Learning the Lingo of Wine
Part Four
Advice from Wine Taster Jill Stacey
Jill is teaching us to speak wine...get up to speed on wine lingo with these new terms! Click here for the complete Wine Lingo list.
 Below is some lingo that wine tasters use and what it can mean to you. Sometimes it can seem you are reverting back to childhood and using words that are not real, words that your mom always corrected you for using. But in describing wine, use the words that work; don’t worry about making your English teacher cringe!
Jammy — Fruit forward wines, the flavor hits you right at the first taste. You get soft supple fruit flavors without harsh tannins or spices.
Plummy — Aromas and flavors that suggest ripe plums.
Smoky Flavor — Yes you can get smoky flavor but it’s not like smoking a cigarette, it’s more like smoked meat or smoked gouda and it’s usually very subtle more in the layered flavors which brings me to...
Layered Flavors — Bold red wines and rich full bodied white wines have layers of flavors. Usually you get tender fruit up front with more flavors coming on as you roll the wine in your mouth and after you swallow you get different flavors once the wine has left your mouth. This is where smoke, chocolate, tobacco, pepper and come forward into the areas of your mouth where the wine still lingers.
Earthy — No, this does not mean it tastes like dirt, its aromas and flavors of minerals, mushroom, wet soil and dry earth.
Flabby — This would describe wine that is too soft not a lot of flavor or character. Think of it as: “Would I remember this wine tomorrow”. If it doesn’t reach out and grab you than move on… no need to be “flabby”!
Fleshy — Another term for a rich textural wine.
And here is another tip for tasting wine: Close your eyes you will find more flavors and aromas when you focus your senses on your taste and smell.
Reference:
Karen MacNeil’s “The Wine Bible”
Workman Publishing, New York
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