Before you present a host or hostess with a gift basket of fine wines, take the time to learn some wine terms. Not only will you be ale to follow conversation easier, you may even impress your dinner companions.
Acidity: The sharpness of a wine
Aeration: The act of letting a wine breathe or “air out”. Sorta like how your shoes smell better after you haven’t been wearing them for a while.
Balance: A pleasing combination of tannins, flavor, acidity and texture.
Bead: The size of the bubbles in sparkling wine or champagne. Supposedly the smaller the bubbles, the better the wine.
Body: the “thickness” of the wine. Full bodied wines are “heavier”, “thicker”, or “fuller” feeling.
Closed: A term meaning there isn’t a lot of fragrance or taste to a wine.
Complexity: A big word meaning good wine. It is a pleasing balance of many wine properties all rolled into one fine vintage.
Dry: The opposite of sweet. (most of the time)
Entry: The first impression as the wine enters the mouth
Extra Dry: Sort of like extra virgin, just not possible. Whites are typically dry, as in not sweet, but extra dry is a sweet champagne.
Fortified: Added stuff… like alcohol (woohoo!), and sweetness.
Legs: The cute little drippings of wine that occur after swirling. Gives new meaning to “Nice Legs”
Methode Champenoise: A term that only champagnes can use legally, it is the traditional method of making the bubbly stuff.
Must: A collection of all the fermenting juices and pieces parts during the wine making process.
Noble Rot: Rotting with a desirable outcome, is it possible? Yes, some rot is good = causing enhanced sweetness. When the rotting goes too far it is called grey or black rot = not good.
Tannin: Bitter compounds that cause puckering of the lips, sucking in of the cheeks, and watering of the eyes. Most wines have tannins that are nicely balanced with other properties.
Toasty: The state of mind one feels after receiving a gift of wine and drinking the whole bottle. Also a hint of the taste of toast in the wine which comes from certain barrels.
Ullage: The amount of air between the wine and the cork. Most modern wines are bottled for immediate consumption so the size of the ullage is of no concern, but older bottles should have ullages no lower than the bottom of the neck. Any more than that may be a sign of deterioration of the wine.
Now go out there and confidently drink some good wine with your corporate partners or order a gift basket of wine for someone without feeling insecure in your wineology!