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I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend at The Ritz Carlton Resort in Naples, Florida to celebrate a family member’s 30^th birthday.  Wanting to entertain the family, I packed up the car with a case of assorted wine to enjoy throughout the weekend. The bottles included sparkling wines for toasting, reds and whites for dinner, and dessert bottles for evenings on the hotel balcony. I was especially excited to try one of the bottles in the case: the Far Niente 2007 Estate Chardonnay.

I have always been a huge fan of Far Niente’s Single Vineyard and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as their Dolce dessert wine, which I feel is the closest thing to Chateau d’Yquem that comes out of California. But I have a tough time paying big money for California Chardonnay. It is hard enough to think about spending $80-100 on a really nice Burgundy (it’s just French Chardonnay). Nevertheless, I decided to purchase their Chardonnay – after all, the weekend was a celebration.

The family and I ended up at Bamboo Cafe, a lovely little French restaurant in downtown Naples. Although they have a full bar, their owners were kind enough to allow us to bring our own wine. The food was wonderful, and almost by fate, a few of the seafood dishes were prepared with Chardonnay. The Far Niente paired beautifully with both the pink gulf shrimp and Alaskan Coho salmon dishes. Here is what I picked up in the wine:

Far Niente 2007 Estate Bottled Napa Valley Chardonnay
Very ripe tropical notes of melon, fig and guava emerge on the nose, as well as stone and spicy clove. Very round in the mouth, the tropical notes from the bouquet emerge on the palate, as well as the minerality. Full-bodied, the wine is full of toasty oak, and has a smooth creamy finish. Perfect for grilled seafood, as well as just about anything served in a cream sauce. It was also very nice with the duck dish I enjoyed.

The dinner company was great. The food was amazing. The wine was good – but not $50 good. I wasn’t disappointed by any means, but I couldn’t help but think that there are other bottles just as creamy and complex, which cost less. The bottle that immediately came to mind was the Mer Soliel Chardonnay. At $35, it’s still not a bargain bottle, but it’s one of the best Chardonnays I’ve ever had. The bottle of Far Niente Chrdonnay just reinforced my thinking that there’s no need to overpay for California Chardonnay, no matter what region it’s produced in. The nail in the coffin was when I happened to see the bottle at Publix the next day for $68. Too too much!

While on a mini vacation to Naples, Florida I brought along two great Sauvignon Blancs to see how they would stand up to one another. Local restaurants in Naples are known for having fresh seafood, prepared in many different delicious ways. Why go to chain restaurants when you can try the specialties of a local restaurant. If you’re planning a trip to Naples, check out www.NaplesOriginals.com to find a great local place.

But I digress – Sauvignon Blanc is the wine to have with freshly prepared seafood. Sure, a Chardonnay could also be enjoyable, but I find it can get a little heavy, bogging down flavors on the palate. A fresh, crisp Sauvignon Blanc will not only bring out the flavor of seafood, it will refresh the palate after every sip. In particular, Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand is perfect with any seafood dish that comes with a lemon on the side. These wines continue to win award after award, and can be purchased for around $15. Here are my thoughts on the two bottles:

Villa Maria 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Private Selection
Bursting with fresh passion fruit and gooseberry, the nose also offers bright citrus, fresh cut grass, and hints of earth. The palate is very well balanced with intense lime and grapefruit and lively acidity. After the ripe fruit, this refreshing wine ends with a clean, crisp finish. Perfect with any shellfish and white, flaky fish – grouper in particular.

Nobilo 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
This bottle has the distinct Marlborough bouquet of cut grass, melon, and flint. The palate is full of juicy grapefruit, ripe passion fruit, and hints of lemon and peach which is all balanced by zesty acidity. The finish is long and fulfilling. A fantastic pair with shrimp, clams and mussels – especially when there’s butter and garlic involved. This bottle also goes very well with grilled snapper.

Both of these bottles will stay on my roster for a long time. One isn’t necessarily better than the other, and I know I can depend upon both producers to continually put out fresh, juicy Sauvignon Blanc. And what’s better is that both bottles are usually priced under $15. I hate paying too much money for a bottle of light white wine, and I love that I can go to Publix and purchase both for $12.99.

There are three parts to evaluating wine: viewing it, smelling it, and tasting it. Once you have done all three, you are then able to form an opinion about it.  The nose is the most important tool in perceiving how a wine both smells and tastes.  If you don’t believe me, try pinching your nose while tasting.  Nevertheless, all three senses – sight, taste, and smell, must be considered in order to properly analyze and evaluate wine.

Appearance
The appearance of wine is studied for its clarity, brightness, evidence of gas, color (hue), color intensity, any rim variation, and its viscosity.  Both red and white wines are characterized by brightness of the their color, as well as the color itself.  White wines can range from almost clear, to yellow and gold, and can even be amber or brown.  The color of red wine generally ranges from a light cherry-red, to purple, to ruby, to garnet, and finally to brown.  Young wines tend to be lighter in color, while older, more mature wines can change color and may appear brown.  In sparkling wines, the size and quantity of the bubbles indicates quality.  Many elegant, pin-head sized bubbles is what you want; you don’t want a few large bubbles.

Whatever the color is, a sound wine must be clear.  If it’s cloudy, it either contains sediment or has been shaken up.  If this is the case, the wine should be left to settle for 24 hours, then decanted and tried again.  Although sediment in the bottle is not a fault, it should never make it into the glass.  Some red wines may be so deep in color that they appear opaque.  This also is not a fault, but is simply a sign of a very extracted, full-bodied wine.

The viscosity of wine is the final point of the appearance to assess.  Viscosity refers to the texture of wine, and is identified by the thickness of the “legs” or “tears” running down the inside of the glass.  You assess the legs by swilling the wine around in the glass, and observing the thickness and the speed at which the legs fall.  The thicker the legs, the higher the alcohol content, sugar content, or both.  If light or sheeting legs are observed, the wine has a low alcohol content.  Make sure you glass is clean, because dirt or grease on the glass will distort the result.

Smell
The smell or “bouquet” of a wine is also important when analyzing a bottle.  Aromas will help you identify the grape(s), origin, climate, quality, and perhaps even the vintage of a wine.  After assessing the appearance, you then smell the wine; the best way to do this is to swirl the wine around the glass, which releases the esters and aldehydes (chemical compounds formed during the fermentation and aging of wine), making it easier to detect the components in the wine.  Please do not be timid when smelling the wine – get your nose into the glass.  Although there are many possible aromas a wine can possess, no bottles should smell moldy, or like damp cardboard.  This is surely a sign that the wine is “corked,” meaning the wine has a faulty or contaminated cork.

The aromas identified in wine can include fruits, vegetables, fungi, herbs, nuts, spices, minerality, leather, honey, tobacco, coffee, chocolate, caramel, meat, wood, or just grapes.  The strength of certain aromas in the bouquet may suggest whether the wine is of a New World or Old World style.  New World wines tend to be “fruit-forward” and have a bouquet that jumps out of the glass.  They also likely to have a higher oak influence – aromas of wood, vanilla, or honeysuckle.    Old World style wines tend to have a more subtle, complex, and less aggressive bouquet, with more minerality and earthy characters.

Taste
Finally, the wine should be tasted, and the flavors considered in relation to the appearance and bouquet.  Tasting will confirm or refine the information gathered from studying the appearance and smell of the wine.  The perception of taste, like the perception of smell will vary from person to person.  People have varying thresholds at which they perceive flavors, and so those with more of a keen tasting sense will be able to pick out more and/or subtle flavors than others.  Due to this varying perception, the focus should be on the major descriptors which are generally tasted, and the strength of their presence in the wine.  The main components of a wine break down into the categories of fruit flavors, non-fruit flavors, minerality, oak, spice, tannin, acid, alcohol, and the length of the finish.  Wines may be one dimensional, for example fruit and alcohol, or complex with the majority of the components present.

Next, analyze whether the wine is light, medium or full-bodied.  Wines below 12% alcohol are considered light-bodied wines, and wines that are above 14% alcohol are considered full-bodied.  Those in the middle are considered medium-bodied.  Wines that are light in body such as Pinot Grigio or Beaujolias are meant to be drunk young because they will not improve over time.  Light-bodied wine is normally full of fruit flavor, and low in tannins.  Full-bodied wines are made from grapes which contain more tannins, and are generally more complex in style. These wines can be enjoyed young, but could benefit from aging.

The sweetness and dryness of wine can be characterized as dry, off dry, medium, medium sweet, and sweet.  Tannins are sensed more in dryer wines, and can be felt around the gums and the sides of the mouth.  The sweetness and/or dryness of a wine must be in harmony with the fruit, acid, alcohol, and length of finish.  Depending on how in sync each component of the wine is with each other will determine the quality of the wine.

While visiting my parents, I opened the refrigerator to find a half drunk bottle of Merlot. When I asked why it was in there, my father’s answer was to shrug and explain that he figured the bottle would probably keep longer in the fridge. I was quick to remind him that when he wanted to finish the bottle, he should let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes before serving. Temperature has quite an effect on the taste of wine, and although a cooler temperature would keep the wine intact, it will also affect the flavor.  Tasting  wine at the correct temperature allows you to gauge its quality.

The standard in the wine industry is that after removing a bottle from storage, reds should be served at room temperature, while whites, roses, and sparkling wines should be served cold. Of course there are exceptions, such as serving a Pinot Noir slightly chilled, or treating a buttery Chardonnay as you would a red (the creamy nature will come out more significantly). Warmer temperatures increase the perception of aromas, fruit, sweetness, alcohol, and some would say tannins. Cooler temperatures increase the perception of acids, but decrease the fruit, alcohol, and sweetness.

Wine should be served at its optimum temperature in order to truly determine its quality – whether it should be drunk immediately, whether it should be laid down, or even to conclude whether a bottle is past its prime. Quality wines have a good balance between the acid, tannins, fruit, and alcohol. When there is a balance, you can taste all the complexity the wine has to offer. This is why I stress the importance of tasting at the correct temperature. A wine of good quality will linger on the palate, offering a long finish. A lower quality wine may have a pleasant taste, but the flavor won’t linger. Yes, the wine temperature even affects the finish.

And so, there is the distinct possibility that an aroma or flavor that didn’t please you in a wine, could have been caused  by the wine being served too warm or too cold.

While pouring wine the other day, I was asked by a friend why I always take a small taste of my wine before pouring a full glass. He assumed that because I store my bottles correctly, there would be no problem with the wine. I explained that no matter what wine I drink, I always take an initial taste in order to assess whether it is as it should be, or whether the wine is faulty or contaminated. This contamination could have occurred through a faulty cork, poor bottle storage, or just bad wine production. Bad wine production can be the result of unhygienic practices or faulty equipment used during the wine fermentation or bottling processes. Many of the faults in wine can be determined simply by smelling it, but I would recommend a small taste as well. I suggest tasting because some wines have a barnyard aroma which could throw you off. A contaminated or faulty bottle will have tainted or musty smells and flavors, and possibly over-oxidized or maderized characteristics.

Oxidation is not necessarily a fault, as it is part of the maturation process of making wine. It is a feature of Sherry, but for most wines, a medium to high level of oxidation is a fault. Generally it is caused by either allowing too much air to come into contact with the wine during the production, maturation or bottling, or through storing the wine for too long. Oxidized wine has a Sherry like smell to it – a very sweet, fruity aroma.

Maderization has a similar smell and flavor, plus a cooked characteristic. It is caused when the wine is subjected to too much heat during its production, maturation, transportation, or storage. Wine stored over time in a room in your house that is not temperature controlled can easily be ruined by the heat. Wines that are stored too long on restaurant wine racks and bar shelves can also become ruined; so if you are out, do not be afraid to send a bottle back if you do feel it has “cooked.” Just be ready to back up your assertion by describing why you feel the wine is faulty.

After finding a bottle of Marques de Casa Concha 2004 Chardonnay in my cellar, I decided to compare the older vintage to a new vintage – the 2007. These bottles come from the Maipo Valley in Chile, and are usually meant to be enjoyed young. I went into this tasting knowing that the 2004 was meant to be enjoyed immediately upon release, meaning I should have opened it 3 years ago. But my better half received the bottle as a gift, and not wanting to be rude and discard it, she put it in our cellar. I will also admit that when it comes to Chardonnay, I usually prefer a buttery California style or a vanilla infused Burgundy style. I try to steer clear of the regular acidity that is synonymous with Chilean wine.

Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay 2004
Tropical notes on the nose, such as sweet pineapple and honey. There is a surprising amount of vanilla on the nose as well. On the palate, the fruit becomes more clear with more pineapple, mango, and apricot. There is also a solid sense of minerality, providing a smooth oiliness and complexity not usually found in bottles such as this. Any bright citrus has long since faded, but the nice buttery finish was still intact.

Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay 2007
Bright and juicy tropical fruit aromas, especially mango, come through on the nose, along with a honeysuckle sweetness. I was expecting quite a bit of acidity in this young bottle, but it was surprisingly elegant, similar to the 2004. On the palate, there is white peach, orange blossom, and tangerine. The fruit is certainly brighter than the 2004, obviously because it is a much younger wine. Medium to full-bodied, it is creamy in its finish, but the oak is not as clear as in the 2004.

As I said above, I do prefer a big buttery Chardonnay or a nice Burgundian style with a lot of vanilla. These particular bottles were fermented in new and used French oak, and having been made in the French style, they were still pleasing to my palate. The older vintage was more my speed simply because the oak came through more, but this was a trade off because the fruit wasn’t quite as pronounced. The current vintage of the Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay is typically priced around $20. In that price range, there are quite a few options of Chardonnay from several regions. If you like good, hearty Chilean Chardonnay, I would certainly suggest this bottle. Even if you’re like me, and tend to steer away from acidic white wine, I would still suggest trying this bottle for a nice change of pace.

While attending The 2009 Miami Wine and Food Festival, I was able to taste some great wine from around the world. One winery that stood out was Napa Valley winery Napa Station, whose selections included a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. After tasting their 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, I found there was a hint of sweetness and found that there was 10% Semillon blended into the wine. Wanting to do a more in-depth tasting, I grabbed a bottle and put it in the cellar. This past weekend, I brought the bottle out when a Sauvignon Blanc was requested. Here are my thoughts:

Napa Station 2007 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
On the nose, there is lemon zest, a touch of minerality similar to a bottle from the Loire, and vanilla bean, reminiscent of oak barreling. This vanilla flavor is curious considering the wine is fermented in 100% stainless steel. On the palate, the bottle resembles a French style wine even more. The herbal, grassy flavors are balanced by a subtle mix of lemon/lime citrus and touches of shale. There is also a sweetness present – a light suggestion of melon, probably from the Semillon. The winey describes the wine as also having pear flavors, but I did not taste any tree fruit.

It was a very nice light white, well received by my guests. I don’t know how well it would stand up to heavier foods, but as an aperitif or with salad, it gets the job done well. At a price of $15 it is a good value considering it is from Napa, but if you prefer the ripe grapefruit flavors found in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, this isn’t the bottle for you.

Find out more about Napa Station at www.napastation.com

Sorry boys and girls, but even with a price tag of only $35 per person, this event wasn’t worth attending. And considering that there were no less than 40 wines and no lines to taste, it should have been a great time. But sadly, I don’t speak Spanish and so apparently didn’t deserve the time of day from the pourers, not to mention tastes of their wine.

It was a very rainy Saturday afternoon on South Beach and The South Beach Wine Club had been invited to attend the Mediterranean Expo at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Expo was described as an international food, beverage, and tourism trade show that has become a culinary mecca for Mediterranean culinary culture and lifestyle. That’s all well and good, but I feel they should have been prepared for those of us on the beach that no habla espanol. I had on a press pass, meaning I could be writing for a blog or the Miami Herald for all anyone knew. And yet, it was more challenging to get the women behind the tables to pour, than it would be to shave my face in the dark. Apparently I didn’t know that wines from The Canary Islands were doing well enough in the US market that their representatives could afford to be rude to members of the press.

The two wines I did manage to try were the a Moscatel Licor and a Malvasia Rosado Dolce, both very sweet dessert wines. The Moscatel Licor packed a wallop with 15% alcohol – which came through loud and clear on the nose. As Ron Burgundy would say, “It was a deep burn.” And although the Licor lacked fruit on the palate, it had plenty of a sweet honey flavor. It wasn’t like drinking pure honey mind you, but you would have to really like sweet wine to enjoy this bottle. Come to think of it, you could try pouring it on your pancakes. The Rosado Dolce wasn’t quite as sweet, but was certainly interesting. A red Dolce – who would have thought. Equally high in alcohol as the Licor, the Dolce had a flat grapey sweetness to it – somewhere between a Beaujolais and Manischewitz wine (making it perfect for my future father in-law).

On the food side of the event, there was an area for olive oil tasting. Nine extra virgin olive oils and all of the French bread kept me occupied for a good amount of time. Let’s just say that I didn’t need to eat again for a while.

I was also able to learn some interesting facts about cheese. I tasted some amazing Pecorino cheese which is similar to Parmesan. The difference is that Pecorino is normally aged 6-8 months and comes from sheep’s milk. Parmesan is aged from 20-24 months and is made from cow’s milk. The Pecorino cheese I was able to taste at the event was aged for the same amount of time as a Parmesan, but was a touch sweeter, less salty, and very elegant due to its aging.

Sadly, the good good food wasn’t enough to get rid of the bad taste left in my mouth by the wine pourers.

The purchasing power a large grocery store chain has is immense. And the same ability these stores have to buy large amounts of pampers exists for wine as well. Take for example the Publix we have on South Beach. They are cheaper than pretty much any retailer on the beach because of their buying power. If you know you want a bottle of Menage a Trois, go to Publix and get it at $10.99 instead of $12.99 at your liquor store. Of course, you couldn’t find out what their prices were unless you went into a Publix – they are one of the many stores who don’t list their wines online. What, if any, are the costs of purchasing wine from a grocery store instead of a liquor store? Well, for one thing, the same person stocking the wine shelves at a grocery store is the same person bagging your groceries at checkout. They have no knowledge of wine, and so won’t be able to suggest an alternative if the wine you’re looking for is out. Because these same bag boys are the ones stocking the shelves, you can only imagine how many bottles are misplaced and mispriced. And what about the checkout lines? Are you patient enough to stand in line behind the family doing their shopping for the week? These obstacles are enough to encourage many to buy their wines from a nice, organized liquor store.

Personally, I feel the Internet solves the question of where to buy wine. If your grocery store put their wines online, making it possible to compare their prices, they might appear organized enough to buy from them. Of course if they did this, they would have to spend the money to create a user friendly site that was up to date on their wine selections. And you can bet that they would pass this cost onto the consumer. But if bottles are an average of $3 less in the grocery store, and they raised the prices by a mere $1.50 per bottle, they’d still be cheaper. This isn’t good news for local wine stores, but people still have to buy spirits, and Publix isn’t able to sell them…yet. At their local liquor store, once customers have their vodka, scotch, and tequila in hand, they’ll be sure to see what wines are available too.

Of course, a great way to try new wines, and not waste ANY time in ANY store would be to join a wine club – perhaps The South Beach Wine Club.

One difficulty I face as a blogger is making sure I connect to my audience. Getting my point across to a wide range of wine drinkers is a fun challenge, but a challenge none the less. Some people read the NY Times; others prefer USA Today. My goal is to make sure both groups, and the rest of us in between who read the Philadelphia Inquirer and Miami Herald, are happy too. To do this, I like to post informational pieces in between entertaining posts that discuss specific wine bottles, pairing suggestions, and all around wine rants. These informational posts are stored on the site, so that anyone reading an entertaining post can look up any term they don’t understand. I refer you to the Search Box on the left side of the page. And so, at the behest of my better half, I give you Wine Tasting Terminology.

Acidity – An essential component of wine providing tang that helps a wine’s flavors linger and provides a counterpoint to a wine’s fruit. Wines with notable acidity are often called crisp, lively or refreshing; however, balance is key—overly acidic wines can impart a sharp or sour impression, while too little acidity can leave a wine seeming soft or “flabby.” Acidity is usually more noticeable in dry whites than reds, although in both styles of wine, the acidity, along with tannin, is an important factor in longevity.

Aggressive – Very strong, often due to the wine’s levels of tannin or acid. Wines that are too aggressive seem harsh.

Astringent – Pucker power. Applies to red wines that are high in both acidity and tannin. A degree of astringency contributes “bite” and can help complement food; too much makes the wine bitter.

Backbone – Wines with good structure (tannin and acidity) are said to have a backbone.

Balance – Harmony. A wine is balanced when its key components—fruitiness/sweetness, acidity, tannin, and alcohol—are all apparent and in synch. In such a case, no single element dominates or sticks out.

Big – A descriptor for a wine that is high in alcohol, body, and flavor intensity.

Bitter – As much a textural sensation as a taste, a degree of bitterness comes from a wine’s tannin (too much = too bitter). However, wines that seem bitter sipped alone can seem less so when eating.

Body – Heft. Weight on the palate. Usually wines are gauged as full-bodied (akin to the body of whole milk), medium-bodied (think 2% milk) or light-bodied (think nonfat milk). Red wines tend to be fuller-bodied than whites. Fuller-bodied wines are also usually higher in alcohol.

Bouquet – Effectively interchangeable with aroma, but some tasters apply this term to secondary scents that develop as wine ages, as opposed to the fruity, primary aromas of young wine.

Brut – A French term used worldwide to indicate a dry sparkling wine. Sparklers labeled Brut are actually drier than those labeled Extra Dry.

Clean – Well-made, with no off smells or flavors.

Closed – When a wine’s aroma is surprisingly “tight” and un-giving, it’s closed. The term is likely to be used when comparing several wines of the same type, and one seems decidedly less aromatic than the others. A high-end wine is more likely to be closed, but it can “open up” as it is exposed to air.

Complexity – A complex wine offers interest on multiple levels. The aromas and flavors are plentiful and interesting; the wine’s structural elements (tannin, acidity) are evident and in balance; and there is layering and depth in general. Complexity is one of wine talk’s highest compliments.

Demi-Sec – Literally “partly dry.” Found on sparkling wines, Demi-sec indicates medium sweetness. Demi-Sec is sweeter than Extra Dry and Brut.

Depth – Real substance on the palate. A wine of depth has flavor intensity and/or complexity that lets you discover layers beyond a first impression.

Dry – Dry is not a flavor. Technically dry means that all or most of a wine’s sugar is gone, having been converted during fermentation to alcohol. The vast majority of table wines today are dry, though their degree of fruitiness may make them seem sweet.

Elegant – Delicate, graceful, and subtle – the opposite of big. Elegance is a positive term when applied to a wine that is also balanced. Elegant wines are often said to have finesse (as opposed to power) and refinement; commonly used to describe lighter-bodied French wines.

Extra Dry – A term used to describe sparkling wines that are not as dry as Brut, but not as sweet as Demi-Sec.

Extract – The concentration of fruit in a red wine is called extract, as in the fruit flavors that get extracted from the grape skins during the wine making process. Over-extracted wines may seem harsh.

Fat – A textural term for wines that are full-bodied and mouth filling; usually applied to rich whites or dessert wines.

Finish – The final taste left by a wine after you swallow (or spit). Also called aftertaste. Wines can be said to have a short, medium, or long finish; a long, balanced finish is a reliable indicator of quality.

Firm – Noticeably tannic and/or acidic; in a positive way. Firmness in general suggests age-ability, and is usually applied to reds. A wine that is too firm might be called hard.

Flabby – A negative term (unlike fat); flabby wines are soft and lacking acidity; the opposite of firm.

Fleshy – Soft, smooth texture indicating moderate tannins.

Fruit bomb – A cheeky term often applied to very ripe, bold wines of the New World (California in particular); white or red, fruit bombs offer an explosion of fruit.

Green – Too acidic or herbaceous, possibly deriving from under-ripe fruit or from the stems of grape clusters.

Hard – Tough with tannins. An extreme form of firm. Hard can also mean extremely high in acidity; either way, it’s not a compliment.

Heady – High in alcohol and/or aromatics. The burn on the nose when smelling.

Hollow – Lacking in mid-palate impression; a sense that little is happening between first taste and finish.

Hot – Negative term for unbalanced, high-alcohol wines that leave a burning sensation.

Lean – A wine whose palate is shy on fruit is said to be lean. This is not necessarily a bad thing, if the wine’s elements are balanced. The term is used most often for Old World wines, whose grapes generally start off less ripe coming in from the vineyard.

Legs – The drops of wine that slide down the sides of the glass after being swirled. Typical of rich reds and fortified and dessert wines, thick legs are a sign of viscosity and full body, but not necessarily quality.

Length – The amount of time a wine’s flavor lingers after it has been swallowed. Closely related to finish; a long palate impression and finish implies good quality.

Maderized – Showing signs of excess oxidation, including a brownish color and a strong, fortified, Madeira-like flavor.

Mature – Ready to drink. Usually used to refer to red wines that are expected to evolve over years; the majority of wines are mature when released.

Off-dry – Slightly sweet. Off-dry wines are usually white and have alcohol between 10-12%. White Zinfandel and many light German Rieslings are off-dry.

Oxidized – A big no-no. Wines that have been over-exposed to air may seem “tired” and flat (lacking acidity); browning and off flavors are also signs. An extremely oxidized wine will give the impression of vinegar.

Racy – Descriptor for a white wine with a pleasant amount of zing (due to acidity) that’s in balance with zippy fruit flavors.

Residual sugar – The amount of sugar remaining in a wine after fermentation. Dry wines have little or no residual sugar; dessert wines have a lot. Wines that have too much may too taste too sugary sweet, and not fruity sweet.

Robust – Relatively full-bodied and intense; usually refers to a red wine.

Round – Indicating a smooth wine with some depth; red or white.

Soft - Wines that are low in acid and tannin leave a smooth impression in the mouth.

Spritzy - A pleasant, light sparkling sensation sometimes found in young white wines; not a flaw if the wine tastes fresh. Moscato d’ Asti is considered light and Spritzy

Structure - A comprehensive term that relates to a wine’s “framework”, or how a wine is “built.” Encompasses a wine’s non-fruit elements—namely tannin, acidity, body, texture, and length—that work to hold a wine together.

Supple - A complimentary term for wines that are pleasantly textured, as opposed to noticeably tannic or acidic.

Tannins - The rough stuff. Tannin is a compound, found in grape skins, seeds, and stems. Though tannin is in both red and white grapes, it is only found in red wines because reds are made with extended skin contact, allowing the tannins to become part of the wine’s character. In wine, tannins contribute texture, sometimes to the point of making the wine feel rough and astringent (think strong black tea). Tannin is more potent in big young reds; over time (ten-plus years) tannins tend to soften, making firm wine more palatable.

Texture - Mouth-feel. The way a wine feels in the mouth, based mainly on body, alcohol, tannin, and acidity.

Thin - Lacking body; often used to describe a wine that tastes diluted and watery. Two wines that are regularly referred to as thin are Pinot Grigio and Riesling

Tired - A wine that lacks freshness or seems past its peak is said to be tired.

Toasty – A toasted- (or smoky or charred) wood character imparted by oak barrels. Also used to describe aromas of toasted bread in Champagne.

Tough - Astringent or hard.

Velvety - Silky or lush in texture; a positive trait perhaps most famously found in fine Burgundies and Pinot Noirs.

Young - Fresh and vibrant. In simple wines, youth is desirable; in finer wines, youth implies immaturity, or at least prospects for further development as the wine ages.