods that create bubbles in the wine.

Charmat

Also called bulk or tank method. Wine made in an enclosed system of large, pressurized tanks. (ex: Prosecco)

Traditional

Also called Méthode champenoise. Blended still wines put into a bottle with added sugar and yeast (dosage) to create a second fermentation with bubbles and pressure. (ex: Champagne) Pressure differs for various wines made with this process. (ex: Crémant)

Transfer

Removal of the yeast mixture takes place in a pressurized tank, and the wine is rebottled. Used for large-format bottles.

Ancestral Method

Also called Pet-Nat. Partially fermented wines are bottled and fermentation continues. An early form of sparkling winemaking. (ex: Jura region of France.)

Carbonation

The same process used for beer and soft drinks where carbonation is added in pressurized tanks. (ex: André from California)

Fortified Wine

Adding grape liquor, such as brandy, to a still wine to raise alcohol levels high enough to stop fermentation and maintain high residual sugar.

Rivesaltes is one of the great sweet wines of the world. Produced in the Languedoc Roussillon region of SW France, these wines live for decades since they are fortified.

Lees

Dead yeast cells resulting from fermentation when yeasts convert sugar into alcohol. Wines aged on the lees tend to be more complex with a creamy texture and bread-like flavor.

Maceration

The juice of crushed grapes stays in contact with skins, seeds, and stems for an extended time to extract more flavor, color, and tannin.

Malolactic Fermentation

A secondary fermentation to change grape acids from tart malic acid (Granny Smith apples) to soft lactic acid (milk). Adds a creamy or buttery texture.

Residual Sugar

The remaining sugars left in wine after fermentation.

Rosé

A pink wine made from red grapes, using various production methods.

Saignée

Produces rosé from red wine. French meaning “to bleed.” Juice is drained off macerating red must and bottled. The remaining must is used for red wine.

Direct Pressing

A common method. When the macerating red juice (must) reaches the desired color, it is pressed off.

Blended

Blending red and white wines together after fermentation. Used in Champagne.

Tannins

Adds complexity and a bitter or astringent quality to red wine and allows it to age. Extended maceration on skins and seeds extracts more tannins. Because wood has tannins, aging wine in oak barrels adds tannins.

Viniculture

The winemaking process.

Varietal

A wine made from only one grape.

Marketing and Sales

Grand Vin

Unregulated term with inconsistent meaning. Do not confuse with “Grand Cru,” which is a legal classification for some French appellations. Though not a legal term, Grand Vin can sometimes indicate a higher-quality wine.

Old Vine/Vieilles Vignes

Unregulated term with inconsistent meaning. Refers to the age of grapevines but with a wide range of what is considered “old.”

Fifty-year-old vines bring unexpected richness and depth to this village-level bottling, Domaine Michel Magnien et Fils Gevrey Chambertin.

Reserve

Unregulated term with no consistent meaning, except in certain countries. (ex: Spain, Italy) Used for marketing purposes in others. (Looking at you, U.S.)

Three-Tier System

The legal/regulatory system for alcohol distribution in the U.S. Where taxes get paid.

Producer/Supplier

Federal Taxes. The origin point of the wine. (ex: winery) Importers are suppliers working with producers in another country.

Distributor

State Taxes. Responsible for taking wine from the point of origin to the retailer.

Retailer

Sales Taxes. Retailers sell to consumers.

Online retailer
Restaurant
Retail store
Tasting room
Wine club
Wine website
Retail/Consumer

Acidity

Adds lift. A high-acid wine tastes crisp, alive, racy, vibrant. More pronounced in white wines.

The Martellotto "Melodeon" Chardonnay Spear Vnyd Sta. Rita Hills was barrel fermented and has a lovely natural acidity and a light zip in the mouth from the sandy loam vineyard that was covered by the Pacific Ocean millennia ago.

Aroma

The smell that comes from the grape. The “nose” can include both aroma and bouquet.

Balance

Wine has four components: acid, fruit, alcohol, and tannin. Wine is not balanced if any element is dominant over the others.

Body

Also called mouthfeel. The range of how a wine feels or weighs in your mouth from heavy or full to light. Consists of the interactions and levels of alcohol, acidity, lees, and/or tannins.

Bouquet

The smell that comes from aging.

Brett

Short for Brettanomyces. A fungus producing unusual aromas such as barnyard, horse saddle, or Band-Aid. Generally considered a flaw, but some winemakers enjoy it. Found mostly in red wines.

Closed

Wines made for long aging tend to go through a closed phase, when, if drunk, don’t reveal the wine’s full character. (ex: Bordeaux)

2015 Léoville Las Cases has a slightly closed nose, revealing notes of crème de cassis, baked blueberries and black forest cake with touches of licorice, violets and Indian spices plus a waft of dusty soil.

Corked

A wine with unpleasant smells, such as wet cardboard, mold, or musty coming from a compound called TCA. A tainted cork is the culprit.

Decant

Pouring wine into a container adds oxygen to a young wine or reduces sediment in an older wine. Decanting can reveal more flavors and aromas of a young wine.

Dry

A wine in which most sugars have been converted into alcohol during fermentation; a lack of residual sugar.

Fault

Defects or flaws. (ex: oxidized, corked, brett.)

Finish

Also called length. The lingering flavors of wine in your mouth after swallowing.

Intensity

The impact of aromas and flavors from soft to strong. Important when pairing wine with food.

Feminine

Older term losing favor along with Masculine. Described as softer, more floral, perfumed, elegant, lighter-bodied, and lower in tannin and alcohol.

Long, pure, and both feminine and powerful, this 1998 Chateau Margaux will be at its peak between 2008-2025.

Fruit

Used to describe what wine tastes like. Examples: tropical, stone, or citrus fruits, and many types of berries. Wines tasting of fresh fruit seem livelier. Dried or cooked fruit flavors are fuller and deeper.

GSM

A popular blended red wine made from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre grapes.

Jammy

Wine with rich, concentrated fruit flavors made with very ripe fruit. A jammy wine tends to have a denser texture and higher alcohol. Has a somewhat negative connotation.

Legs

The appearance of a wine’s alcohol level on the sides of the glass when the wine is swirled.

Masculine

Older term losing favor along with Feminine. Described as more tannic, full-bodied, rich, robust, structured, and higher alcohol.

Mature

All wines, which are living products, mature, or age, because they are impacted by oxygen. Most producers recommend drinking windows or times, but the optimal point is personal. Some people prefer younger wines, and others, longer-aged wines.

Minerality

No scientific fact yet proves that people can detect minerality in wine. Minerality indicates a sense of soil or place. It is described as smelling or tasting of chalk, stone, or gravel.

Two of these plots for Domaine Chanson Meursault Chardonnay are located on mid-slope for finesse and minerality.

Oaky

Aromas and flavors originating from aging in oak barrels. Oak adds notes of vanilla, toast, smoke, chocolate, or coffee, depending on how deeply the barrel was charred (burned.)

Oxidized

Exposure to oxygen has a beneficial impact but must be controlled. Over-exposure will change the color (brown) the flavor (bitter) and the aromas (musty.)

Palate

How a wine tastes and feels in the mouth. Includes flavors, texture, and alcohol.

Rich

A descriptor of a wine with deep texture and full flavor.

Round

A descriptor of a wine with more body and a creamier texture. Wines aged on lees are “rounder.”

Smooth

This term has come to mean a wine without character, uninteresting. It used to indicate balanced, soft, or a silky texture.

Single - Varietal/Single-Vineyard

Wines made from only a single grape or from a specific vineyard.

Style

The distinct nature of a wine from a given region, winery, or producer. (ex: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc)

Sparkling Wine Styles

Sparkling wine styles are defined by residual sugar levels starting with the least amount to the most: Brut Nature (zero dosage), Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Demi Sec, Doux.

Sommelier

A certified wine professional providing wine service in a restaurant.

Sweetness

The level of residual sugar. Sweet wines have high levels of residual sugar. Both fruit and oak (vanilla) aromas/flavors contribute to a sense of sweetness. Sweetness is not cloying in a balanced wine.