Illustration By Jason Crosby
Listening to sommeliers talk about wine can be boring, to say the least—and I am a sommelier. Comments like “nice acid” and “good body” sound more like references to drugs and swimsuit models than wine. Many people think wine critics and sommeliers are full of themselves, that we just make this stuff up. Others think winespeak sounds so foreign, they want to consult Google Translate. I will concede that wine can be intimidating, and it becomes even more complicated when you don’t understand the lingo. Here are a few pointers to help decipher our cryptic language—though the next time you find yourself listening to a sommelier wax poetic, ask simply, “Is the wine good or not?”
When we talk about acid we are addressing the structure of the wine. All wine has acid—some more than others—and it’s a necessary component. Higher-acid wines typically come from cooler climates and pair better with richer (read: fattier) foods. Describing a wine as having “nice acid,” “good acid,” or “higher acid” is simply shorthand for saying it has structure and ageability—for instance, Rieslings from Alsace and Chenins Blancs from the Loire Valley.
Oak is another descriptor that suffers from major misinterpretation. The mere mention that a wine has “notes of oak” sends people in search of stainless-steel tanks. Most premium wines are either fermented in or aged in oak barrels, and not all oak-aged wine is “oaky.” Aging wine in oak is critical and arguably necessary for most wines, as it provides a slight, slow, and much-needed oxygen transfer that helps soften the wine. So notes of oak are perfectly acceptable; a two-by-four’s worth is not.
The term body can also be confusing when coupled with adjectives like “nice,” “long,” and “great,” which tell you little about the quality of the wine. When discussing a wine’s body, sommeliers are referencing the “power” of the wine and its weight on the palate. Sometimes sommeliers say “medium-plus body,” which sounds a little geeky but at least says something about the wine.
The finish is probably the most misunderstood of descriptors. To some, a “long finish” might imply bitterness or a bad aftertaste (you certainly don’t want your salmon fillet to have a long finish). But with wine, “finish” is directly related to quality. The longer the finish, the better—and the better the wine. A good finish means minute attributes of the wine—the acid, fruit, minerality, oak, etc.—linger for a time, whereas a bad finish tastes sour, or astringent, and leaves your mouth puckered.
