Blaggers’ guide: Words for wine

There are inevitably going to be occasions where admitting you don’t know about something just feels wrong. And it’s at these times, whether you know it or not, that you slip into blagging mode.

We understand this, and as part of our remit to equip you with the tools for success, here's the first in our series of ‘blaggers guides’, arming you with the intellectual tit-bits that will see you through a social clinch.

If you’ve got some conversational ammunition that might benefit the BusinessZone.co.uk community in an emergency, why don't you contribute your own blaggers’ guide. You might save someone’s bacon without even knowing it.

Basic wine info:

There are no hard and fast rules, but red wine is typically served with red meat or pasta, while white will more traditionally accompany seafood or chicken. A common misconception is that the red colour of some wines comes from the colour of the grapes used to make it; not so. Virtually all grape juices are clear; the wine’s colour comes from the grape skins which are left in it during the fermentation process. It’s the skins that give red wines their tannin flavour, that mouth puckering twang.

Tasting like a pro:

There are a couple of handy tricks that can assist your appraisal of an unknown vino, and also make you look like you know what you’re on about. Fill the glass half way to the top. Hold it by the stem so the warmth of your hand doesn’t affect the tipple within.

You’re going to employ all of your carefully honed senses to test this wine, so swirl it round in the glass and have a look at its ‘legs’. Also known by the Germans as ‘cathedral windows’, a wine’s legs describe the part that coats the glass after you’ve swirled it.

Some people believe that longer lasting legs are an indication of higher quality wine. What it does indicate is the glycerol content of the wine, which comes from being made with ripe grapes. The act of swirling also helps the wine release its aroma.

Take a couple of small sniffs, closing your eyes for extra effect if you like. What you smell is the wine’s ‘bouquet. Is it spicy, sweet or fruity perhaps? It’s a subjective process, so unless you have olfactory dyslexia you can’t really be wrong.

Now take a small sip and let the liquid linger on your tongue. Don’t gargle! Wine tasting experts will commonly spit it out at this point though this may not go down too well at every social function. Also, swallowing the wine will allow you to comment on its ‘finish’, which is the aftertaste that should linger for a few moments. Is it acidy or sweet; full bodied or light?

Words for wine

It’s not as easy as you might think to accurately describe how something tastes. If you try and sum up the taste and texture of a fish finger sandwich, for instance, it’s easy to understand why wine experts have almost made up their own language for describing wine. But as long as you can apply a bit of linguistic creativity to it, you can’t go far wrong. Here are some examples of expert wine notes to give you an idea of the kind of guff they come up with:

“The palate is lively and dry with crisp acidity and apple, lemony fruit. Dry but quite rich, with a slight spritz to it.”

“It shows incredible concentration, immense sweetness, high acidity and a finish that is verging on the eternal.”

“Gorgeous fresh brambly fruit with hints of underbrush and damp earth.”

“In the mouth the wine is full bodied, creamy almost nutty with a crisp attractive acidity.”

“It becomes richer, almost quite luscious and tropical on the mid-palate, but then that racy, vibrant, very fruity and fresh personality leaves it nimble and tangy in the finish.”

“On the palate this has a terrific verve and vitality, with the richness and Dundee-cake spiciness married to a keen-edged, brighter raspberry character, and immense concentration.”

Got some better conversational wine advice? Leave a comment below.