Wine tasting vocabulary & words

exercise
Exercise: Wine tasting
Read the following conversation between two wine lovers, Bill and Fleur, with the owner of a shop
that sells wines. Bill and Fleur are trying a number of different wines at the shop.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the
quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Owner:'So, the first wine we have for you to taste is a white wine. It's a Sauvignon Blanc and the
vintage is 2008. It's from a vineyard close to Wellington in New Zealand.'

Fleur:'Well, the wine isn't very clear, it's very cloudy. It doesn't smell very nice at all. In fact it
smells like wet newspaper. I don't think I want to drink this.'

Bill:'I'll do it. It's very sour, it's like eating a lemon. I think it's corked. That accounts for the
colour, smell and taste. It's been contaminated.'
Owner:'I'm sorry, 1 in 20 bottles of wine that are made are corked. I'll open another bottle. Here
you go, this looks ok.'

Fleur:'Oh yes, this is fine. It has a good nose, it smells a little of apples and also of freshly cut
grass.'

Bill:'You're right. It's delicious. It has a very crisp taste, it has a sour taste like the grapes
weren't ripe. But it's not too strong. It also has a taste of kiwi fruit for me. A combination of sweet
and sour. A perfect wine to have during the summer.'

Owner:'So, on to the next wine. It's a red wine. This is a Bordeaux from Château Jean Lamuf. It's
vintage is 2002.'

Bill:'Well, its colour is perfect for a Bordeaux. It has a good nose. I can smell cinnamon and also
oranges.'

Owner:'With this wine, it's essential that you let it breathe before drinking it. So, move it gently
around in the glass to introduce air into the wine before trying it.'

Fleur:'It doesn't taste of oranges at all. In fact, it's quite oaky. The wood barrel which it was
stored in has definitely given it a toasty and wooden flavour. It's also quite fruity with a subtle
taste of cinnamon as well. But it's well-balanced, neither the alcohol in the wine nor any one of
the flavours in the wine dominates the overall taste. It's very nice.'
Bill:'I agree. It's also full-bodied. You know that you're drinking wine because it feels heavy in
the mouth and you can taste the alcohol. Very nice indeed.'

Owner:'On to the last of the wines that I'd like you to try. This is another red wine. It's a Shiraz
from Australia. It's a wine from last year, so it's a young vintage.'

Bill:'It has a very bland nose, I can't really smell anything in particular. My god, it has a very
strong taste of tobacco, like a cigar. Interestingly, it has a smoky taste, a little bit like smoked
sausages. Normally, with a Shiraz you expect it to have a spicytaste, you know a taste of pepper
or cinnamon. But this doesn't have it at all. It's full-bodied for a Shiraz. I think that the tannin is
dominating the flavour of the wine, the wine tastes a little bit bitter for me, like the taste of tea.'

Fleur:'Yes. I agree with you. But I think there is a hint of cinnamon in the wine. It's very subtle
because the tannin is dominating. But I can taste it. Although with the finishof the wine, it's a lot
more spicy than when you have the wine actually in your mouth. But it's a not a very good Shiraz,
it lacks depth. It doesn't have too many different flavours that you would normally expect with a
good Shiraz.'
Quiz: Wine tasting vocabulary & words
Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text. Now
fill in the blanks with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use one word/phrase once and
write it as it is in the text.

1. A wine that has a taste or smell of wood, is described as  

2. A wine that feels heavy in the mouth, is called 
3. A wine that has a taste or smell of cigars, has a taste/smell of 
4. The aroma or smell of wine, is normally called the  
5. A wine that has a taste or smell of burning wood, is described as  
6. A wine that has a taste or smell of pepper, cinnamon etc..., is described as  
7. An element in a wine that can make it taste bitter, is 
8. Another way to say there is a slight/little taste or smell of something, is  
9. A wine that has been contaminated and isn't pleasant to drink, is 
10. The taste of wine that remains in the mouth after you have swallowed it, is called the 
11. Another way to say that a wine has a sour taste, is 
12. The process of allowing the wine to mix with air, is called 
13. When neither the alcohol or one of the flavours dominate a wine, it is  
14. When one flavour is stronger than the other flavours, it  
15. A wine that has a lot of different flavours, has
1. OAKY
2. FULL-BODIED
3. TOBACCO
4. NOSE
5. SMOKY
6. SPICY
7. TANNIN
8. HINT OF
9. CORKED
10. FINISH
11. CRISP
12. BREATHE
13. WELL-BALANCED
14. DOMINATES
15. DEPTH