Tasting
14 tasting terms explained by our experts.
Body
Body describes the weight and fullness of a wine on the palate, ranging from light to full. It is primarily determined by alcohol level, residual sugar, and extract (dissolved solids), and is one of the most important characteristics when pairing wine with food.
TastingBouquet
Bouquet refers to the complex aromas that develop in wine through aging, as opposed to primary fruit aromas from the grape itself. These secondary and tertiary aromas include notes of leather, tobacco, earth, mushroom, and dried fruits that emerge with bottle maturation.
TastingNose
The nose of a wine is its aromatic profile as perceived by smelling — both before and after swirling the glass. Evaluating the nose is the second step in professional wine tasting and can reveal a wine's grape variety, origin, age, and winemaking techniques.
TastingPalate
The palate is the taste and tactile experience of wine in the mouth, encompassing flavours, texture, structure, and balance. Wine professionals use 'palate' to describe both the physical evaluation of a wine and a taster's developed ability to discern quality.
TastingFinish
The finish (or length) of a wine is the persistence of flavour and sensation that remains in the mouth after swallowing. A long, complex finish is a hallmark of high-quality wine, with great wines leaving impressions that linger for 30 seconds or more.
TastingAcidity
Acidity in wine refers to the presence of natural organic acids — primarily tartaric, malic, and citric — that give wine its freshness, crispness, and ability to age. Acidity is essential for balance, food pairing, and the overall liveliness of a wine on the palate.
TastingMinerality
Minerality is a widely used but debated tasting term that describes flavours and textures reminiscent of wet stones, chalk, flint, slate, or salinity in wine. Often associated with terroir-driven wines from stony soils, the exact mechanism behind minerality remains scientifically unresolved.
TastingLegs
Legs (also called tears or curtains) are the droplets of wine that form and slowly trickle down the inside of a glass after swirling. They are caused by the Gibbs-Marangoni effect — a surface tension phenomenon — and primarily indicate the wine's alcohol and sugar content, not quality.
TastingDecanting
Decanting is the process of pouring wine from its bottle into a separate vessel (decanter) to separate it from sediment and expose it to oxygen. This enhances aromas, softens tannins, and allows the wine to open up and express its full potential.
TastingAeration
Aeration is the deliberate exposure of wine to air to trigger oxidative chemical reactions that soften tannins, dissipate off-putting aromas, and help the wine express a broader range of flavours. It can be achieved through decanting, swirling, or using an aerating device.
TastingGarrigue
Garrigue is a tasting term borrowed from the Mediterranean landscape, describing the aromatic profile of wild herbs, dried flowers, and sun-baked earth found in wines from Southern France and other Mediterranean climates. It evokes thyme, rosemary, lavender, juniper, cistus, and fennel — the scrubland vegetation that surrounds many southern vineyards.
TastingBrut
Brut is a sweetness classification for Champagne and sparkling wine indicating a dry style with less than 12 grams of residual sugar per litre. It is by far the most popular sparkling wine category globally, accounting for the vast majority of Champagne production and serving as the benchmark style for quality sparkling wine worldwide.
TastingReserve
Reserve (or Reserva/Riserva) is a wine label term indicating a higher quality or longer aging period, though its legal definition varies dramatically by country. In Spain and Italy, reserve designations are strictly regulated with mandatory aging requirements, while in countries like the United States and Australia, the term has no legal meaning whatsoever.
TastingVolatile Acidity
Volatile acidity (VA) refers to the steam-distillable acids in wine, primarily acetic acid, which at elevated levels produces an unpleasant vinegar-like aroma and sharp, pungent taste. While trace amounts of VA are a normal byproduct of fermentation and can add complexity, concentrations above sensory thresholds are considered a wine fault.