What do people mean when they describe a particular vintage as “full bodied,” “dry,” or “crisp”? When is a wine considered to have “good legs”? Most of us know that wine has its own language, but many of us don’t know how to speak it. And learning the fundamental terms and concepts behind wine is essential to accurately describing tastes, aromas, and sensations; classifying different types of wine; and engaging more fully in the wine-drinking experience. With The Everyday Guide to Wine, you’ll finally find yourself learning how to speak, or to improve the way you speak, the language of wine.
You’ll also uncover the meaning behind important wine terms and concepts, including
tannins, the chemical compound in red wines responsible for their levels of bitterness;
terroir, the French concept than everything in a vineyard’s natural environment—temperature, soil type, altitude, and more—affects the taste of its wine; and
length, the term used to describe the amount of time a wine’s flavor lasts in your mouth, with longer lengths indicating higher qualities of wine.
You’ll also look behind the scenes at the process of winemaking. How do clusters of grapes on a vine become the bottles of wine you open and savor? Ms. Simonetti-Bryan’s fascinating explanation of the wine-making process provides a window into different methods for making wine, as well as the role these methods play in crafting the taste of distinct wines.