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Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026Length
Length
Length is a tasting term that describes how long a wine’s flavor, aromas and tactile sensations last on your palate after spitting it out or swallowing. A “long” finish often lasts over 20 seconds and it is a hallmark of high quality, balanced and complex wines. The length of a finish is created by a complex interaction of tannins, acids and alcohols and it is sometimes measured in seconds, called “caudalies”, derived from the latin word for tail: cauda.
See Also
ABV
ABV means alcohol by volume, referring to the percentage of alcohol in a wine, typically ranging from 11% to 15% for table wines.
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.
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.
Tannins
Tannins are naturally occurring polyphenols found in grape skins, seeds, stems and oak barrels that provide texture, structure and aging potential to wine. They are primarily present in red wines, causing a drying, mouth coating or astringent sensation on the tongue, often described as "grippy".
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.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are natural polyphenolic compounds gotten from grape skins, stems and seeds. They are found in high concentrations in red wine.
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.
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