Wine 101: A Beginners Guide – CHAPTER 2 – Wine Vocabulary

Sep 16 2009

Marchiez-vous jamais dans une pièce où ils parlent dans une langue étrangère ? Vous a-t-il faits se sentir malaisé et vouloir partir?

If you don’t speak French, you will have no idea what this says. That’s how it can feel when you walk into a tasting room and they are speaking of acidity, tannins, body, palate, brix, clones and so many other wine specifics. Some wine vocabulary you can figure out by context or by word association, but others will leave you wondering.

Here is a list of the top words and terms you should know when starting out in wine.

1. Acidic: or tart, sour. All wines contain some acids, predominantly tartaric. Raw, young wines are generally more acidic than older ones. Improperly balanced wines may taste sour because of an abnormally high acid content.
2. Bouquet: is the burst of scents that fill your nose when you first smell a wine. It is the odor derived from the fermentation process, from the aging in wood, the bottling process, and other changes independent of the grape variety used. Example – The bouquet reminds me of Grandpa’s cigars.
3. Complex: a wine that is many-faceted; it contains not only acids, alcohols, tannins, but more. Each sip brings another flavor.
4. Crush: the time of year when the grapes are picked and processed.
5. “Let the wine breathe”: is simply maximizing your wine’s exposure to the surrounding air. By allowing wine to mix and mingle with air, it will typically warm up and the wine’s aromas will be released, the flavors will soften and mellow out a bit, and the overall flavor characteristics should improve
6. Palate: the sense of the tongue. Example – This wine dances on my palate.
7. Tannin: a bitter-tasting ingredient, partially responsible for preserving wines during their sometimes long aging periods. A wine can often be described as tannic.
8. Varietal: term used to describe wines made totally or predominantly from a single variety of grape.
9. Wine: the fermented juice of grapes, made in many varieties, such as red, white, sweet, dry, still, and sparkling, for use as a beverage, in cooking, in religious rites, etc., and usually having an alcoholic content of 14% or less. Example – Let’s quit the lesson and start drinking wine!

These nine words are the building blocks for wine knowledge. Before long, you will be sipping away, swirling like a pro, and talking about wine as if it’s your first language.

Wine 101: A Beginners Guide – Chapter 1

Sep 3 2009

“Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it.” ~ Anonymous.

This quote is beyond true in my experience! While at a family barbecue several years ago, I tried a taste of my cousin’s wine, was disgusted, told my family they are nuts for drinking wine and I’ll just stick with beer, thank you very much. They all laughed and said, “Just wait a few years. By 22, you’ll be one of us.”

They were right; I now consider myself a wine-lover. And how did I get here – from college beer ponger and vodka tonics, to loving a good bottle of cabernet? I jumped in with both feet. There is no better way to start drinking wine than to do just that – drink and enjoy!

Remember to have an open mind to the possibilities of wine; this is supposed to be fun! When you go into tasting rooms, tell the attendants that you are just starting out and would really like to learn from their knowledge. They will be thrilled to teach you the building blocks of wine; which ones to start out with, how to taste wine, wine vocabulary, and what to pair with it. In this series, I will be the attendant, and give you my hints and suggestions.

If you have never enjoyed wine before, I suggest starting with a sweeter wine. A chenin blanc, riesling, viognier, gewurztraminer, or even a late harvest or ice wine will be your best bets to success. These wines are not going to knock you on your butt, because they have more of a fruit forward nose (smell) and palette (taste). Sweeter wines should be chilled to about 50degrees. If they are cooler than that, the flavors of the wine could be destroyed.

After you open the bottle and pour a glass, give it a little swirl. This allows the wine to breathe and will open up the aromas. Stick your nose in the glass, literally, and take a big whiff. For most of the above mentioned wines you will get a floral or fruity scent. After your nose has had the pleasure of the wine, let your taste buds in on the action. Take a drink and wash the wine all around your mouth. It will surprise you how it tastes different in the front of your mouth than in the back of the your mouth.

When this is all done, you are victorious! You have successfully tasted your first wine and are hopefully excited to move onto the next one.

My tip of the day: Take your time and enjoy wine; the bottle empties quicker than you think!