Becoming a wine expert takes time, ask sommeliers, it’s no joke. You have to read, study, and practice wine service as well as identify wines by tasting them blindly.
But if you’ve been drinking wine for years and know you can do all of the above while holding your own against the so-called wine experts with professional training; then all you need are these commonly used wine phrases that’ll instantly have you talking like the wine expert you are.
Legs
Legs are the rivulets that run down the side of a wine glass after the wine has been swirled around. The more legs you see, the more full-bodied and alcoholic the wine is.
Tight
A tight wine is a wine without much flavour, meaning, it needs to unwind and develop further.
Reductive
This refers to wine that is kept air-tight during fermentation. The lack of oxygen often creates a sulphurous smell in the wine.
Oxidized
When a wine is oxidized, it means it’s stale and flat due to overexposure to air.
Bouquet
This is the characteristic smell of a matured wine. Bouquet takes a long time to develop, which is why mature wines have complex bouquets.
Terroir
This is a French term for an entire region and climate where a grape is grown. It also sometimes refers to known flavours of a grape’s region.
Tannins
This is the naturally occurring compounds found in the skins, stems and pips of grapes. Tannins also act as a natural preservative to help the wine age and develop.
Body
This is the weight and fullness of a wine on your palate. Wine can be light, medium, or full-bodied. Full-bodied wines tend to be high in alcohol.
So there you have it, you probably knew all these characteristics of wine but wasn’t describing them with these terms; simply arm yourself with these words when talking about wine and voila, you’re a wine expert in the eyes of the ‘professionals.’
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