Wine Tasting Notes Decoded

 

In a perfect world, the professional wine tasting notes you see alongside the wine would serve to give the drinker a general informed idea of what to expect from the aromatics, mouthfeel, and taste of the varietal(s) and vintage in the bottle. And more often than not, they do a good job of it. There are tons of sites and winemakers that give tasting notes, but some of them are more focused on making the writer sound like an insider or an aficionado than actually informing the reader.

The purpose Of this page is to help you sift through some of the more technical, esoteric, (and sometimes nonsensical) terms you’ll read on wine notes so you’ll know what they mean in real language. Understanding these terms will be greatly beneficial in determining what to buy (and not buy).  I’ll update it regularly with new terms.

Old World Style – A wine made to mimic the European style of winemaking. Old world wines tend to be lower in alcohol, less fruity, more earthy, savory, and restrained than new world wines.

New World Style – A wine made in the predominant style of winemaking in Western Hemisphere (The U.S. and South America), and Australia/New Zealand. New World wines tend to be bolder, fruitier, and higher in alcohol than Old World wines.

Bordeaux Varietals – Grapes that are primarily grown in the Bordeaux region of France. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre, Petite Verdot

Bordeaux/Bourdeaux style – These wines are made from a blend of Bordeaux varietals, usually dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon

Rhone Varietals – Grapes that are primarily grown in the Rhone region of France.  Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, etc.

Tannins/Tannic – Tannins refer to the somewhat astringent (mouth drying) and bitter taste elements that come from exposing the grape juice to the skin and seeds of the grape. The longer the exposure, the more tannin microparticles the wine will have. Some red varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon tend to naturally produce more tannins than others. A wine is considered “tannic” if the level of astringency and bitterness is unpleasant. This is common in young reds. Over time (either through bottle aging or decanting), the unpleasant astringency fades, giving way to a smoothness that greatly enhances mouthfeel while maintaining structure. Balancing tannins is a sign of quality winemaking. Tannins are pretty much exclusive to red wines (see skin exposure). Wine terms you may see that generally refer to tannins and tannic effects include grip, tight, structure, bite, muscular, etc.

Mouthfeel – Literally, how the wine feels in your mouth. Although. All wine is basically fermented grape Juice, based on the level of alcohol, time in The barrel, skin. Exposure, and the skill/preferences of the winemaker, the wine can feel “thin”, “thick”, and even viscus and “oily” in the mouth. Detecting and enjoying these differences is part of the joy of wine tasting.

Nose – The aromas that you detect when you smell the wine.

Bouquet – The term used to describe wine aromas… about 30 years ago. Don’t use it unless you want to be mistaken for a senior citizen (or if you’re in Great Britan). Use “nose” instead

Oak/Oaky – Generally describes the pronounced effect of barrel aging on the wine. With the exception of most light bodies whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, etc), wines spend time “aging” in a barrel or new or used French (or other) oak. Since oak is a porous wood, and alcohol is a mild wood solvent, the wine dissolves some of the characteristics of the oak and add them to the wine. Some of these characteristics are expressed as vanilla, butter, toffee, baking spices, and of course the wood itself.  The longer the wine is in the barrel, the more of these characteristics it will absorb. Whenever you read that a wine has the flavor elements noted above, be aware that they come from the barrel, NOT the grape. A skilled winemaker knows how long to keep a wine in barrel to read the optimal flavor profile and balance without overdoing it.

French Oak – this type of oak has a tighter wood grain (so it’s less porous) than other versions and is considered optimal for wine aging. It is also the most expensive type of barrel so wine aged in them are also more expensive than those aged in other types of oak.

New vs Used vs Neutral Oak– New oak barrels have never been used to age wines and deliver the strongest, most pronounced oak flavoring profiles and aerobatics. Used oak barrels have (obviously) been used previously to age wine, so they will impart less oak-y flavors and aromas. After a barrel has been used so many times that it no longer imparts any strong oak notes, its referred to as neutral oak.

Skin Exposure – The amount of time the grape juice is allowed to spend in the same vat as the grape skins. The longer the exposure, the more color, flavors, and tannins the juice retains. Interesting note – ALL grape juice is initially clear – even red grapes. The difference is that white varietals get little to no skin exposure, rosè gets a small amount, while reds get a lot more.

Pie Crust/Brioche/Buiscut (basically any reference to bread) – Toasty butter notes that come from time in oak barrels

Structure – This refers to mouth drying astringency of red wines via tannins or the puckering effect of acidity. A good winemaker balances these elements so that the structure gives wine complexity, a good mouthfeel, and character without being overbearing.

Character – The wine has multiple, distinct and desirable elements of taste and aroma.  The opposite of a simple, one-note wine

Palate – (front, mid, and back) – Technically, your palate is the roof of your mouth. But nothing fun happens up there. You can do lots of more exciting things with your tongue (this is a PG-13 site, so I won’t go into any more details). And when it comes to wine tasting, the palate refers to the sections of the tongue where you taste the complex flavor profiles of the wine. The front palate is the front or top of the tongue where you taste simpler (i.e. sweet and fruity) notes. This is why most new wine drinkers prefer sweeter wines because they immediately stimulate this area and linger there. The mid-palate (or mid-tongue) detects and appreciates more complex and enjoyable elements, like darker fruit and savory notes. And the back palate is where things that are considered “acquired tastes” like bitter, roasted, funky, complex, and especially tannic profiles are enjoyed. If you drink a wine that extends to the back palate, that’s usually a sign of quality. So when you during a complex, full-bodied wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, you’ll like taste red fruit on the front palate, dark fruit and chocolate, mid-palate, and deeper tannic bitterness and other interesting notes on the back palate.

Varietal – The type of grape used to make the wine

Inky – Red wine with very dark purple color in the glass

Oily – A thick rich mouthfeel reminiscent of cooking oil

Fruit Bomb – Big and possibly overpowering fruit elements. All front palate fruitiness. Not complex or terribly interesting. Good for pairing with big flavors like BBQ or other bold foods, but not something you’d pull out for a special occasion.

Fruity – Fruit notes dominate the palate

Fruit Forward – Most of the impact is on the front palate where you taste the pronounced fruit. Fruit forward wines are generally considered easy drinking and enjoyable, but not complex or refined

Austere/Restrained – Generally means that the wine is not bold or particular fruity. You taste very little on the front palate, and what shows up in the mid and back palate is quite subtle, and tends toward the earthy/bitter side. This could be because the wine needs time to open up, the varietal is known for its subtlety, or the winemaker intentionally made the wine to be more subdued. Old world and old world style wines are often made this way. (Personal note – these are generally my least favorite types of wine)

Balanced/Refined – No single element of the wine overpowers the others. The wine is equally fruity, savory, acidic, structured, oaky, etc. This allows you to enjoy all the many complexities of the wine. balance is generally a hallmark of good winemaking

Warm – Relatively high in alcohol

Open(ed) up – When a wine reaches its optimal nose, taste, and mouthfeel by letting it get air. Exposing wine to oxygen via decanting, letting it sit in the glass, or bottle aging causes the wine to degrade due to oxidation. In the short term, This is actually a good thing! The chemical reaction of Oxidation causes wine to release the deeper flavors and aromatics that wine drinkers enjoy.

Closed – The wine is not expressing much in the way of flavor or aromatics. It needs time to open up, either through bottle aging or decanting

Pure – The wine is expressing uncomplex fruit notes, and not much else

Stainless Steel – aging wine in stainless steel instead of oak causes the wine to express the essence of the varietal and fermentation without the notes you get from oak. This is almost exclusively done with white varietals

Sappy – Pretentious way of referencing fruit sweetness

Crushed Rock – Ever eaten crushed rocks? Me neither. This refers to earthy mineral notes

Mineral/Minerality – This is the (not unpleasant) medicinal, astringent, and slightly earthy notes you get from certain wines, particularly white varietals. Think of the aftertaste of the old Flintstone chewable vitamins you had as a kid

Earthy  – This is the familiar pleasant, rich earthy notes tase of soil (aka dirt). We all know his taste. Even if you didn’t eat dirt as a kid (I won’t judge you if you did), you’ve still tasted the soil notes on root vegetables like potatoes or inhaled it while on a dusty trail.  Many wines also have these notes. Also commomly refrred to as “dust”, “dusty”, and “loamy”.

White Flowers – A light floral smell and/or taste

Black Fruit –  Blackberries, currants, etc

Purple Fruit – Plums, prunes, black cherries, etc

Red Fruit – Cherries, raspberries, ripe strawberries

Blue Fruit – Pretty much just blueberries

Black Tea – Uh, pretty much the flavors of black tea.  A common aspect in Pinot Noir

Asian spice – Some combination of white pepper, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and ginger

Kirsh – Reminiscent of cherry liqueur

Dry – Wines with little or no residual sugar. Basically not sweet

Off-Dry – Slightly sweet due to the presence of some residual sugar.  But not at all cloying

Residual Sugar – The amount of sugar left in the wine that was not converted to alcohol by the fermentation process. Sweet dessert wines have “high residual sugar”

Vegetal – In the case of dry whites like sauvignon blanc, it refers to pleasant notes of green pepper and asparagus that are characteristic of the varietal. But in red wines, vegetal notes are a sign of a colder vintage where the grapes did not ripen well. Vegetal notes in red wine are considered undesirable

Vintage – The growing year in which the wine was produced

Vanilla, toffee, buttery – When you see these descriptions its a commentary on characteristics the wine gets from oak barrel aging

Stone Fruit– Fruit with large pits. Primarily peaches, nectarines and apricots

Currant – This is a term wine writers LOVE to use when creating Cabernet Sauvignon notes.  Currants are small vine berries primarily grown in Europe and seldom seen in the U.S. – which adds to their (and the writers) cache since it makes them seem more exotic and unattainable.  The thing is, Cabs actually do taste a lot like black currants.  If you’ve never eaten one, and don’t have that frame of reference, don’t worry about it.  Just note that “currant” means “taste like Cabernet”.

Brambleberry – Pretentious name for a regular ol’ blackberry

Cassis – Pretentious way of describing a light, slightly fruity chocolate notes

Tasting with Your Nose

There is a special category of wine taste descriptors that are actually things that you’ve probably actually tasted (or have ever wanted in your mouth). Things like leather, fresh cut grass, wet stone, cigar box, etc. In these cases, what is actually being the described are tastes that you “smell”. Up to 80% of our taste sensation actually comes from our sense of smell. (Try pinching your nose when you taste something and notice how bland it becomes). So when you smell something good (or bad) you are partially “tasting” it as well. The following notes are in the category or “smells you taste”

Leather

Tobacco

Forrest floor – This is the smell you get if you’ve ever walked through a dank wooded area. especially after rain. It’s earthy, rich, and a little sweet.

Cigar/cigar box

Earth

Barnyard aka “funk”– the wine smells a bit like the district aroma of animal poop you smell on a farm. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and is actually desirable in some varietals.

Funk – A pleasantly musky quality. Think of the smell of good yeasty bread and fermented foods.

Licorice

New car smell – (just kidding. I’ve never seen this in a tasting note. But I wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried to use it one day)