So you want to become a wine connoisseur — or just how to navigate the drink menu when you go out to dinner — but you don't know where to start. We're here to help.
With all of the unrecognisable words that are used to describe wine, things can get confusing, fast. What the heck are notes and how do you describe a beverage as dry? When did all of your friends learn how to speak the secret language of grapes?
Luckily, you don't have to spend a lot of money to know how to choose a good glass. Once you know the basics of what you prefer, a good sommelier will be able to help you find something you love that still fits your budget.
To help explain some of the more common wine terms, we enlisted the help of Joe Campanale, managing director at Alta Linea in New York. Read on to learn what those all wine-related words really mean — you'll be an expert (or at least sound like one) in no time.
The Basics
You don't have to learn every term to be able to read a wine menu. If you can figure out whether you like dry wines, for example, you're already on your way to a more educated order. Start out with one or two qualities — like how to determine a wine's body — and you won't be overwhelmed.
Photographed by Molly DeCoudreaux.
"Crisp" refers to wines with acid — but don't call them acidic.
"Generally, we'll use the term 'crisp,'" Campanale says. "'Acidic,' to me, means that there's too much acid, but acid is generally a good thing. It brightens up wines, it makes your mouth water...a lot of sommeliers really like wines that have a lot of acidity, again, because they're so good with food."
"Dry" wines contain low amounts of residual sugar — no more than 0.2%, to be exact.
"Technically, a dry wine is just a wine that doesn’t have residual sugar," Campanale says. "So it's basically the opposite of a sweet wine."
Tannins are compounds in wine that are derived from plants, usually grape stems and skins. They can be more prominent in red wines and also affect food pairings. "Tannic red is going to be weird with a fish," Campanale says. Tannins can also affect how dry a wine feels on your palate.
"You can have wines that express themselves as being drier than others," Campanale explains. "For instance, in a red wine, one that has a lot of tannins, it won't only be devoid of sugar, but the tannins will actually physically dry out your mouth, and so it will seem even drier than another wine that has no residual sugar and doesn't have as much tannins."
Campanale describes body as "the weight of the wine on your palette."
"Lightweight [wine] is similar to skim milk, which seems a little watery, less concentrated. A medium-bodied wine might be 2% milk and a full-bodied wine might be something like whole milk or heavy cream," Campanale says. "Each one of those feels fuller, richer, and heavier."
Alcohol level tends to go hand in hand with the wine's body. "A lot of times, the body's informed by the alcohol level," Campanale says. "So if you see a wine that has 14.5% alcohol, you can assume that it’s probably going to be a full-bodied wine. If you see another one that has 12%, that should be a pretty light-bodied wine."
"Any wine that has a date on it is a vintage," says Campanale. The wine's vintage date refers to when the grapes were harvested to create the wine.
Campanale also notes that climactic conditions affect the taste of wine, so the year isn't the only factor to look out for. "Since you can only harvest grapes once per year, all of the climatic conditions throughout the year affect how the wine is eventually going to taste," he says. "So if you see a 2015, that means the grapes were harvested in 2015. In the northern hemisphere, [harvest occurs] toward the end of 2015. So all of the weather during that year has an effect as to how that wine will eventually taste [and] how those grapes react."
Your sommelier is your wine expert — a.k.a. a lifesaver when you're looking over a wine menu. A restaurant's sommelier will help recommend a wine that you'll love if you can tell them a little bit about the body and tone you're looking for.
The Specifics
Knowing what region each type of wine is from can seem overwhelming, but you don't need to know everything about vintners to find a wine that's right for you. Once you can combine basic wine notes with what you've already learned about wine body, you're on your way to finding the perfect go-to wine at your favourite restaurant.
Photographed by Molly DeCoudreaux.
"The Old World is considered Europe," Campanale explains. "The New World is considered everywhere else."
A wine that's described as oxidised has been overexposed to air. Oxygen isn't always bad for wine, but "oxidised" isn't usually a positive descriptor.
"Generally, when people say a wine's been oxidised, it means that the wine's gone bad and that the oxygen is not preferred. They didn't want the oxygen to be there," Campanale explains. "But there are some wines that are intentionally oxidised as part of the winemaking. So that's something a little different...it can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing, depending on what your goal is."
"Tones" and "notes" are two terms used to describe wine flavour, Campanale explains. And picking up distinct flavours within different wine varieties isn't as difficult as you might think. Campanale recommends using flavours you already know from other foods as a starting point.
"You can pick up the flavours in wine that you experience in other foods in other parts of your life," he explains. "During alcohol fermentation, a bunch of esters, which are flavour compounds, are released. They are similar to esters that are in other things. So how can you tell? You pay attention to the way things smell and taste. Then, look for them in the wines. Those flavours could resemble, or frequently resemble, flavours in other things."
"Fermentation is the conversion of sugar into alcohol using yeast," Campanale explains. "Yeast metabolises sugar and turns it into alcohol."
Simply put, maturation refers to the ageing of a wine. "A mature wine is a well-aged one that would not benefit from additional ageing," Campanale says.
This one is pretty straightforward. Wines made from a single type of grape are varietals, while wines made from multiple types of grapes are blends.
Common Types Of Wine
This isn't every type of wine out there, but knowing even a few of these will get you a long way at the bar. Do you like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay? Sampling a couple of different options will go a long way — and it will help you find a go-to wine order for when you're getting drinks with friends or coworkers.
Photographed by Rockie Nolan.
"Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape, originally from the Noir Valley in France," Campanale says. He describes it as an "aromatic wine."
Campanale describes Zinfandel as "a full-bodied, juicy red wine that can be high in alcohol."
And as for the "white Zinfandel" you've seen around? "Most white zinfandel is of dubious quality, but there are a couple of producers who are using it in a tongue-in-cheek way, making high-quality white Zinfandels," Campanale explains, adding that so-called white Zinfandel is closer to rosé.
A.k.a your summertime best friend. "I think everyone knows the colour of rosé," says Campanale. "It's generally made from red grapes, with a short skin contact on the red grapes. Most people like to drink them in the summer."
"Chardonnay is a white grape. It's a pretty neutral-flavoured white grape, originally from France. It grows pretty much all over the world," says Campanale. "It's a wine that showcases either the earthiness or the winemaking really well, because the grape itself is very flavourful."
Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris, is a white wine. But instead of being made from green grapes, the grapes used to make pinot grigio take on a bluish colour.
It's more than just an amazing song. Pinot noir is a red-grape wine, often from Burgundy, Champagne, New Zealand, or Oregon. Many Pinot Noirs have light or medium bodies with fruity or earthy tones, according to Wine Enthusiast.
Campanale explains that Cabernet Franc is most commonly a red wine, though it can also be made into rosé. It's grown worldwide, but it's originally from the Loire Valley in France. "It has dark-berried fruit and can have an herbaceous or vegetal character," Campanale says.
This wine is also grown worldwide, but is originally from Bordeaux. "It can be full, dark, and rich or medium-bodied, but still with dark fruit," Campanale says. "It is known for its tannic character and, when made well, [its] ability to age."
Campanale describes Merlot as "a soft, plummy red wine." He notes that Merlot grapes tend to be blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot grapes are planted worldwide, but it was originally grown in France.
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