12/10/08 Wine Terms

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Just a few weeks ago we discussed a few wine terms and since then I have been asked to define a few more. Today we discuss the terms buttery, complex, smooth and oaky. It seems that clarifying the terms used to describe wines is very popular with our listeners. So let's explore a few quite common terms starting with buttery. This is a term usually used to describe Chardonnay and as you may imagine it is referring to an oily rich texture that is an attribute of the wine. Sometimes the wine may even have a fragrance reminiscent of butter. Now the term complex is describing the finesse of a wine when the elements of aroma and flavor are truly integrated and often with great subtlety. It is a highly complimentary term. Another complimentary term is smooth which indicates a wine is well balance in a softer style. Now the final term for today is oaky. As the term infers it is referencing the fact that the wine has spent time in some sort of oak barrel, perhaps during fermentation or for aging, or both. The element of oak is usually first recognized in the smell of the wine. There are also flavor associations such as spice and vanilla which are aspects of oak influenced wines. When it is properly integrated the oak element can be quite positive. However, in some instances it can be overwhelming and mask many of the other attractive elements in the wine. So there are just a few more terms used to describe your glass of wine. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.