THE SHORT VERSION
Wine has more specialist vocabulary than most people need. This glossary covers the terms that actually matter: the ones that change how you taste, buy, and talk about wine. Each entry gives you the definition first, then the context that makes it useful. Written for people who drink wine, not people who study it.
HOW TO USE THIS GLOSSARY
The terms are grouped by how you encounter them: tasting, winemaking, viticulture, geography, buying, and faults. Within each section, entries are alphabetical. If you want to find a specific term, use your browser's search function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F).
Every entry has two parts. The first sentence is the definition. Everything after it is the part most glossaries leave out: why this term matters to you.
TASTING
Acidity
The tartness or freshness in wine. Acidity is what makes wine refreshing rather than flabby. It balances sweetness, protects against oxidation, and is one of the most important factors in whether a wine can age. Most great wines have high acidity. Most boring wines do not have enough. When you taste a wine and your mouth waters afterwards, that is acidity at work.
Aftertaste (Finish)
The flavours that remain after you swallow. A long finish where new flavours continue to develop for several seconds is generally a sign of quality. Robert Parker used to boast of 60-second finishes. Most of us will be content with five or six seconds of something interesting. If the wine disappears the moment you swallow, that tells you something too.
Aroma
The smell of a wine, particularly the scents that come from the grape variety itself (primary aromas) and from fermentation (secondary aromas). Distinct from bouquet, which develops with age. When someone says a wine smells of blackcurrant, they are describing an aroma. When they say it smells of leather, cedar, or tobacco, they are usually describing bouquet.
Astringency
The drying, gripping sensation in your mouth caused by tannin. Not a flavour but a texture. Think of the feeling after drinking strong black tea without milk. Some astringency gives wine structure. Too much makes it unpleasant. Time in bottle usually softens it.
Balance
When no single element (acidity, tannin, alcohol, sweetness, fruit) dominates. A balanced wine does not necessarily taste mild or neutral. It can be intensely flavoured, but everything is in proportion. Balance is one of those terms critics use constantly because it matters constantly. A powerful wine without balance is just loud.
Body
The weight and texture of wine in your mouth. Light-bodied wines feel closer to water; full-bodied wines feel closer to whole milk. Body comes mainly from alcohol and extract. A Muscadet is light-bodied. A Barolo is full-bodied. Neither is better. They serve different purposes.
Bouquet
The complex aromas that develop as wine ages in bottle. Distinct from primary aromas (grape-derived) and secondary aromas (fermentation-derived). Bouquet is what makes old wine interesting: leather, earth, truffle, dried flowers, mushroom. These smells do not exist in young wine. They emerge through slow chemical reactions over years. You cannot rush bouquet.
Complexity
A wine that reveals multiple layers of flavour and aroma, and continues to change in the glass. The opposite of simple, which is not an insult. A simple wine does one thing well. A complex wine does several things at once and keeps shifting. Complexity is partly what you are paying for in expensive wine, though price alone does not guarantee it.
Dry
A wine with no perceptible sweetness. Most table wines are dry, though many people assume they prefer dry wine while actually enjoying wines with a touch of residual sugar. Off-dry means slightly sweet. Medium-dry means noticeably sweet but not dessert-level. Bone dry means aggressively, completely without sweetness. Knowing where you sit on this spectrum is one of the most useful things you can learn about your own taste.
Earthy
Flavours or aromas that recall soil, clay, mushroom, truffle, or forest floor. Often associated with Old World wines, particularly Burgundy, Barolo, and aged Rioja. Earthiness is not a fault. It is frequently a sign that the wine genuinely tastes of where it comes from. Some people find earthy wines deeply satisfying. Others find them odd at first. Both responses are reasonable.
Floral
Aromas reminiscent of flowers. Common in aromatic grape varieties like Gewürztraminer (rose, lychee), Viognier (honeysuckle, apricot blossom), and Riesling (white flowers). Not all floral wines are sweet. Many of the most floral wines on earth are bone dry.
Fruit-Forward
A wine where fruit flavours dominate over other characteristics like earth, spice, or mineral. New World wines are typically more fruit-forward than Old World equivalents, though this is a generalisation with many exceptions. Fruit-forward does not mean sweet. A fruit-forward Shiraz from the Barossa Valley can be dry as dust.
Length
The duration of flavour after swallowing. Also called the finish. Length is a reliable proxy for quality because it cannot be faked. A wine can smell expensive and taste impressive on the first sip, but if it vanishes immediately, the illusion collapses. Length is earned through vineyard quality and careful winemaking. It cannot be manufactured in a lab.
Mouthfeel
The tactile sensations wine produces: weight, texture, viscosity, astringency. Mouthfeel is separate from flavour. Two wines might taste similarly fruity but feel completely different in your mouth. One might be silky, the other grippy. Paying attention to mouthfeel is one of the quickest ways to develop your palate because most people ignore it entirely.
Minerality
The salty, stony, flinty, or chalky characteristics in wine. This is a contentious term. The romantic explanation is that minerals are sucked up from the soil through vine roots. The science does not support this. What it actually represents is still debated, but the sensation is real: certain wines grown on limestone, slate, or volcanic soils have a distinctive non-fruity quality that tasters describe as mineral. Chablis, Mosel Riesling, and Muscadet are textbook examples.
Nose
The overall smell of a wine. "Good nose" means it smells interesting and complex. Tasters use "on the nose" to describe what they smell before tasting. Your nose detects far more than your tongue does. If you want to improve at tasting wine, spend more time smelling and less time swishing.
Palate
In tasting, what you perceive in your mouth. "On the palate" means the flavours and textures you detect when you taste. Also used more broadly to mean someone's taste: "she has a good palate" means she can distinguish quality and nuance. Your palate is already better than you think. It just needs calibration, not transformation.
Tannin
The dry, bitter, gripping sensation in wine. Tannin comes from grape skins, seeds, and stems, and also from oak barrels. It is a key structural element in red wine. High tannin wines can feel austere when young but develop beautifully with age. Low tannin reds are approachable immediately. Think of tannin as the skeleton of the wine: invisible, but it determines the shape.
Terroir
The combined influence of soil, climate, topography, and human tradition on a wine's character. Often used pretentiously but the concept is genuine and important. Two vineyards 500 metres apart in Burgundy can produce wines that taste completely different, because the soil, drainage, sun exposure, and microclimate differ. Terroir is why wine from a specific place tastes like that specific place. It is the strongest argument for why wine is worth paying attention to.
Texture
How the wine feels physically. Silky, velvety, grainy, chalky, oily, waxy, creamy. Texture is distinct from flavour and often more revealing. A wine's texture tells you about its winemaking, its age, and its quality in ways that flavour alone cannot.
WINEMAKING
Biodynamic
A viticultural and winemaking philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, treating the vineyard as a self-sustaining organism. Involves preparations made from herbs and minerals, and follows a planting calendar governed by lunar and cosmic cycles. The calendar sounds eccentric. The results, in the hands of producers like Leroy, Leflaive, Zind-Humbrecht, and Nikolaihof, are frequently extraordinary. Whether the philosophy causes the quality or whether the same obsessive attention would yield results regardless is one of wine's most entertaining arguments.
Extraction
The degree to which pigment, tannin, and flavour are drawn from grape skins during winemaking. Winemakers control extraction through pressing pressure, temperature, and maceration time. Heavy extraction produces dense, concentrated wines. Light extraction produces more delicate, aromatic wines. Barolo traditionally uses heavy extraction with long maceration. Beaujolais uses light extraction. Neither is superior.
Fermentation
The process by which yeast converts grape sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This is the moment grape juice becomes wine. Primary fermentation takes one to four weeks. Many wines undergo a second, malolactic fermentation which converts sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid, giving wines a rounder, creamier texture. Virtually all reds go through malolactic fermentation. For whites, it is a deliberate stylistic choice.
Lees
Dead yeast cells that settle at the bottom of a barrel or tank after fermentation. Ageing wine on its lees (sur lie) adds richness, texture, and complexity. Muscadet sur lie, Champagne, and many white Burgundies spend extended time on lees. The technique contributes a bready, biscuity quality. It is one reason why Champagne tastes the way it does.
Maceration
Leaving grape skins in contact with juice to extract colour, tannin, and flavour. Can be as short as a few hours (for rosé) or as long as 60 days (for traditional Barolo). Cold maceration before fermentation extracts colour and fruit without harsh tannin. Extended maceration after fermentation builds structure for ageing. Orange wine is essentially white wine with extended skin maceration.
Malolactic Fermentation
A secondary fermentation that converts sharp malic acid (think green apple) into softer lactic acid (think cream). Virtually all red wines undergo this process. For white wines, it is a choice: Chablis producers often block it to preserve crisp acidity, while many Burgundy producers encourage it for that buttery richness.
Natural Wine
Wine made with minimal intervention: typically native yeasts, no additives, little or no added sulphur. The spectrum is broad. At the quality end, natural winemaking produces some of the most expressive, alive wines in existence. At the other end, the lack of sulphur protection can result in wines that are funky, volatile, or frankly faulty. We select from the quality end. Not because they are natural, but because they are good.
Oak Treatment
Many wines are aged in oak barrels, which contribute flavour (vanilla, toast, spice, coconut), tannin, and micro-oxygenation. The key decisions: what percentage of new oak (new barrels impart the most flavour), the barrel's origin (French oak is finer-grained than American), and duration. Heavy oak dominated winemaking in the 1990s. The trend has shifted decisively towards restraint. When done well, oak integrates invisibly. When overdone, the wine tastes of the barrel rather than the grape.
Organic
Viticulture without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers. Certified organic vineyards follow regulations that vary by country. Organic wine can be superb or terrible, just like conventional wine. The certification tells you about farming practice, not quality. That said, many of the most conscientious producers farm organically because they care about their land. The correlation between organic farming and wine quality is real, even if the certification alone does not guarantee it.
Oxidative
A winemaking style that deliberately exposes wine to oxygen. The resulting wines have a distinctive nutty, amber, honeyed character. Sherry, Jura vin jaune, and many orange wines are oxidative. Oxidation can also be a fault when unintended. The difference between oxidative winemaking and an oxidised wine is intention and control.
Reductive
The opposite of oxidative. Reductive winemaking deliberately excludes oxygen to preserve fresh, primary fruit character. Most modern white wine is made reductively. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a textbook example. On a grander scale, the great white Burgundies of Coche-Dury are characterised by a smoky reductive quality that takes years to unfurl. Reduction can be a fault: heavily reductive wines can smell of struck match, rubber, or boiled cabbage. Usually this blows off with air.
Residual Sugar (RS)
Sugar remaining in wine after fermentation. Dry wines have less than 4 grams per litre. Off-dry wines (like many Rieslings) have 9-18g/l. Sweet wines can exceed 100g/l. Some winemakers deliberately stop fermentation before all sugar converts to alcohol, using residual sugar to balance high acidity. German Riesling is the classic example. The interplay of sugar and acid is what makes great Riesling electrifying rather than cloying.
Sulphites (SO2)
Sulphur dioxide, used as a preservative in almost all wine. Sulphites prevent oxidation and bacterial spoilage. The "contains sulphites" label is legally required but misleading: dried fruit can contain far more sulphites than wine. A small number of people are genuinely sensitive. For most, sulphites at wine levels are harmless. The natural wine movement's resistance to sulphites is philosophical, not medical.
Yield
The volume of juice harvested from a given vineyard area, typically measured in hectolitres per hectare. Low yields often indicate high quality because the vine concentrates its energy into fewer grapes. But low yield alone guarantees nothing. A sparsely planted vineyard yields less simply because there are fewer vines. The quality signal is when a producer deliberately limits yield through aggressive pruning. It is a choice, not an accident.
VITICULTURE
Appellation
A legally defined wine-producing region with rules governing grape varieties, winemaking practices, and quality standards. France has AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee), Italy has DOC/DOCG, Spain has DO. The system protects regional identity and prevents fraud. It also creates a hierarchy: in Burgundy, a village-level appellation is good, a premier cru is better, and a grand cru is the summit. Understanding appellations is not about memorising maps. It is about knowing that when a wine says Chablis on the label, it means something specific and legally enforceable.
Clone
A genetically identical grapevine propagated from a single parent. Different clones of the same grape variety can produce noticeably different wines. Pinot Noir, for instance, has hundreds of registered clones, each selected for specific characteristics: smaller berries, better colour, disease resistance, or flavour concentration. Winemakers often plant multiple clones for complexity.
Cru
A French term meaning vineyard or growth, used to classify quality. In Burgundy, a premier cru vineyard is superior to village-level; a grand cru is the peak. In Bordeaux, the 1855 Classification ranked estates (chateaux) from first to fifth growth. In Beaujolais, the ten cru villages (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent, etc.) represent the finest expressions of Gamay. The word simply means "a recognised site of quality."
Old Vines (Vieilles Vignes)
Vines of significant age, typically 40 years or older, though there is no legal definition. Old vines produce fewer grapes with more concentrated flavours. Their deep root systems access water and nutrients younger vines cannot reach, making them more resilient to drought and producing more complex wine. When you see "vieilles vignes" on a label, it usually means the producer considers the vine age a meaningful quality factor.
Rootstock
The root system onto which grape vines are grafted. Nearly all European vines are grafted onto American rootstock because American vine species are resistant to phylloxera, the root-eating aphid that devastated European vineyards in the late 19th century. A few rare vineyards with pre-phylloxera vines still exist on their own roots (franc de pied). Whether these produce better wine is debated. That they are rare and historically significant is not.
Vintage
The year in which the grapes were grown. Climatic conditions vary year to year, and the vintage determines much of the wine's character. A great vintage in Bordeaux means warm, dry conditions that allowed full ripening. A difficult vintage might mean rain at harvest. Vintage variation is part of what makes wine interesting, and why the same producer's wine can taste noticeably different from one year to the next. Non-vintage wines (like most Champagne) blend across years for consistency.
Non-Vintage (NV)
A wine blended from multiple harvests rather than a single year. Most Champagne is non-vintage: the house blends reserve wines from previous years with the current harvest to maintain a consistent house style. NV is not a sign of lower quality. It is a different philosophy: consistency over vintage expression. Some of the most expensive Champagnes on earth (Krug Grande Cuvée, for instance) are non-vintage.
Viticulture
Everything that happens in the vineyard before the grapes are picked. Pruning, canopy management, irrigation decisions, harvest timing. Great wine starts here. No amount of clever winemaking compensates for grapes grown carelessly.
Vinification
Everything that happens after the grapes are picked. Sorting, crushing, fermentation, ageing, blending, bottling. The winemaker's craft. The distinction from viticulture matters because the best producers understand that their job is to translate the vineyard, not override it.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLASSIFICATION
Cepage
The grape variety or varieties used in a wine. A monocepage wine uses a single grape. Bordeaux is typically a cepage blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and others. Burgundy is almost always monocepage: Pinot Noir for reds, Chardonnay for whites.
Cuvée
A specific blend or batch of wine. In Champagne, the cuvée can refer to the first, highest quality press juice. More broadly, producers use cuvée to name individual wines: "Cuvee Prestige" or "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes." It simply means "this particular wine."
IGP / Vin de France / AOC
The three tiers of the French wine classification system. AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee) is the most regulated: specific grapes, yields, and methods for a defined region. IGP (Indication Geographique Protegee) allows more flexibility in grape varieties and winemaking while still guaranteeing regional origin. Vin de France is the broadest: any grape, any region, no geographic restriction. The hierarchy implies AOC is best, but some of France's most exciting wines are deliberately classified as IGP or Vin de France because the winemaker uses grape varieties or methods not permitted under AOC rules. Classification tells you about regulation, not quality.
Climat
A precisely delimited vineyard parcel in Burgundy, recognised by centuries of observation as having a distinct character. Burgundy has over 1,200 named climats, from village-level to grand cru. The system was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2015. When a Burgundy label says "Les Amoureuses" or "Clos de Vougeot," that is a climat. The concept is the purest expression of terroir in wine: the belief that a specific patch of earth, sometimes only a few rows of vines, produces wine that tastes like nowhere else.
Lieu-dit
A named vineyard site, similar to a climat but without the formal Burgundian classification structure. Lieu-dits appear across France, particularly in the Loire, Alsace, and the Rhone. A lieu-dit on a label tells you the producer considers that specific site distinctive enough to bottle separately. It is a statement of terroir confidence.
Domaine
A wine estate in Burgundy and other French regions where the producer grows their own grapes and makes wine from their own vineyards. Distinct from a negociant, who buys grapes or wine from others. "Domaine-bottled" is generally considered a quality signal because it implies control over the entire process from vine to bottle.
Negociant
A wine merchant who buys grapes, juice, or finished wine from growers, then blends, ages, and bottles under their own label. Historically important in Burgundy, where vineyard fragmentation means individual holdings can be tiny. Quality varies enormously. The best negociants (Jadot, Drouhin, Leroy) produce world-class wine. The worst produce anonymous blends. The term carries no inherent quality judgement.
New World / Old World
Old World refers to traditional European wine regions: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Austria, Greece. New World refers to everywhere else: Australia, New Zealand, USA, Chile, Argentina, South Africa. The distinction is less about geography than philosophy. Old World wines traditionally emphasise terroir, restraint, and food-friendliness. New World wines traditionally emphasise fruit, power, and varietal expression. These generalisations are increasingly outdated as winemaking converges globally, but they remain a useful shorthand.
BUYING AND SERVING
ABV (Alcohol by Volume)
The percentage of alcohol in a wine. Most table wines fall between 11% and 15%. Higher ABV can produce a warm, sometimes burning sensation in the throat that tasters call "hot." Lower ABV wines (under 12%) tend to feel lighter and more refreshing. German Riesling can be as low as 8%. Australian Shiraz can reach 15.5%. Neither number tells you whether the wine is good. It tells you how the wine will feel.
Brut, Extra Brut, Sec, Demi-Sec
The sweetness scale for sparkling wine, measured in grams of sugar per litre. Brut Nature or Zero Dosage: 0-3g/l. Extra Brut: 0-6g/l. Brut: 0-12g/l. Extra Dry (confusingly, sweeter than Brut): 12-17g/l. Sec: 17-32g/l. Demi-Sec: 32-50g/l. Doux: 50g/l+. Most Champagne is Brut. If you find Brut too austere, try Extra Dry or Sec. The labels are counterintuitive by design, which is very on-brand for the wine industry.
Decanting
Pouring wine from its bottle into a separate vessel, usually to separate it from sediment or to expose it to air. Young, tannic reds often benefit from decanting because oxygen softens the tannins and opens up aromas. Old wines with sediment need gentle decanting to leave the gritty bits behind. White wines and lighter reds rarely need decanting, though some benefit from it. When in doubt, pour a glass and wait twenty minutes. If it improves, decant the rest.
Magnum
A bottle containing 1.5 litres, double the standard 750ml. Wine ages more slowly and gracefully in magnums because the ratio of wine to air (through the cork) is more favourable. Magnums also look impressive at dinner. There is no downside to a magnum except storage space.
Serving Temperature
The temperature at which wine is served profoundly affects how it tastes. Most people serve red wine too warm and white wine too cold. Full-bodied reds: 16-18C. Light reds: 12-14C. Full-bodied whites: 10-13C. Light whites and rose: 7-10C. Sparkling: 6-8C. Room temperature is a pre-central-heating concept. Your living room is too warm for red wine.
Vertical / Horizontal Tasting
A vertical tasting compares different vintages of the same wine. A horizontal tasting compares different wines from the same vintage. Verticals reveal how a wine evolves over time. Horizontals reveal how different producers or regions express the same growing conditions. Both are excellent ways to sharpen your palate quickly.
FAULTS
Brettanomyces (Brett)
A wild yeast that produces aromas variously described as barnyard, band-aid, wet horse, or sweaty saddle. At low levels, some tasters find it adds complexity, particularly in Rhone and traditional Bordeaux. At high levels, it overwhelms the wine's character entirely. Whether brett is a fault or a feature depends on who you ask and how much of it there is. The debate is endless and entertaining.
Corked (TCA)
Wine affected by TCA (trichloroanisole), a compound typically originating in contaminated cork. Corked wine smells of damp cardboard, wet dog, or musty basement. At low levels it simply strips the wine of fruit and makes it taste flat. At high levels the smell is unmistakable. Once you have identified cork taint, you will never miss it again. It is a fatal flaw. Estimates vary, but it is common enough to be the strongest argument for screwcaps.
Cooked
Wine that has been damaged by excessive heat, typically during transport or storage. Cooked wine tastes stewed, jammy, and flat. The telltale sign is a cork that has started to push out of the bottle, or sticky residue around the capsule. If you see this, the wine has been compromised.
Oxidised
Wine that has been exposed to too much oxygen, causing it to lose freshness and develop stale, bruised-apple flavours. Whites turn amber. Reds turn brown at the rim. Distinct from oxidative winemaking, which is deliberate and controlled. Accidental oxidation is always a fault. It happens when corks fail, when bottles are stored upright for too long, or when wine sits open for days.
Volatile Acidity (VA)
Acetic acid in wine that, at high levels, makes it smell of vinegar or nail polish remover. At very low levels, VA can add lift and complexity. Above a certain threshold, it is a clear fault. Some natural wines push this boundary deliberately. Whether that constitutes art or negligence is a matter of taste and tolerance.
WHAT NOW?
These terms come alive when you apply them in practical tasting. The vocabulary is not an end in itself. It is a tool for noticing what is already in your glass.
Start with the foundations: A Beginner's Guide to Wine
Develop your palate: Five Expert Methods to Discover Your Palate
Go deeper: How Taste Works: The Science of Wine Flavour and Memory
Or taste for yourself. Our wine subscriptions deliver the bottles that make these terms real.