Acidity - The quality of wine that gives it its crispiness and vitality. A proper balance of acidity must be struck with the other elements of a wine, or else the wine may be said to be too sharp - having disproportionately high levels of acidity - or too flat - having disproportionately low levels of acidity.
Body - A tasting term describing the weight and fullness of a wine that can be sensed. A wine may be light-, medium-, or full-bodied. A less specific term than texture, wines rich in concentration, extract, alcohol, tannin and glycerol may be described as full-bodied.
Bouquet - A tasting term for the complex aromas of an aged wine. The term aroma is used for younger wines.
Brandy - A liquor made from distilled wine. It is often the source of additional alcohol in fortified wines.
Brut - A French term for a very dry champagne or sparkling wine. Drier than extra dry.
Cabernet Franc - "One of the parent grape varieties that gave rise to the Cabernet Sauvignon. Mainly found in cooler, damper climatic conditions than its offspring. Widely grown in the Loire region of southwest France. Bordeaux wines commonly contain a blend of both Cabernet varietal wines, a practice increasingly being followed in California and elsewhere. Wine from these grapes has a deep purple color, when young, with a herbaceous aroma." - from Vino.com
Cabernet Savignon - "A "noble" grape famous as one of the main varieties, along with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and others used to create the magnificent French Bordeaux region blended red wines. The most successful plantings in North America are mainly on Long Island (N.Y.) and the cooler regions of northern California. In the warmer regions of California, grapes made into a single varietal wine will often produce higher than optimum levels of alcohol due to high sugar content and, conversely, lower than optimum acid levels in most years and so may tend to age less successfully than the blended french versions. Many other countries have seen their regions develop into prime producers - Argentina, Chile, Italy and New Zealand)." - from Vino.com
Chardonnay - The best known white wine grown in France, widely planted in the Burgundy and Chablis regions. In the late 1900s it was planted across the globe with much success.
Chenin Blanc - A widely grown white-wine made from a hard, acidic grape. Known as "steen" in South Africa. Also known as Pinot Blanco. A sweet wine that ages well in the bottle.
Chianti - Italy's most famous wine; derived from the sangiovese grape.
Dessert Wine - Varies by region. In the UK, a very sweet, low alcohol wine. In the US by law, any wine containing over 15% alcohol.
Dry - Wines with zero or very low levels of residual sugar. The opposite of sweet, except in sparkling wines, where dry means sweet.
Gewurztraminer - White wine with a strong floral aroma and lychee nut-like flavor. Originally from the Alsace region of France.
Grenache - A pale red wine used mostly in blends.
Malbec - A semi-classic grape that creates an intense, inky, red wine. Used extensively in blends.
Merlot - "Classic grape widely grown in the Bordeaux region of France and elsewhere. The red wine bears a resemblance to Cabernet Sauvignon wine, with which it is sometimes blended, but is usually not so intense, with softer tannins." - from Vino.com
Pinot Noir - Hailing from the Burgundy region of France, this red wine is lighter in color than Cabernets and Merlots.
Pinot Griggio - Crisp, dry white wine with good acid "bite".
Port - A sweet fortified wine, which is produced from grapes grown and processed in the Douro region of Portugal. This wine is fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits in order to boost the alcohol content and stop fermentation thus preserving some of the natural grape sugars.
Reisling - Sweet white wine from Germany.
Rose Wines - Pink wines that are produced from the shortened contact of red wine juice with its skins, reducing the red colour of the wine. These wines can also be made by blending a small amount of red wine with white wine.
Sauvignon Blanc - Classic white wine from the Bordeaux and eastern Loire regions of France, now grown around the world. Herbaceous flavor and aroma.
Sherry - Originally from Spain, A fortified wine that has been subjected to controlled oxidation to produce a distinctive flavor.
Shiraz - "Alternate name for the french Syrah clone grape grown in Australia and responsible for very big red wines that are not quite as intense in flavor as the french Rhone versions. In the past it was also known under the alias name Hermitage." - from Vino.com
Sparkling Wine - Effervescent wine containing significant levels of carbon dioxide.
Sulfites - Compounds (typically: potassium metabisulfite or sodium metabisulfite) which are added to wine to prevent oxidation and microbial spoilage. Sulfites are also found naturally in the grapes.
Syrah - A red wine varietal associated with the Rhone Valley region of France.
Tannin - Polyphenolic compounds that give wine a bitter, dry, or puckery feeling in the mouth.
Texture - A tasting term for the mouthfeel of wine on the palate
Varietal - Wines made from a single grape variety.
Vermouth - A fortified wine that has been flavored with as many as 40 herbs and spices.
Vinho Verde - An effervescent white wine produced in Portugal.
Vintage - The year in which a particular wine's grapes were harvested. When a vintage year is indicated on a label, it signifies that all the grapes used to make the wine in the bottle were harvested in that year.
Viognier - Semi-classic white grape varietal with full spicy flavor. Best when young.
Zinfandel - An important red grape used to produce robust red wine as well as very popular "blush wines" called "white Zinfandel".
Body - A tasting term describing the weight and fullness of a wine that can be sensed. A wine may be light-, medium-, or full-bodied. A less specific term than texture, wines rich in concentration, extract, alcohol, tannin and glycerol may be described as full-bodied.
Bouquet - A tasting term for the complex aromas of an aged wine. The term aroma is used for younger wines.
Brandy - A liquor made from distilled wine. It is often the source of additional alcohol in fortified wines.
Brut - A French term for a very dry champagne or sparkling wine. Drier than extra dry.
Cabernet Franc - "One of the parent grape varieties that gave rise to the Cabernet Sauvignon. Mainly found in cooler, damper climatic conditions than its offspring. Widely grown in the Loire region of southwest France. Bordeaux wines commonly contain a blend of both Cabernet varietal wines, a practice increasingly being followed in California and elsewhere. Wine from these grapes has a deep purple color, when young, with a herbaceous aroma." - from Vino.com
Cabernet Savignon - "A "noble" grape famous as one of the main varieties, along with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and others used to create the magnificent French Bordeaux region blended red wines. The most successful plantings in North America are mainly on Long Island (N.Y.) and the cooler regions of northern California. In the warmer regions of California, grapes made into a single varietal wine will often produce higher than optimum levels of alcohol due to high sugar content and, conversely, lower than optimum acid levels in most years and so may tend to age less successfully than the blended french versions. Many other countries have seen their regions develop into prime producers - Argentina, Chile, Italy and New Zealand)." - from Vino.com
Chardonnay - The best known white wine grown in France, widely planted in the Burgundy and Chablis regions. In the late 1900s it was planted across the globe with much success.
Chenin Blanc - A widely grown white-wine made from a hard, acidic grape. Known as "steen" in South Africa. Also known as Pinot Blanco. A sweet wine that ages well in the bottle.
Chianti - Italy's most famous wine; derived from the sangiovese grape.
Dessert Wine - Varies by region. In the UK, a very sweet, low alcohol wine. In the US by law, any wine containing over 15% alcohol.
Dry - Wines with zero or very low levels of residual sugar. The opposite of sweet, except in sparkling wines, where dry means sweet.
Gewurztraminer - White wine with a strong floral aroma and lychee nut-like flavor. Originally from the Alsace region of France.
Grenache - A pale red wine used mostly in blends.
Malbec - A semi-classic grape that creates an intense, inky, red wine. Used extensively in blends.
Merlot - "Classic grape widely grown in the Bordeaux region of France and elsewhere. The red wine bears a resemblance to Cabernet Sauvignon wine, with which it is sometimes blended, but is usually not so intense, with softer tannins." - from Vino.com
Pinot Noir - Hailing from the Burgundy region of France, this red wine is lighter in color than Cabernets and Merlots.
Pinot Griggio - Crisp, dry white wine with good acid "bite".
Port - A sweet fortified wine, which is produced from grapes grown and processed in the Douro region of Portugal. This wine is fortified with the addition of distilled grape spirits in order to boost the alcohol content and stop fermentation thus preserving some of the natural grape sugars.
Reisling - Sweet white wine from Germany.
Rose Wines - Pink wines that are produced from the shortened contact of red wine juice with its skins, reducing the red colour of the wine. These wines can also be made by blending a small amount of red wine with white wine.
Sauvignon Blanc - Classic white wine from the Bordeaux and eastern Loire regions of France, now grown around the world. Herbaceous flavor and aroma.
Sherry - Originally from Spain, A fortified wine that has been subjected to controlled oxidation to produce a distinctive flavor.
Shiraz - "Alternate name for the french Syrah clone grape grown in Australia and responsible for very big red wines that are not quite as intense in flavor as the french Rhone versions. In the past it was also known under the alias name Hermitage." - from Vino.com
Sparkling Wine - Effervescent wine containing significant levels of carbon dioxide.
Sulfites - Compounds (typically: potassium metabisulfite or sodium metabisulfite) which are added to wine to prevent oxidation and microbial spoilage. Sulfites are also found naturally in the grapes.
Syrah - A red wine varietal associated with the Rhone Valley region of France.
Tannin - Polyphenolic compounds that give wine a bitter, dry, or puckery feeling in the mouth.
Texture - A tasting term for the mouthfeel of wine on the palate
Varietal - Wines made from a single grape variety.
Vermouth - A fortified wine that has been flavored with as many as 40 herbs and spices.
Vinho Verde - An effervescent white wine produced in Portugal.
Vintage - The year in which a particular wine's grapes were harvested. When a vintage year is indicated on a label, it signifies that all the grapes used to make the wine in the bottle were harvested in that year.
Viognier - Semi-classic white grape varietal with full spicy flavor. Best when young.
Zinfandel - An important red grape used to produce robust red wine as well as very popular "blush wines" called "white Zinfandel".
Sources: Wikipedia and Vino.com
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