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As with most of life's more pleasurable activities, the whole point is the excitement of uncertainty, the element of chance. When you hit a real winner … that's when you should come out with the silly adjectives. Sure, wine speak can be over-enthusiastic, but it's meant well, is driven by passion and love and can often create laughter and happiness. That's what wine is all about. On the other hand, there are those who prefer to be sensible. So for them, a glossary of some of the most often used sensible terms.
Attack
The immediate impression a wine makes on entering the mouth (apart from wet!).
A wine with no attack feels 'flabby' or light.
Balance
Wine's vital statistics. Fruit, acidity, sweetness, alcohol and tannin (see
below) should be present in pleasing proportions. Whether a 'Kate Moss' Muscadet
… or a 'Dolly Parton' oak-aged Chardonnay, balance is the key.
Complex
If a wine prompts you be really descriptive … it's complex. (Plain
and simple wines seldom inspire in this way). Complexity is characteristic of good
quality, well-made wines.
Finish
The final impression a wine leaves after you've swallowed. The longer-lasting
and more agreeable the better … some can go on for minutes so it is worth
concentrating.
Mature
Not necessarily old, but ready to drink now. Most modern-style wines do not
need years to mature.
Mellow
Quality almost unique to red wines and often associated with maturity. Means
soft and smooth in the mouth.
Mouthfilling
Has nothing to do with how much wine you sip at once but everything to do
with its richness and concentration of flavors.
Smoky
Another 'savory' characteristic sometimes from the grape itself …
or perhaps from the soil (especially in the wild herb-strewn Midi). Also a pleasant
aroma comes from oak. Coopers traditionally 'toast' wine barrels over a flame to
achieve this desirable nuance.
Spicy
Describes savory rather than fruity flavors. Australian Shiraz often has
a spicy or peppery edge. So too does Grenache … and for that matter most
oak-aged wines. American oak in particular gives a strong, spicy character to wine.
Tannin
Causes that mouth-puckering, palate-drying effect in some reds … but
so long as there's plenty of fruit to balance there's no problem. Tannin, extracted
from grape skins during fermentation, is essential in reds intended for long cellaring.
Its effect softens as the wine matures.
Vibrant
Opposite of mellow — lots of young, ripe fruit flavors that 'tingle
on the tongue.' Nothing wrong with that … in fact often just the ticket!
