Wine Words

We are the American Wine Society, or, Società Vinicola Americana, or, Sociedade Americana do Vinho, or, Société Américaine du Vin, or, Amerikanische Weingesellschaft.

No matter how you say it, or which region of the world it comes from, wine is in the name. We all know it, and we all love it! Wine is the perfect beverage for any occasion (at least we think so), however this drink we all love can be daunting at times. Don’t fret.

It doesn’t take a professional to use words like “bold,” “oaky,” or “chocolatey” when you're tasting wine, but going beyond the basics is like trying to learn an entirely new language. Scoring real sommelier points (or at least impressing your dinner guests) requires a little extra knowledge. The secret of sounding knowledgeable is not worrying about extensive tasting notes, flavor profiles, or technical terms. Your Pittsburgh Chapter of the AWS is here to help!

Angular: You can use the term angular in reference to either the flavor of the wine (typically for a red) or the acidity (typically for a white). In both cases, the term “angular” is used to describe the way the wine hits your palate. Angular wines tend to hit a sharp point of flavor as opposed to softly sliding over your tongue.

Elegant: An elegant wine makes up for in style what it lacks in palate punch. Rather than being bold and forward, elegant wines are more delicate, which is to say, light on your palate. Elegant is most commonly used as a descriptor for whites and sparkling wines. Elegant can also be used for a lean and supple red. In either case, the flavor profile should be subtle but layered, so rather than extra bold notes you can pick out right away. You need to wait for a minute or two to pick up on the tasting nuances.

Minerality: This applies to both aroma and taste. Mineral notes aren't exactly a spice, not an herb, and not fruity. They’re more inorganic. Think of flavors or aromas that have a kind of wet rock finish. They remind you a little bit of the smell of graphite from your No. 2 pencil, or taste something like the smell of asphalt after the rain. Odd, but you'll know it when you taste it.

Muscular: As you might guess, muscular wines are big and pair best with a sizable serving of protein. These wines are aggressive and high in tannins, almost to the point having a chalky feel. Although a white could technically be muscular, the term most often applies to big, flavorful, unsubtle reds.

Supple: Suppleness is the tannic content of the wine. This is determined by how long the wine is permitted to ferment on the skins. Rather than flavor, this term refers more to the texture of the wine. How does it feel when you roll it over your tongue? White wines, which typically remove the tannic skins early in the fermentation process, tend to be more supple, while bold reds tend to take on an almost chalky feel when you sip them.

Now you just need to uncork a few bottles and start tasting to put these into practice.

The next wine tasting will be the

Wines of Love and Romance

Wednesday, February 12 at 7 p.m.

Evergreen Community Center.