Tasting a wine is not just about saying whether it is good or bad. It means observing its colour, analysing its nose, understanding its palate and putting words to the sensations. Acidity, tannins, attack, finish, length and minerality are all part of the essential vocabulary of wine tasting. Here are the main terms to know to better understand what you are drinking and talk about wine more precisely.
Colour: the visual aspect of wine
Tasting begins with observation.
The colour ("robe" in French) refers to the hue and appearance of the wine in the glass. You can look at its intensity, brightness and evolution.
A young red wine can be ruby or purple. Over time, its colour can evolve towards garnet and then brick-red hues.
For a white wine, you can speak of pale yellow, golden or amber.
Colour alone cannot tell you the quality, but it already gives some clues about the wine's style and age.
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The nose: understanding aromas
The nose refers to all the aromas perceived when smelling the wine.
You can first smell the glass without swirling it, then swirl gently to release more aromas.
A wine can be fruity, floral, spicy, oaky or herbaceous.
In a red, you often find red fruits such as strawberry, cherry or raspberry, but also black fruits such as blackberry or blackcurrant.
A white can evoke citrus, apple, pear, peach or white flowers.
Some wines also develop notes of vanilla, leather, tobacco, undergrowth or spice with ageing.
The attack: the first sensation on the palate
The attack is the first impression when the wine enters the mouth.
It can be lively, round, supple, powerful or delicate.
A lively attack is generally associated with marked acidity and plenty of freshness.
A round attack gives a softer, more enveloping sensation.
After this first impression comes the mid-palate, where you analyse substance, tannins, alcohol, acidity and texture.
Acidity and freshness
Acidity plays an essential role in a wine's balance.
It brings freshness and liveliness. When well integrated, it makes the wine more dynamic.
A very lively wine generally has high acidity.
Conversely, a wine lacking acidity can seem heavy or lack tension.
Freshness is particularly sought in many white, rosé and sparkling wines, but it also matters in red wines.
Tannins and astringency
Tannins are mainly found in red wines.
They come from the skins, seeds and sometimes the stems of the grapes. Oak ageing can also change how they feel.
Tannins give the wine structure.
When they cause a drying sensation on the gums, this is called astringency.
Tannins can be described as fine, silky, firm, powerful or rough.
A tannic wine can have good ageing potential, as tannins evolve and can soften over time.
Round, broad or full-bodied: describing texture
Texture describes the physical sensation of the wine in the mouth.
A round wine is soft and enveloping.
A supple wine has an easy-going structure with little harshness.
A broad wine gives a sense of volume, while a full-bodied wine has more substance and structure.
A wine can also be called fat or unctuous when the texture seems richer.
These words serve above all to describe the style of the wine.
Balance: an essential word
A balanced wine is one whose different elements work well together.
Acidity, alcohol, tannins, substance and any sugar must find a certain harmony.
A wine can be powerful and still balanced. Conversely, a light wine can lack balance if its acidity or alcohol dominates too strongly.
Balance is therefore one of the most important criteria in a tasting.
Minerality
Minerality is often used to describe certain wines, especially whites.
It can evoke stone, chalk, flint or a saline sensation.
You might speak of a mineral finish, a chalky sensation or a certain salinity.
The term remains fairly broad, however. It is often better to specify the sensation you actually feel.
Retronasal aroma
Retronasal olfaction refers to the aromas perceived once the wine is already in the mouth.
Aromatic molecules travel up to the nose through the back of the mouth.
This step reveals aromas that were not necessarily obvious on the first nose.
It therefore completes the aromatic analysis of the wine.
Finish and length
The finish refers to the sensations the wine leaves after swallowing or spitting.
It can be fruity, fresh, spicy, tannic, oaky or mineral.
Length refers to how long these sensations remain perceptible.
A long wine keeps its aromas for several seconds.
People also speak of aromatic persistence. The caudalie is a unit used to measure it, one caudalie corresponding roughly to one second.
How to describe a wine simply
You do not need dozens of technical terms to talk about a wine properly.
It is often enough to follow a few steps: observe the colour, identify the main aromas on the nose, analyse the attack, acidity, tannins and texture, and finish with the finish.
For example, you might describe a fruity, round and supple red wine with fine tannins and a spicy finish.
A white wine might be described as fresh, lively and floral, with citrus and a mineral finish.
Tasting vocabulary is above all a way to express your sensations better.
Colour, nose, palate, aromas, attack, acidity, tannins, balance, roundness, freshness, finish and length are the essential words to start with. The more you taste, the more natural these terms become and the better you understand each wine.
