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Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026Body
Body
Body in wine refers to its weight, texture and overall mouthfeel. Determined by a combination of alcohol content, tannins, sugar and extract, a wine may be light, medium or full bodied. Grapes grown in hotter regions develop more sugar, which translates to higher alcohol and produces a heavier, fuller bodied wine.
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Acidity
Acidity can be described as a "zing" on the tongue, acting as a structural backbone that balances sweetness and alcohol, while preventing spoilage.
Legs
Wine legs are the droplets and streaks of wine that form on the inside of a wine glass and resettle at the bottom after swirling.
Umami
Umami, which means "savory or delicious taste" in Japanese, is the "fifth taste" that adds complexity, richness and length to a wine's finish. It develops through glutamate and amino acids from late harvest grapes or lees aging and it enhances the other flavors.
Floral
The term "floral" is used to describe the delicate, perfumed and aromatic notes that smell like white and yellow flowers, arising naturally from specific grape varieties, not additives.
Structure
A wine's structure refers to its foundational components, namely the tannins, acidity, alcohol, body and sugar. It describes the balance and backbone of the wine which determines how it feels, rather than its flavor or how it tastes.
Balance
Balance is the proportional relationship between acidity, alcohol, sugar, tannin and fruit concentration in a wine, where no single element dominates.
Hot
A "hot" wine is a wine with unbalanced, excessively high alcohol (>14.5% ABV) that creates a burning sensation in the throat and mouth.
QPR
QPR in wine stands for Quality to Price Ratio, a metric used to assess a bottle's quality relative to its price. The higher a wine's QPR, the more quality you get for your money.
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