Search for:
Don't Let Wine Jargon Confuse You: Understanding 15 Confusing Wine Descriptors
Wine

Don’t Let Wine Jargon Confuse You: Understanding 15 Confusing Wine Descriptors

By



In this video, John Jackson, DipWSET a/k/a Attorney Somm identifies and explains the meaning of 15 confusing wine descriptors that are commonly used by wine critics to describe wines in their wine tasting notes. The descriptors discussed are the following:

Backwards/forward;
Dumb
Cat pee
Barnyard
Angular
Tension
Flabby
Maderized
Austere
Minerality (wet stone, chalk, flint)
Linear
Round
Focus
Precise
Mouthfeel

WINE ACCESSORIES I USE
https://www.amazon.com/shop/attorneysomm

MY FAVORITE FLASH SITE – Sign up to receive $10 off your first order!
https://www.lastbottlewines.com/invite/6215746e97c3146c8d3717b937d97a9e1f7fcb7b.html

SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE WINE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/c/AttorneySomm

LET’S CONNECT
Instagram: instagram.com/attorneysomm
Twitter: http://twitter.com/attorneysomm
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/johnm-jackson

DISCLOSURE
Some of the links above are set up through affiliate programs, which means that this channel receives a modest referral credit if you choose to purchase or sign up through the link(s) above. Affiliate links help allow me to continue to bring you great content and impartial wine reviews. Thank you for contributing to the Attorney Somm community!

16 Comments

  1. Juan Manuel Muñoz Hernandez

    Great topic (also somewhat controversial)!
    One concept that I'm still wrapping my head around is 'body'. Some people compare it to whole vs skimmed milk, thus linking it to physical parameters such as viscosity and density of the liquid. However, others seem to refer to an aggregate of intensities on the palate (basically anything other than flavour intensity), but then acidity diminishes from body and tannins add to it. What a mess! I think it's mostly about viscosity and density (which are increased by the presence of ethanol, RS and glycerol); while the other mouthfeel components (acid & tannin mostly) contribute to the impression of "weight on the palate". Would you say this is an accurate description?

  2. Juan Manuel Muñoz Hernandez

    Great topic (also somewhat controversial)!
    One concept that I'm still wrapping my head around is 'body'. Some people compare it to whole vs skimmed milk, thus linking it to physical parameters such as viscosity and density of the liquid. However, others seem to refer to an aggregate of intensities on the palate (basically anything other than flavour intensity), but then acidity diminishes from body and tannins add to it. What a mess!
    I think it's mostly about viscosity and density (which are increased by the presence of ethanol, RS and glycerol), and the other palate components (acid & tannin mostly) contribute to the impression of "palate weight". Would you say this is an accurate description?

  4. Dr. Matthew Horkey

    You beat me to the punch with this video idea! I love the term tension and agree, the ultimate example of this is in German Riesling. I compare it to the balance of fruit and acidity in fresh, cold pressed juice

  6. Alvin Donald

    i was hoping he would explain elegant… i hear it so often and dont know if it just means balanced

  7. Margaux YZ

    An excellent topic! Enjoying this outstanding video at the moment. I appreciate how you explain each one — very clear and interesting. I’m sure this video will be widely appreciated. Thank you for making and sharing it! Santé, John!

  9. Ron McMartin

    I find cat-pee in cheap Calif Sauv Blanc, not Sancerre or the Gooseberry smell of NZ . The nice way is Herbal or Grassy. I smell it in Juniper bushes.
    Dumb, shut down or for me, Closed.
    Bretty: Beaucastel & Gruaud Larose, although not as pronounced as older vintages(1980s-90s)
    Maderized: Cooked
    Minerality: Bordeaux from Graves(gravelly soil)
    Mouthfeel: Rustic(dry, overt, Grape Stems or chunky, rather than smooth/fine/elegant/balanced tannins)

  10. Steven Holt

    Thanks for this, John. I dislike abstract adjectives to describe sensations: elegant is one of my betes noirs. I am also suspicious of tastes that I cannot have experienced, such as 'wet rock.' After 50 years of drinking the stuff, including many years of running tastings, I think there is a danger of over complicating the enjoyment of wine drinking. For example, I am enjoying a 2015 Moulin A Vent this evening, which we had with roast chicken. I would describe it as: slightly perfumed and tasting of plums, raspberries and strawberries. It has a medium but quite complex finish with still apparent but light tannins. I realise that wouldn't get me a MW but it accurately describes what I have in my glass.

  11. D R

    Minerality, though eye roll inducing, is fine as a descriptor. What annoys me is when people start ascribing is manifestation as a translocation of specific soil components to the grapes, then wine. This is, of course, nonsense

  12. Michael Blum

    I recently read the book Terroir and other Myths of Winegrowing, by Mark Matthews. He argued not that you are not tasting those flavors, but that they may arrive in wine in a different manner than has traditionally been described. I found it fascinating and very persuasive.

  13. Carl Cadregari

    Great video…. Descriptors certainly can be a real help when identifying a wine, but I tend to use them only with my wine geek friends. Something about telling someone the wine has an aroma of wet hay on top of a warm slate minerality piercing acidity has a way of turning some folks off….😂😂.

  15. Hx

    Perfect, I have shared with my wine groups 👌🏼👍🏻😃

Write A Comment