Glossary: Tasting

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Finish: The aftertaste of a drink after swallowing: how long and in what way flavours and aromas remain.
Astringency: A dry, furry, puckering feeling in the mouth caused mainly by tannins, as in red wine or tea.
Aroma wheel: A graphic overview that arranges aromas in groups and subgroups, helping to name scent and flavour impressions.
Appearance and colour: The visual impression of a drink: colour, clarity, brilliance and viscosity, the first step of every tasting.

Bitter compounds: Substances that produce a bitter taste, such as hop bitterness, tannins or quinine, making drinks tart and complex.
Blind tasting: A tasting in which brand, origin and price remain unknown, so that the verdict rests only on perception.
Sulphur off-note: An unpleasant sulphur smell of rotten eggs or rubber, usually caused by yeast stress during fermentation.
Bouquet: The sum of the scent notes of a matured drink, especially wine; often combining fruit, fermentation and ageing aromas.

Extract: The total of dissolved, non-volatile components of a drink, such as sugars, acids and minerals; it contributes to body and fullness.

Off-flavours: Unwanted smell or flavour notes in drinks that point to faults in production, storage or hygiene.
Bottle ageing: Development of a drink in the sealed bottle that can change aroma, structure and appearance.

Palate: The taste impression of a drink in the mouth, including sweetness, acidity, bitterness, body and mouthfeel.
Tannins: Plant phenols from skins, seeds and wood that cause a dry, tart feeling in the mouth.

Balance: A well-matched interplay of sweetness, acidity, bitterness, alcohol and aroma in which nothing stands out unpleasantly.

Wine legs (church windows): Streaks of droplets running down the glass after swirling that can hint at alcohol and extract content.
Cork taint: A musty, mouldy off-smell, mainly in wine, caused by the chemical TCA from the cork or the cellar environment.
Body: The impression of fullness and weight of a drink in the mouth, from light and slim to full and powerful.

Minerality: Contested tasting term for stony, salty or chalky impressions in wine.
Mouthfeel: The tactile perception of a drink in the mouth, such as creamy, sparkling, velvety, astringent or oily.

Nose: The smell impression of a drink, perceived by smelling the glass before drinking.

Oxidation: A change in a drink caused by oxygen that breaks down freshness and fruit and creates notes of nuts, sherry or cardboard.

Perlage: The rising and appearance of carbonation bubbles in sparkling wine, champagne or beer; fine and lasting is a sign of quality.
Primary aromas: Aromas that come directly from the grape or raw material, such as fruit, flowers or herbs.

Maturity notes: Aromas created by ageing, such as honey, leather, tobacco or nuts, that distinguish matured drinks from young ones.
Residual sugar: Sugar that remains in the drink after fermentation, given in grams per litre and decisive for the degree of sweetness.
Retronasal perception: Perception of aromas that travel from the mouth through the throat to the nose when exhaling, shaping the flavour impression.

Acidity: The sour taste impression of a drink, giving freshness and liveliness; it should balance with sweetness.
Head: The foam on a freshly poured drink, especially beer; it affects appearance, aroma and mouthfeel.
Swirling: A circular movement of the glass that brings a drink into contact with air and releases aromas.
Secondary aromas: Aromas formed during fermentation and further processing, such as yeast, butter or banana notes.
Serving temperature: The temperature at which a drink is served; it largely determines how aroma, sweetness, acidity and carbonation come across.
Sweetness: The sweet taste impression, mainly caused by sugar but also influenced by alcohol and glycerol.

Tertiary aromas: Aromas developed through ageing in cask or bottle, such as nuts, leather, tobacco or honey.
Dry and off-dry: Designations of the perceived sweetness of a drink; dry means barely sweet, off-dry slightly sweet and sweet clearly sweet.

Umami: The fifth basic taste besides sweet, sour, salty and bitter: savoury and rich, as from glutamate; of minor importance in drinks.

Taster and sommelier: Professionals who judge and describe drinks; the sommelier also advises restaurants on drinks and food pairing.
Tasting: A systematic examination of a drink with eyes, nose and palate to judge appearance, aroma, taste and quality.