A flaw. The smell and taste of balsamic vinegar, from leaving wine exposed to air.

If overly apparent, a flaw. The nail polish smell suggesting volatility. Prevalent in older reds.

Too much acid will make a wine taste sharp. The right balance gives it freshness and length.

The taste left on the palate once you have swallowed the wine. A mark of quality is the length of time it stays with you. Also referred to as the finish.

The hot, heavy taste of too much alcohol, usually in wines from very warm growing regions.

The scent of the fresh grapes in the wine, as opposed to bouquet which is the perfume of the fermented wine.

Grape varieties with a distinctive spicy character ? Gewürztraminer, Muscat.

The rasping, dry taste of young tannin in red wines.

A closed-in young red wine showing obvious tannin and acidity masking the fruit.

A wine that should be more developed than it is for its age.

A perceptible roasted quality in grapes grown in hot climates.

A positive term for the rotting straw and sweaty horse smell of a fine red or white Burgundy.

The French name for a Bordeaux-style barrel of 225 litres.

An aftertaste. Signifies the fruit of immature vines or excessive tannin.

The predominant aroma in Cabernet grapes.

The mouth-feel of the wine. The weight in the mouth. Light, medium or full depending on the amount of extract and alcohol.

A rot that affects grapes, concentrating the sugars and acids.

The quality that comes from ageing the wine in bottle rather than in barrel.

A temporary condition of the wine closing up following bottling. With rest the wine comes into balance once more.

The smell of escaping air from the top of an old bottle when the cork is pulled. It soon dissipates and does not affect the wine's taste.

The perfume of the fermented wine.

A smell, especially in oak-aged Chardonnay, not a tactile sensation.

A burnt-sugar smell and taste in oak-aged Chardonnay from a hot year.

The gas in champagne and sparkling wines. A prickling on the tongue denotes the presence of residual CO2 in still wines.

Fermentation for light red wines (especially Beaujolais) that takes place inside the skins of uncrushed berries in the absence of air.

A self-explanatory expression for the smell of over-ripe Sauvignon Blanc.

An element in the bouquet of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Grape variety.

The addition of sugar at fermentation to raise the alcohol level. Can give wine a candied nose.

The distinctive personality of the wine that makes it instantly recognizable.

Detectable on the nose and finish of some full-bodied red wines.

A classic description of Médoc Cabernet Sauvignon, as in Château Mouton-Rothschild.

The smell of lemon, grapefruit or lime in the bouquet and as an aftertaste.

British word for red Bordeaux.

A wine free from "off" odours or tastes. The description can be pejorative if that is all there is to recommend the wine.

A young wine whose bouquet and flavour are locked in.

A dessert wine with insufficient acidity to balance the sugar. Sits heavily on the palate like honey.

Offers a variety of perfumes and taste sensations.

An "off" bottle due to air spoilage or improper cellaring.

The smell of a rotten cork that infects the wine.

The texture of champagne. Or the vanillan smell that new oak imparts to wine.

A champagne with half the pressure, literally, a creaming wine.

A green-apple freshness in white wines denoting lively acidity.

Growth, as in Premier Cru or a Beaujolais Cru.

A multi-dimensional wine offering subtly changing flavours.

Removing the sediment from champagne after secondary fermentation in bottle.

The addition of sweetened wine to champagne just prior to closure.

A wine in which the sugars have been almost totally fermented.

Denotes fading fruit in old red wines. Acid, tannin and oak begin to predominate over fruit flavours.

A closed in wine which refuses to offer up its bouquet and flavour.

Smelling of rich earth, minerally, as in Barolo. A positive comment.

The rare sweet German wine made from frozen grapes.

A well-balanced wine showing finesse in all departments.

A characteristic in the bouquet of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in warm climates.

A wine that lacks acidity, overly fleshy. Falls apart in the mouth lacking the definition acidity gives.

Lots of extract, particularly in reds, denoting concentrated flavour with limited tannin.

The smell of struck flint in Pouilly-Fumé, Chablis and some Italian reds.

A fragrant spring flower scent of aromatic whites, particularly Mosel and Rheingau Riesling.

A precocious wine mature before its time. The rocking motion of transatlantic travel has this effect on European wines.

The characteristic smell of labrusca grapes. Evident in Concord grape juice.

Acidity which suggests youth and liveliness on the palate.

A wine with good extract from fully ripened grapes.

High alcohol, concentrated fruit extract.

A flaw. The smell of geraniums denotes a winemaking fault.

An alcohol formed during fermentation which adds sweetness and roundness to a wine.

The quintessential scent in French Sauvignon Blanc. In warmer growing climates, the bouquet is of fresh figs.

A strong impression of the fresh grape in wine. Example

Unripe grapes, young vines produce a highly acidic taste in wine.

The mouth-puckering effect of unyielding youthful tannins and acidity which mask the fruit.

See Well balanced.

Displaying excessive tannin.

Having a grassy, vegetal bouquet and flavour. Example

Indiscriminate British term for all German wines from the Rhine Valley.

A wine whose flavour drops out in the middle before the onset of acidity. See Short.

A term used to describe the unctuous sweetness of mature Sauternes or Late Harvest Riesling.

An expression of high alcohol. You feel it in the throat as an aftertaste.

See Eiswein.

A metallic flavour in red wines.

A creamy smell associated with Chenin Blanc and Sémillon wines.

A spare wine with evident acidity. Example

Dead yeast cells and small grape particles which settle at the bottom of the tank or barrel.

The wet residue left on the side of the glass after swirling which falls back to the surface as tears or "legs." The thicker the legs and the more slow-moving they are signals high alcohol content.

The duration of flavour on the palate. The longer it stays with you the finer the wine.

Refers to body (as in a Mosel white) or to flavour.

Denotes perceptible acidity.

The unctuous quality of a classic Sauternes or other Noble Rot wine.

In white wines, oxidation which turns the wine brownish and flat.

For red wines, a full-bodied, chewy wine which can even offer a nose of raw meat.

Contains residual sugar. Examples

A fault. An unpleasant rubbery smell due to the breakdown of sulphur used to preserve the wine.

A smell that Cabernet Sauvignon wines can have in warm growing climates.

Grape juice, pulp and skins prior to fermentation.

An "off" odour caused by dirty barrels or rotten grapes in the fermenting tank.

A wine that has an abundance of alcohol and acidity in balance.

A benign disease afflicting certain grapes in the fall, producing naturally sweet wines (see page 22).

The bouquet of the wine, also yours.

New wine fermented and bottled within weeks of the harvest for immediate consumption. The correct French term is primeur.

The bouquet of certain fine barrel-fermented Chardonnays. Examples

The toasted vanilla, coconut or sandalwood smell imparted by new oak to a wine.

A wine exposed to too much air which turns it to acetic acid. The colour browns, the taste flattens and turns vinegary.

(Italian) Air-drying grapes to concentrate the sugars before fermentation.

Lightly sparkling, crackling.

An agreeable oily-lime smell associated with maturing Riesling and Australian Semillon.

A measure of the intensity of acid a wine contains. The lower the pH the more acidic the wine will be. Wines with a pH of 3.8 will be flat and very soft. Lemon juice has a pH of 2.3. Most dry wines have a pH between 3.3 and 3.0, similar to the pH of our stomach acids.

A light wine of quality with lively acidity. Example

Spanish term for the bouquet of old sherries. Sweet, nutty, nail polish smell that comes from long wood ageing in contact with air.

Sugar that remains in the wine when the fermentation has stopped or is then added as grape must.

The process of removing the sediment following Champagne's secondary fermentation in bottle. The bottles are shaken and tilted in A-frames until the debris collects in the neck. Disgorging removes the dead cells and leaves a crystal-clear wine.

(Italian) The use of the tees of Recioto grapes in the fermentation of Valpolicella.

A fault. The smell of old tires or rubber gloves experienced in old whites where the sulphur has broken down.

German term for sparkling wine.

German term for sparkling wine.

The sensation of excessive acidity.

A wine with little aftertaste.

A wine with good alcohol and acidity but less fruit extract.

A smell associated with Loire Sauvignon Blanc, certain oak-fermented Chardonnays, Rhône reds and Baco Noir.

Mellow, well-rounded, mature tannins and little evidence of acidity.

German name for Pinot Noir.

As in the bouquet of Gewürztraminer and Muscat.

German for a faint sparkle in the wine. Prickles the tongue.

Italian term for sparkling wine.

A green taste of young vines, under-ripe grapes or excessive maceration time.

Its presence is detectable as a burnt-match smell. Virtually all winemakers use sulphur products to some degree as an anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial agent.

Soft textured, round on the palate, fully mature tannins.

As in Muscadet-sur-lie. The wine is left resting on the inactive yeast cells and grape particles (lees) in the barrel for several months before bottling.

A fanciful description for the not unpleasant smell of old red wines, a leathery bouquet.

The presence of unfermented sugar in the wine or back-blended sweet reserve juice. Sweetness is only a virtue if it is balanced with acidity to stop it from cloying.

German term for table wine.

A dry, astringent taste and mouth-feel from the compound extracted from the skins, stalks and pits of black grapes during fermentation. Helps preserve wine and will soften up over the years precipitating out as sediment. There are also tannins in oak barrels.

Sharp, green, overly acidic.

The total physical condition surrounding a particular vineyard

The main acid in wine.

The barrel smell and taste imparted to oak-fermented white wines and barrel-aged white Burgundy.

A measure of grapes which will produce about 1,000 bottles.

Excess of one or more elements in wine

The empty space between the surface of the wine and the end of the cork. When this slips to shoulder level you could have oxidation problems.

The smell of new oak.

A single grape variety the name of which will be featured prominently on the label.

Sweet wine from grapes first dried on straw mats.

French sweet wine fortified with brandy to seventeen percent alcohol by volume.

Literally "grey wine," refers to pale rosé.

Italy's new wine made by carbonic maceration.

The winey quality, good fruit extract.

When too apparent, a flaw. Acetone smell of nail polish or balsamic vinegar.

Perfect harmony among the wine's elements ? fruit, acid, alcohol, oak (if used) and, in red wines, tannin. The ultimate compliment.

The sensation of old wood in a wine. From overly long ageing in cask. Not to be confused with oaky which is a virtue if it is not overdone.

The bready smell of yeast most evident in champagnes which spend three years in bottle resting on their lees.