5 Wine Terms Everyone Over 21 Should Know

The trick to good wine is… buying what you like. A wine can rank highly and cost astronomically and still not be your cup of tea. Meanwhile, that stuff from the box is what you crave after a long day. To help you find more of what you like at the wine store, all you need to do is identify the 5 basic characteristics that keep you going back to that favorite. Then you’ll be able to pick out a few more winners. Here’s how with a little help from Wine Folly.

Sweetness (Dryness)

The first thing we often taste in wine is sweetness and that starts at the very tip of the tongue. If a wine is sweet  (and thus not very dry), your taste buds will tingle a bit. There will also be a bit of an oil sensation on the middle of your tongue. So take a swig, what do you feel and what do you like?

Acidity

Acidity is sometimes hard to understand because it can be used to describe taste or body. But this is all you need to know: acidity is a tingling sensation on the front and sides of your tongue and it makes your mouth will feel wet. Wines that feel lighter have higher acidity; wines that are richer, have less acidity. [pagebreak]

Tannins

Don’t feel overwhelmed. Tannins are a fancy word used to describe the presence of compounds that add bitterness to wines. It’s commonly described as “astringent” and it will usually make your tongue dry out. (But don’t confuse it with dryness.)

Body

Body is usually described as light, medium, or full. Many things contribute to body including where a wine was made and the alcohol level (usually the higher alcohol level, the more body). You’ll learn to taste body by comparing. Is one wine lighter or heavier than another? Does it stay on your tongue a few seconds or a minute?

Fruit

If you taste fruit in wine and you enjoy it, this might mean that you’re into varietal wines from specific regions. So take note of what you taste and can identify in wines you like and then take that back to the wine store to keep experimenting.