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Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026Texture
Texture
Texture, or “mouthfeel”, refers to the physical, tactile sensatation of the wine as it moves across your palate. It is shaped by the interaction of the tannins, alcohol, sugar and acidity of the wine with the saliva in your mouth. It is often described as silky (fine grained tannins), grippy (intense, drying tannins), creamy (from oak aging and lees), sharp (high acid) or plush (soft, full bodied).
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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.
Extract
The extract of a wine is everything in it apart from water, sugar, alcohol and acids. It refers to the non volatile solids such as tannins, anthocyannins and glycerol which are drawn from the grape during maceration.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are natural polyphenolic compounds gotten from grape skins, stems and seeds. They are found in high concentrations in red wine.
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.
Nose
The "nose" in wine refers to the aroma, scent or bouquet it gives off before tasting. It is generally categorized into primary, secondary and tertiary aromas.
Balance
Balance is the proportional relationship between acidity, alcohol, sugar, tannin and fruit concentration in a wine, where no single element dominates.
Bouquet
The term "bouquet" refers to the complex aromas and perfumes that develop in wine due to bottle maturation, fermentation and wood aging. It includes scents like vanilla, toast, earth and truffle.
Length
A wine's length describes how long a wine's flavor, aromas and tactile sensations last on your palate after spitting it out or swallowing.
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