WINE LINGO
Chardonnay? Chablis? Is that wine a Pinot Noir or a Pinot Grigio? We’ve heard all of these words before, but what do all of these things mean? There are so many different varieties of wine and almost as many regions where it’s produced. We know that wine can be confusing and we are here to help.
There are thousands of different ways that wines are described, which is what makes them each so special. Learning key wine lingo is not only helpful to your palette when choosing wines in the future, but it just might help you look in-the-know at your next dinner party, too!
When describing taste, use words like…
- Body. Describing the “body” of the wine means you are talking about the feeling of weight in your mouth, a.k.a. how thin or thick the wine feels.
- Balance. Balance is pretty much exactly what you think it is. Explaining that a wine is “balanced” means that overall the flavor is harmonious and not too sharp towards a certain taste like sour or bitter.
- Finish. The “finish” of a wine describes the aftertaste, or the flavor that the wine leaves in your mouth. High quality wines tend to have a longer finish that is more complex than wines of low quality.
- Dry. Calling a wine “dry” means that you are saying it is not sweet. Dry wines have very low levels of sugar.
When describing appearance, use words like…
- Legs. Have you ever seen people swirl their wine around their glass? One of the reasons that people do this is to help them see the “legs” of the wine, or the drops that slide down the side of the glass (which make little paths that look like legs). The more alcohol that there is in a wine, the thicker the legs are and the slower they will trickle down the side of your glass.
- Look. The “look” of your wine is a simple and casual visual assessment of the wine and can include noting the color, whether it is light or dark, or whether for reds you can see through the wine or if it’s opaque.
Some of the most famous wine producing countries in the world include…
- Italy. Italy is famous for both its red and white wines, and is also where Cavit wine originates! In addition to bringing us the crowd-pleasing Pinot Grigio and the sumptuous Chianti, Italy also brings the world a variety of cooking wines, including Marsala.
- United States. The most famous region in the United States for wine, Napa Valley is located in Northern California, just east of San Francisco. This area is known mostly for its red wines, and particularly varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
- France. Arguably the most famous wine-growing region of the world. Bordeaux and Burgundy are particularly famous for their red wines, which are world-renown for bringing us Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc blends and many more. France is also the place that brought us bubbly, from the high northern region of Champagne itself.
Now you’re a wine expert. Enjoy all your newfound knowledge and be sure to bust out a few of these terms at your next dinner party!
