In this glossary I’ll do my best to break down what people mean when they describe wine. And I will keep my explanations as straight-forward as I can. Keep in mind that some flavors are more difficult to describe than others.
I encourage you to refer to this list while you’re enjoying wine so you can link the descriptor with the taste you’re experiencing. Then you’ll know how to describe what you’re looking for when you order wine.
I’ll add to this list over time, so let me know if there are any words you want me to cover!
Acidity
Coming soon
Brioche
Coming soon
Buttery
Most often used to describe chardonnay, especially Meursault. If you’re imagining the artificial butter flavor they add to popcorn, that’s not it at all. It is more of a richness and fullness of flavor that you enjoy when you have fresh creamery butter. These butter notes come from the oak and the fermentation process. Wines that come across as buttery have almost always undergone malolactic fermentation, meaning that the tart-tasting lactic acid in the wine has been converted into softer-tasting malic acid. Said a less technical way, wines like this have a lovely mellowness to them that makes them enjoyable to drink and easy to pair with food.
Clean
Coming soon
Citrus
Coming soon
Crisp
Coming soon
Creamy
Coming soon
Earthy
Coming soon
Floral
Coming soon
Fruit
Coming soon
Mineral
Coming soon
Oaky/Oaked
Many wines are oaked (aka aged in oak barrels where the barrel imparts flavors to the wine), though it is usually easier to discern the oak flavor in a white wine, unless you’re drinking a red that really saw a lot of oak. There are different kinds of oak (usually French and American) but the overall flavor they impart is similar. A properly oaked wine takes on a beautiful roundness of flavor, an improperly oaked wine tastes like a 2×4. Yes, really a 2×4 – or at least it tastes to me how a freshly cut 2×4 smells. I know, I know, 2×4 is usually pine not oak, but this is truly the best way I can describe an overly oaked wine. This highly oaked flavor is actually quite popular. It simply isn’t something I personally enjoy since I find it covers up the other flavors in the wine.
If you ever have a free afternoon and want to try an experiment, have a highly oaked chardonnay next to a moderately oaked chardonnay next to an unoaked chardonnay. Drink them from unoaked to moderately oaked to highly oaked and you’ll discover what oak does to wine. The unoaked version will likely taste more fruit-forward than any chardonnay you’ve ever had before (assuming you normally drink oaked chardonnay). The moderately oaked version will start to lose its fruit-forward notes and to take on richer, rounder flavors. The highly oaked version will barely have any fruit flavors at all, and will be very rich and round. (Tell your local wine shop what you’re doing and ask for their reco on a chardonnay in each category. It will be easier than you hunting for three I happen to pick!)
Round
Coming soon
Toasted/Toasty
Most often used to describe sparkling wine, especially vintage sparkling wine. When you hear toasty think about what happens to a marshmallow when you gradually toast it over the fire. It takes on this wonderful new depth of flavor and is more satisfying to consume. Ignore the sweet aspect of the marshmallow, just think of the depth of the flavor you’re adding. Toasted notes refer to this depth or warmth of flavor you sense.
Vegetal (Green Pepper)
Coming soon