| terme,definition,exemple | |
| Tannins,"What dries your mouth, like over-brewed tea. They come from grape skins and seeds, mostly in red wines.","A Cahors has lots of tannins, a Beaujolais very few." | |
| Dry,"No sugar you can taste. Nothing to do with a wine that ""dries"" your mouth: that's tannins.","A Chablis is dry." | |
| Off-dry (moelleux),"Slightly sweet, but less than a sweet dessert wine.","A Vouvray moelleux with an apple tart." | |
| Sweet wine (liquoreux),"Very sweet, almost like honey. Often served with dessert or foie gras.","Sauternes is the star of sweet wines." | |
| Body,"How heavy the wine feels in your mouth: light like water or thick like whole milk.","A Châteauneuf-du-Pape is full-bodied." | |
| Acidity,"What makes your mouth water and brings freshness, like lemon.","Muscadet is very acidic, so very fresh." | |
| Grape variety,"The type of grape, like apple varieties (Golden, Granny Smith…).","Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah are grape varieties." | |
| Appellation (AOP),"A protected place name with production rules. The wine is named after the place, not the grape.","Sancerre is an appellation; its grape is Sauvignon." | |
| Vintage,"The year the grapes were harvested, written on the label.","A 2020 Bordeaux." | |
| Colour (robe),"The colour of the wine when you look at your glass.","Ruby, golden…" | |
| Nose,"What the wine smells like before you drink it.","This rosé has a peachy nose." | |
| Palate,"What you feel when the wine is in your mouth: taste, texture, length.","A round, fruity palate." | |
| Length,"How long the taste stays after you swallow. Longer often means better quality.","Also measured in ""caudalies"" (1 caudalie = 1 second)." | |
| Mineral,"A feeling of wet stone, chalk or seashell. Common in fresh whites.","Chablis and Sancerre are very mineral." | |
| Oaky,"Vanilla, toast or wood aromas that come from ageing in oak barrels.","A Saint-Émilion is often oaky." | |
| Oak barrel,"The wooden cask where some wines age. It adds vanilla, toastiness and roundness.","Meursault is aged in barrels." | |
| Brut,"For sparkling wine: very little sugar. The most common style.","Champagne Brut." | |
| Demi-sec,"For sparkling wine: quite sweet, perfect with dessert.","Demi-sec Champagne with birthday cake." | |
| Crémant,"A sparkling wine made like Champagne, but elsewhere (Loire, Alsace, Burgundy…) and often cheaper.","Crémant de Loire." | |
| Pet'Nat,"Pétillant naturel: bubbles from a single fermentation in the bottle. Often cloudy and funky.","A pink Pet'Nat for drinks." | |
| Natural wine,"Wine made with minimal intervention: organic grapes, few or no added sulphites.","A glug-glug natural Gamay." | |
| Glug-glug,"A light, fruity wine that is very easy to drink.","A chilled Beaujolais is glug-glug." | |
| Sulphites,"A preservative (SO2) used in almost every wine to protect it.","""Contains sulphites"" on the label." | |
| Decanting,"Pouring wine into a carafe so it can breathe and open up.","You decant a young Madiran." | |
| Corked,"A fault: the wine smells of wet cardboard or a damp cellar. You can send it back at a restaurant.","The waiter lets you taste to check it isn't corked." | |
| Serving temperature,"Light reds around 14 °C, bold reds around 17 °C, whites and rosés 8–10 °C, bubbles 6–8 °C.","A red that is too warm feels heavy." | |
| Food pairing,"Choosing a wine that goes well with the dish. Simple rule: light dish, light wine; rich dish, rich wine.","Oysters + Muscadet." | |
| Sommelier,"The person who recommends wines in a restaurant. Ask them questions, it's their job!","""I'm looking for a light red under €30.""" | |
| Saignée rosé,"Rosé made by bleeding juice off a red-wine tank: often darker and fruitier.","Tavel is very deeply coloured." | |
| Grand cru,"The most prestigious vineyard level, especially in Burgundy and Alsace. Often expensive.","Chambertin Grand Cru." | |
| Fruity,"The wine smells and tastes of fruit: strawberry, cherry, peach, citrus…","A very fruity Côtes de Provence rosé." | |
| Spicy,"Aromas of pepper, clove or liquorice.","Rhône Syrah is peppery." | |
| Round,"Soft and smooth, with no sharp edges: low acidity and few tannins.","A round Merlot." | |
| Crisp,"Lots of acidity and freshness: it wakes you up!","A crisp Sancerre." | |