Wine Glossary
Common wine words explained in plain English.
A-C
Acidity: The tart, mouth-watering quality in wine. High-acid wines taste fresh and pair well with food.
Aeration: Exposing wine to air, by swirling or decanting, to soften it and release aromas.
AOC / AVA / DOCG: Official wine-region systems in France, the United States and Italy that define where grapes come from.
Blend: A wine made from more than one grape variety, such as a Bordeaux blend.
Body: How heavy or full a wine feels in your mouth: light, medium or full.
Brut: A dry style of sparkling wine. Brut Nature and Extra Brut are drier still.
Corked: A wine fault caused by a contaminated cork that makes wine smell like wet cardboard.
D-L
Decanting: Pouring wine into another vessel to aerate it or separate it from sediment.
Dry: A wine with little or no sweetness.
Finish: How long the flavor lingers after you swallow.
Fortified wine: Wine with added spirit, such as Port or Sherry.
Legs: The streaks that run down the glass after swirling, linked to alcohol and sugar, not quality.
Lees: Spent yeast cells. Aging on the lees adds richness and bready notes.
M-S
Malolactic fermentation: A process that turns sharp acids into softer ones, giving Chardonnay its buttery note.
Minerality: A stony, chalky or saline impression in some wines.
New World / Old World: Old World means Europe; New World means places like the US, Australia, Chile and New Zealand.
Non-vintage (NV): A wine blended from several harvest years, common in Champagne.
Oaky: Flavors of vanilla, toast or spice from aging in oak barrels.
Off-dry: Slightly sweet.
Sommelier: A trained wine professional, usually working in restaurants.
T-Z
Tannin: The drying, grippy sensation in red wine that comes from grape skins, seeds and oak.
Terroir: How a place's soil, climate and landscape shape a wine.
Varietal: A wine named after its main grape, such as Merlot or Riesling.
Vintage: The year the grapes were harvested.
Viticulture: The science and practice of growing grapes.
Ready to put these words to use? Read types of wine or our Wine 101 guide.