Welcome to the OkVine Wine Glossary, this is our dictionary of what we think are the most commonly used wine descriptors.

Wine, has its own unique language, in this section we try to de-mystify it for you.

A
Acid/Acidity
Aftertaste or Finish
Aging
Aroma
Astringent

B
Balance or Balanced
Big
Bitterness
Body
Botrytis or Botrytis Cinerea
Bouquet
Breathing

Buttery

C
Closed
Complex
Corked
Crisp

D
Delicate
Depth
Dry

E

Earthy

F
Finesse
Flat or Flabby
Fragrant
Fruity
Full or Full-Bodied

H - O
Herbacious
Intricate
Legs
Nose
Oaky
Off-dry
Oxidized

P - Z
Rich
Structure
Tannin
Terroir
Varietal Character

ACID/ACIDITY

Describes the quality of sourness, sharpness, and tartness of a wine. It is the taste in the mouth when consumed. The term "acidity" is displayed on wine labels to express the total acid content of the wine.

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AFTERTASTE or FINISH

These are two words used to describe the taste left in your mouth after you’ve swallowed the wine. Both quality (fruity, spicy, tannic, etc) and length (short or long) are evaluated.

AGING

Although long-term aging is not a sought-after virtue in wine any longer, wines do improve during the aging process, which can take anywhere from four months to five years before the wine is ready to be sold or drunk. To let get older under controlled conditions in order to improve flavor. All wine is aged from a few weeks to many decades. Aging in barrels is a very slow oxidation,and the barrels can impart flavors to the wine

AROMA

The primary smells of a young wine that reflect the grape variety – anything from berries to floral to spicy.

ASTRINGENT

The term used to describe the impression of a slightly dry, rough, puckery feeling in your mouth following wine tasting. Wines that are described as astringent typically have high tannin content.

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BALANCE or BALANCED

A term used to describe wines that are not dominated by any one characteristic. i.e.: acid balances sweet. An extremely acidic, harsh, or flat wine is not considered in balance.

BIG

Broad descriptive term for full bodied wine with powerful flavor and aroma.

BITTERNESS

Bitterness is one of the four basic tastes and can be detected at the back of the tongue or top of the throat.

BODY

Describes the impression of structure, density, fullness, thickness, or weight in your mouth after wine tasting. The amount of alcohol and tannin in a particular wine has a direct effect on the body of a wine.

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BOTRYTIS or BOTRYTIS CINEREA

In France, this is called “noble rot.” A mold or fungus that attacks grapes. When controlled it causes concentrated sugar in grapes resulting in delightfully sweet wines.

BOUQUET

Is the smells that develop as a result of fermentation or with age in the wine bottle. As a technical term, the smells that develop with age in the wine bottle, as opposed to "aroma," the smells associated with the fruit.

BREATHING

This is what a wine does if you exposed it to air. Sometimes, simply leaving it in your wine glass for a few moments will bring out the character of a wine. Sometimes, it is necessary to decant a wine. Pour the wine into a larger container, such as a decanter, to mix the air with the wine, hastening the aging process. Breathing can be beneficial for many red wines and also for some young whites, depending on the wine.

BUTTERY

Descriptor for rich flavour and smoothness of texture, somewhat akin to the oiliness and flavour of butter. More often refers to oak-aged white wines than reds; many Chardonnays and white Burgundies are said to have buttery aromas and flavors.

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CLOSED

If a wine is said to be “closed” it suggests there are expected flavours and aromas that are hidden or that you cannot fully detect. Closed usually refers to a temporary condition and, with a bit of exposure to air or further aging, will bring about more character definition in the wine.

COMPLEX

A complex wine is one with many elements that are present together, yet none necessarily dominates the other. Complexity is that elusive quality in which many layers of flavour separate a great wine from a very good one.

CORKED

A wine that has been either contaminated with a penicillin infection inside the cork or by chemicals used in the processing of the cork. The infection causes the wine to be unpleasantly musty, corky, and moldy.

CRISP

Descriptor of a fresh, brisk, young wine, pleasingly balanced with refreshing acidity.

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DELICATE

This term refers to a wine that is light and complex with many flavours working together, but not overbearing.

DEPTH

This is a broad term that refers to a wine that is demanding of more attention. It begins with subtle layers of flavour that go deeper into more complex and secondary flavours.

DRY

The term refers to a wine vinified to possess little or no sweetness. It is used to describe the opposite of sweet. Most table wines are dry, because dry wines seem to work best with food.

EARTHY

Smell or flavour reminiscent of earth. A certain earthiness can be appealing; too much makes the wine coarse.

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FINESSE

A complimentary term referring to the complexity, elegance and delicacy of a wine.

FLAT or FLABBY

This is a negative term for a wine lacking acidity and structure.

FRAGRANT

A fragrant wine is one that is very aromatic and reminiscent of flowers or fruit blossoms.

FRUITY

A fruity wine is one in which various fruit flavors dominate the aroma and taste.

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FULL or FULL-BODIED

This is a textural description for a wine that feels full and weighty in your mouth. Typically, wines of relatively high alcohol will have fuller bodies for balance.

HERBACEOUS

This is an adjective used to describe a wine with the taste and aroma of herbs. An herbal aroma or flavour is primarily a function of the grape variety.

INTRICATE

Interweaving of subtle complexities of aroma and flavour.

LEGS

This term is used when referring to the liquid streams that form on the inside of a wine glass after the wine has been swirled. Usually, the higher the alcohol content, the more impressive the streams.

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NOSE

The nose is a wine taster's term for the overall aroma and bouquet of a wine. It refers to all odours detectable in a wine, whether desirable or defective.

OAKY

Aroma and flavour that derive from aging in oak casks or barrels. Characterized by smokiness, vanilla, clove or other spices. Should not be overly pronounced.

OFF-DRY

Not quite dry, a perception of sweetness too faint to call the wine sweet.

OXIDIZED

This smell refers to a wine that has been overexposed to air. The result will be a loss of clearly distinct components.

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RICH

Full, opulent flavour, body and aroma.

STRUCTURE

The structure of a wine refers to how a wine is built. Some compare it to the bones in a human body because it refers to how a wine holds together.

TANNIN

A natural component found to varying degrees in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes; most prominent in red wines, where it creates a dry, puckering sensation in young reds of concentrated extract; mellows with aging and drops out of the wine to form sediment; a major component in the structure of red wines.

TERROIR

This is a technical French term that is used to describe the characteristic aromas and flavours of wine from grapes grown in a particular vineyard or region. Terroir incorporates the characteristic contributions of both soil and climate to the wine's unique style or "typicity."

VARIETAL CHARACTER

This term reflects the expected aromas and flavours of the grape variety from which the wine is made. A region’s winemaking practices, soils and grape varieties all have an influence on the wine’s character.

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