35 wine tasting terms and what they actually mean

There's a lot of ego in wine speak, both on the part of eager oenophiles who want to assert their expertise and occasional wine drinkers who keep mum for fear of saying the wrong thing.

For those who identify with the latter, this glossary of wine tasting terms will get your vocabulary off to a roaring start. The list is a group effort by some of our favorite sommeliers and winemakers, all of whom are photographed below, plus Business Insider's own Matthew DeBord, author of "Wine Country USA."

Acidic

Pertains to the acid level in both red and white wines. It's the sensation you get after sucking on a lemon, when your mouth gushes with saliva. Sometimes it can have a negative connotation - underripe, astringent, tart - but without acid, wine would be flabby and unstructured. Acid is the balancing agent to sugar and fruit. -Christine Wright, wine director

Angular

When a wine feels almost sharp in your mouth, with lots of acid and structure. It's the opposite of "velvety" or "flabby." -Jessica Brown, wine director

Barnyard

Body

You want a well-balanced body, right? The same goes for wine, in terms of its weight and fullness on your palate. Wine can be light, medium, or full-bodied. -Charles Smith, winemaker

Brett(y)

Short for "brettanomyce" (a type of yeast) and a variant of "barnyard." Refers to wines that smell like sweat and manure. -Alexander LaPratt, sommelier

Chewy

Has to do with a wine's density and texture, almost like you can sink your teeth into it. -C.S.

Corked

Signifies a type of flaw that can come from a cork, but also from other places. It makes a wine smell like funky wet cardboard and tends to kill the fresh fruit flavors. -Matthew DeBord

Cut

Often used to characterize German Rieslings, a wine with a "good cut" is sharply defined in terms of acidity. -M.D.

Dry

Simply means the absence of sugar, not absence of flavor. You can have a full-flavored, fruity wine that's also dry. -C.S.

Earthy

Gives a sense of place and origin - where the grape was grown, the type of soil. It can almost give you a wine's backstory. -C.S.

Fat

Means a wine is high in alcohol with no acidity. A fat wine isn't refreshing. -A.L.

Finish

How long you can taste the wine in your mouth after you swallow. -J.B.

Flabby

When a wine lacks structure, tannins, and acid. -C.S.

Fresh

When a wine (white or red) is lively and refreshing. We use this term for more youthful wines. -C.S.

Fruit-forward

Fruitiness in a wine doesn't have much to do with sweetness. Sweetness is the end balance between sugar and acid; you can't smell sugar. Fruitiness is the presence of fruit notes both on the nose and on the palate. -C.W.

Fur tongue

Refers to a cat's tongue; used to describe a wine that has high tannins. -A.L.

Grainy

A fine yet gauzy texture resembling, in a sense, projected 16 or 35 mm film. Generally denotes Old World, old-school, or old wines. -Scott Baker, wine director

Hyena

A wine that's all upfront with no backend. -A.L.

Hot

Wine with a noticeably high alcohol content. -S.B

Jammy

A sense of really ripe, baked fruit. -A.L.

Jet fuel

Wine that is high in alcohol and/or out of balance. -A.L.

Juicy

Laser-like

Lively

A wine that engages your palate and piques your curiosity. In other words, it has lots of action. Whether it's sparkling wine, Champagne, or Riesling, it has energy. -C.S.

Meaty

Simply means the wine has a lot of texture and density. You could liken it to the meaty quality of wild mushrooms. -C.S.

Mineral

One-note

Simple wine that only showcases one flavor profile (i.e., green apple flavor and nothing else). -A.L.

Reductive

Denotes a wine that was kept air-tight during fermentation. Reductive wines often have a sulfur smell. This can be something the winemaker wanted intentionally in the wine or something that disappears after the wine breathes a bit. -J.B.

Rainwater

Diluted, watered down wine with no personality. -A.L.

Slutty

Denotes a lot of new oak influence. -A.L.

Smooth

Used a lot to describe red wine and usually translates to a wine with lower tannin levels. -C.W.

Spicy

Usually has to do with notes of pepper, spice, or ginger on the nose and palate. Grenache and syrah are both known to have pepper notes, so often people will think of these wines as "spicy." -C.W.

Tannins

Present in red wines due to skin contact and oak aging. Tannins can dry out your mouth with a sort of astringency (think black tea that has been steeped for too long). They usually soften over time, but some grapes have a naturally lower tannin level. -C.W.

Tight

Volatile Acidity (VA)

Evokes aromas and flavors found in nail polish remover. VA is prevalent in Italian red wines. -A.L.

Velvety (also: lush, smooth, silky)

Wooly

Smells like lamb's wool or an old sweater. Usually used to describe chenin blanc. -S.B.

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