Saturday, June 2, 2012

40 Wine Descriptions and What They Really Mean


How to buy wine when you don’t know what it tastes like? A lot of folks (including me) rely on reading wine writer’s descriptions to understand what the wine tastes like. Here’s a list of common wine descriptions and what they actually mean. Wine writing is a business and its job is to SELL the wine, not to be honest or accurate. This is why we rarely write about wine… unless it’s freaking kickass! 

ACIDITY
Wines with high acidity are tart and zesty. Red wines generally have a lighter color and more tart characteristics (versus “round”). white wines are often described with characteristics to lemon or lime juice.

ANGULAR
An angular wine is like putting a triangle in your mouth, it hits you in specific places with high impact and not elsewhere, It’s like getting punch in the arm in the same place over and over again. An angular wine also has high acidity.

AUSTERE
This is a very unfriendly wine. It hits your mouth and then turns it inside out. It usually means the wine has very high acidity and very little fruit flavors. An austere wine is not fruit-forward nor opulent.