Does this term mean the wine is 100% organic? Does it mean it’s “plain and simple in style”, or “plain in taste” as Merriam-Webster defines? No, no, and no. While a wine that is organic CAN be earthy, an earthy wine is not necessarily organic, and an earthy wine is often the opposite of plain [...]
No, these aren’t what you might wear for pants, and you will be hard-pressed (pardon the pun) to find them in white (though blue is not unusual). The lees (pronounced like the jeans) are the dead yeast cells, grape seeds, pulp, stems, skins, and tartrates that separate from the juice during wine making and aging. [...]
Once in a while, you may see a label announce that the wine is “unfiltered”. This does not mean the winemaker was smoking a Camel cigarette when the wine was bottled, nor does it mean that you need to pour the wine through a coffee filter before drinking it. Basically, it’s an explanation for the [...]
No doubt you’ve heard this one, especially if you subscribe to one of the large-format wine magazines, such as Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. They review a lot of California Chardonnays, many of which may be described as “fat”. For example, any of a number of white wines have this phrase in the notes: “… [...]
Austere is a major geek term that is often used to describe a young, expensive wine that critics assume will evolve into a blockbuster. The term austere is actually difficult to pinpoint; it is a vague definition of a wine that has a high level of acid and/or tannin, which currently overpowers the fruit, but [...]
You may often see the term “cloying” used in the highbrow wine magazine reviews — most often when describing overly ripe white wines and dessert wines. Merriam-Webster defines cloying thusly: ” disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess ; also : excessively sweet or sentimental ( a cloying romantic comedy )” In wine terms, cloying [...]
I have been swirling, sniffing, and spitting wines as a PR / marketing professional in the wine industry since 1996, and currently head the marketing communications department for Opici Wines. You can follow me on Twitter @joejanish or @wineweekly.
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