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Wine Cheat Sheet For Bartenders
Tips and Tricks for Suggesting Wine on the Fly
By Heather Dolen
Most people make wine more complicated than it needs to be. Yes, there’s a ton to know, and it can get tricky learning about vineyards, terroir, elevations, minerals, etc. While important, this information is unnecessary for a beginner. To talk about wine like a pro, first learn some key terms and the main grape varieties. Once you know the basics, learning the rest becomes much easier, interesting, and fun.
Recommending or choosing a wine is a personal experience. However, with a bit of knowledge and the right questions, you can feel confident in recommending wine that is right for any occasion. Learn these simple wine buzz words to sound like a pro. TANNINS: Naturally occurring micronutrients found in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes. Refers to the dryness, heaviness, and sometimes bitterness of wine. Tannins leave a dry sensation on the tongue and teeth. Most often used to describe red wine. However, some white wines, such as Chardonnay can be higher in tannins.
FRUIT-FORWARD: Fruit flavors dominate the taste of the wine. Primarily, they will be sweet fruits (the wine may not be sweet) like strawberry, blackberry, cherry, raspberry, or gooseberry.
BODY: Light, Medium, and Full refer to how much you “feel” the wine on your tongue. High alcohol (above 13.5% ABV) feels fuller-bodied. Wines with lower ABV (under 12.5%) are light-bodied. Mediumbodied is in the middle.
DRY: Dryness of a wine refers to the residual sugar, or lack of, in a wine. Higher residual sugar will result in sweet wine, lower will be dry.
ACIDITY: Tartness. Crisp, bright, fresh wines that cause cheeks to pucker, like drinking lemonade, have great acidity. All wines have different levels.
EARTHY: The primary flavors are more complex and not fruit-forward. The exact opposite. Spice, wood, leaves, chalk, leather, dark fruit, etc. Will have a “meatier, savory” feel.
FINISH: Residual taste. Sometimes your mouth puckers (dry, heavy tannins), or it can be sweet, smoky, or tart. Can be a combination of subtle and quick, or bossy and lingering.
