Common Wine Terms Defined

Acidity: How tart a wine is (or isn't). Related descriptors include crisp and bright and the converse: flabby.

Aeration: The act of exposing wine to oxygen to let it "breathe" and mix with air. This is meant to open up the wine's aromas.

Appellation: A specific geographic region where a wine comes from.

Blend: When a wine is made from more than one grape variety.

Body: How heavy or full wine feels in the mouth. Wine is often described as light-, medium-, or full-bodied.

Bouquet: Not related to flowers, this refers to smells that come from aging wines.

Decanting: Pouring wine from the bottle into a decanter, a serving vessel that allows the wine to "breathe." (The act of decanting the wine also aerates it.)

Earthy: A smell or taste related to the earth, such as soil or forest. Most red wines are described as being either earthy or fruity.

Fermentation: The process where yeast turns grape sugars into alcohol.

Finish: A term used to describe how long a wine's flavor lingers in your mouth after swallowing. Wine's can either have a short or long finish.

Fortified: A style of wine where extra alcohol is added in the form of a spirit. While table wines are typically between 10 percent and 14 percent alcohol by volume, fortified wines are typically 15 to 22 percent alcohol by volume. Sherry, madeira, and port are all fortified wines.

Fruity: A commonly used descriptor for wines that have notes of (you guessed it) fruit like plums, berries, or other fruits. While white wines can be fruity, this term is more commonly used with reds.

Horizontal tasting: Tasting wines from different wineries (typically from the same region) that were produced in a specific year.

Jammy: A term used to describe red wines with a cooked fruit flavor.

Magnum: No, this isn't referring to a brand of condom, but rather an oversize bottle that is the equivalent of two standard-size (750ml) bottles.

Minerality: Similar to a wine's earthiness, a wine with strong minerality tastes of the earth, though minerality typically refers to the flavor of stones rather than dirt. This term is more commonly used to describe white wines, though it can be used to describe reds as well.

Oaked: Both white and red wines can be matured in oak barrels (or with oak chips). Oaked wines are sometimes described as having notes of vanilla, cloves, butter, or caramel.

Oxidation: A reaction that occurs when wine is overexposed to oxygen, which 

causes it to lose brightness in both color and flavor. While this is an undesirable quality in table wine, controlled oxidation is a part of the sherry production process.

Sediment: Solid particles that settle in the bottom of a bottle of wine. While sediment is gritty and unpleasant to consume, it's not a flaw, and is actually a sign of a minimally processed wine.

Tannins: Bitter compounds in the skin and seeds of grapes that give red wine structure. (White wines have little to no tannins as they're typically not fermented on the skins.) While some tannins are desirable, overly tannic wines can cause a drying sensation in your mouth.

Terroir: Terroir refers to how a growing region affects wine's flavor. While this term is most commonly used to describe wine, it can also apply to cheese, coffee beans, and other foods.

Varietal: A single variety of grape.

Vertical tasting: A tasting where guests try the same wine (from the same winery) that was made from multiple vintages.

Vintage: A vintage wine doesn't always mean old — it's one made from grapes that were all (or mostly) produced in a single year. A nonvintage wine comes from grapes that were harvested over two or more years. Champagne is typically nonvintage (or NV) for consistency's sake.

How Are Wines Named?

   

Understanding how two wines, such as Pinot Noir and Burgundy, are exactly the same type of wine yet have two different names is confusing to many wine drinkers. This confusion stems from the fact that most wines get their names in one of two different ways: they are either named for their grape variety (the grape that was used to make the wine) or they are named for the region of the world in which the wine was made.

Depending on where in the world the wine you have purchased was made, the practices of that location will determine whether or not they name the wine after the grape variety or the region. For most wines, this determination is made depending on whether the wine was made in the New World or the Old World.

New World Wine Names

In the majority of wine regions of the New World, the winemakers choose to name their wines after the sole or principal grape varietal that has gone into creating the beverage. In simpler terms, this means the wine is called by the grape’s name, so for example if Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were used to make the wine, the wine is called Cabernet Sauvignon. This would even be true if the wine wasn’t made with 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and instead the winemaker chose to use only 70 percent, selecting other grapes for the remaining 30 percent. Because Cabernet Sauvignon is still in the majority, most New World winemakers would still call the wine Cabernet Sauvignon.

Old World Wine Names

In wines that are made in the Old World, these wines generally receive the name of the region from which the wine was made. For example, while a wine made in the Bordeaux region of France might contain 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, giving it the name Cabernet Sauvignon in the New World, because the wine was made in the Old World it is called Bordeaux.

The reason wineries from the Old World name their wines after regions is because Old World winemakers tend to feel that the place where the wine was made has as much, if not more, to do with how the wine will taste as grapes. This sense of place is called terroir; it is the idea that the sun, moon, soil, rain, and climate all impact the finished wine. When a wine is truly made well, Old World winemakers believe you can taste that wine’s terroir just as well as the grape’s characteristics. It is a belief that a Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux will taste very different from a Cabernet Sauvignon from Italy, and therefore the regional name is used for the name of the wine instead of the grape.

WINE AND CHEESE : A BALANCED “MOUTHFEEL”

Wine and cheese pairing is considered a highly nuanced art, but it appears science plays a role as well. A group of food scientists for the National Institutes of Health proposed a theory of food pairings that explains how astringent and fatty foods oppose one another to create a balanced "mouthfeel." Mouthfeel is the sensation caused in the mouth by the physical and chemical interaction between the mouth’s tissues and saliva and the chemicals found in food.The findings, reported in Current Biology(2012), offer a whole new definition of the balanced meal. 

Astringent foods alternated with creamier foods often create a pleasant taste combination.Because fat is oily, eating it lubricates the mouth, making it feel slick or even slimy. Meanwhile, astringents, chemical compounds such as the tannin in wine and green tea, make the mouth feel dry and rough. Although this food-pairing idea had been proposed before, it was a mystery how that balance might actually be struck, because wine, green tea and the other widely consumed astringents are only mildly astringent. No one knew how they managed to cut the fat as well as they do.

The researchers discovered that astringents have a stronger effect each time the mouth is exposed to them. Every time study participants took a sip of green tea, for example, they perceived it to be more astringent than during the previous sip, indicating that the astringents were reacting more strongly with the lubricating proteins in their mouths upon each exposure. This growth in astringency is why, even though tea and wine have only a weak effect at first, sipping them throughout a fatty meal eventually enables the astringents to counterbalance the strong lubricating effect of the fat.

The importance of repeated exposure explains why we don't tend to gulp down an entire glass of wine then eat our entire meal. Nor do we polish off our whole pickle before setting into our sandwich. The new research justifies the widespread use of astringent foods as "palate cleansers" that people sample throughout a meal.This discovery helps to explain why wine and cheese have been paired together for so long, as the two developed simultaneously centuries ago.

What's The Best Wine With...

What's The Best Wine With...

No more confusion. We squeezed wine experts until they answered our most pressing questions

Is there a right temp for wine?
Yes. A wine's temperature is a bit like ours: A few degrees's difference can take it from OK to Oh, yeah! Most reds taste best between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, whites between 41 and 48. To hit these ranges, remove chilled whites from the fridge 20 minutes before serving; cool room-temp reds in an ice bucket for 10 minutes. 
Says who Anthony Giglio, author of the forthcoming Food & Wine Magazine Wine Guide 2009
Why it matters White wine isn't as flavorful when it's cold, and sipping it too chilled numbs your palate. Too-warm red wine may taste bitter and alcohol-y. Check out WH's Wine Glossary.

Does the "white with fish, red with meat" rule hold water? 

No. The color of wine is less important than its origins and overall characteristics, to decide which is the best wine with particular meats . Lighter-bodied reds, like Oregon pinot noirs and chilled Sicilians, won't overpower salmon or swordfish steaks, and Alsatian whites and California chardonnays are heavy enough for pork or even beef. 
Says who André H. Mack, corporate beverage director and sommelier of the Fireman Hospitality Group in New York City
Why it matters This rule made sense when whites were light and fruity and reds were heavy and intense, but times--and wines--have changed.Take a sip from all of WH's White & Red Wine Recommendations.

Corks or screwcaps?

Screwcaps. Traditionalist wine experts may scoff, but wine stays purer under a screwcap than under any other closure. In New Zealand alone, screwcap use has risen from zero to an estimated 90 percent in five years.
Says who Co Dinn, director of winemaking for Hogue Cellars in Prosser, Washington.
Why it matters Cork bark is riddled with natural im­perfections, so it can leak or impart flavors to a wine. Failure rates are 2 to 12 percent. 

Does letting wine breathe really do anything?


Yes. Oxygen does the same thing for wine that it does for you during aquick run: helps it loosen up (for wine, that often results in a more intense flavor). Not convinced? Pour half a bottle into a carafe, decanter, or generous-size glass and let it sit for up to 15 minutes before drinking. Then compare it with a glass from a freshly uncorked bottle. You'll notice more flavor in the wine that got air.
Says who Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and chair of the wine studies program at the Culinary Institute of America
Why it matters More complex wines, usually reds, benefit the most from breathing. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and syrah are three in particular that can taste harsh right out of the bottle. Letting them breathe will help them mellow out a little--and then you can do the same.

10 Health Benefits Of Red Wine

10 Health Benefits Of Red Wine

Not everyone chooses to drink alcohol, but those who do are probably smart to choose red wine. Every year, the research on the health benefits of red wine piles up. Wine has always been a staple in the human diet. In fact, scientists have documented red wine as far back as 5400 B.C.

Here are ten reasons to drink red wine:-

Sleep

New research shows that red wine, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, and Merlot, contains melatonin. Melatonin regulates the body clock, so drinking a glass of red wine before bed may help you sleep. Melatonin is also an anti-oxidant, which means it also has anti-aging and cancer preventative properties.

Longevity
A compound in red wine called resveratrol has been shown to increase lifespan in animal studies.

Brain Health
Resveratrol has been shown to protect against Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Heart Health
Red wine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart and cardiovascular disease thanks to the resveratrol and other anti-oxidants it contains.

Lung Cancer
Researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain found that each glass of red wine per day reduced the risk of lung cancer by 13%.

Prostate Cancer Four or more glasses of red wine per week has been shown to reduce men's overall risk of prostate cancer by 50% and the risk of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer by 60%.

Breast Cancer
Moderate consumption of red wine is believed to lower the risk of breast cancer. However, drinking more than 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per day appears to increase the risk of breast cancer in women, so moderation is key.

Colds
Researchers in Spain found that people who drank more than two glasses of red wine per day have 44% fewer colds than people who abstained.

Inflammation
Resveratrol has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which helps overall physical health since many diseases and ailments can be attributed to inflammation.

Cholesterol
Resveratrol has been found in studies to lower LDL cholesterol, while another ingredient in red wine, saponins, also have cholesterol lowering properties.