Wine vocabulary

Wine buying guide

Most of the wine our testers taste sells for $20 a bottle or less. We also consider wines that have consistently garnered praise from others—including some wine publications—to increase the odds of finding high-quality wine. We take care to choose bottles that should be available in many stores.

Wine lingo

Wine terms can be so unusual that they encourage parody. "An angular yet modest little wine, with a pomegranate nose," you might opine, lifting your eyes as you swirl a glass. But some terms—even "cat pee"—actually mean something, so it can be useful to make friends with the lingo.

Acidic

Tartaric acid is a natural component in wines, and is a major component of a wine's tartness. A pleasantly tart wine can be referred to as crisp. Especially tart wines are often called acidic.

Aroma

Usually used to designate the fruit (i.e., grape) odors of young wines, and/or varietal characteristics, that decline over time as bottle bouquet develops.

Astringent

Mouth-drying or puckering. Astringency usually comes from tannin, a substance in the grape skins, stems, and seeds that make red wine and in the oak barrels that store wine. The grape skins, stems, and seeds level also determines a wine's color. Over time, tannins become "softer"—less astringent.

Balanced

When all the perceived components (acid, alcohol, fruit, and tannins) in a wine complement each other and no one component sticks out and dominates. The perfect balance depends on the specific type and style. A complex wine has lots of intermingled aromas and flavors.

Body

The "weight" of wine on the palate, this term is mainly related to alcohol. It contributes to mouth feel, which also covers any attributes, such as granular texture or dissolved solids, that make wine seem viscous.

Bouquet

Describes odors acquired through fermentation and aging, while nose covers everything you smell in a wine.

Cat pee

This term—like wet dog, leather, soy sauce, tobacco, and Juicy Fruit gum—is a legitimate, and often desirable, description. It's in the same family of aromatics that smell like grapefruit and pineapple. It can add complexity to the wine the way a dissonant note can add complexity to a piece of music.

Dry

A perceived absence of sweetness.

Off-dry

Means the wine is slightly sweet.

Estate bottled

The winery either grew the grapes or controlled the vineyard's product. Our experts say that this overused term is mostly marketing hype.

Finish

The lingering impression of the flavors, aromas, and mouth feel after you swallow.

Palate

The properties you perceive once the wine is in your mouth.

Reserve

A term used to imply the special qualities of a wine that has received extra aging at the winery, in the bottle, or both. In countries such as Italy and Spain, the term is regulated and means that the wine has received extra aging at the winery. Wherever the term is not regulated, as is the case in the U.S., it might be nothing more than a meaningless marketing tool.