Acetic - A vinegar-like smell and or taste caused by acetic acid

Acidity - The term generally applies to the citric, malic, or tartaric acid in wine and is essential to balance.

Aftertaste - The taste sensation that remains in your mouth after swallowing.

Aroma - The smell of the varietal grapes themselves. A combination of primary scents that evolves into bouquet as the wine ages.

Balance - The harmonious interplay of all major components of a wine; fruit, alcohol, acid, tannin, etc.

Body - the tactile impression of weight of fullness of wine on the palate.

Bouquet - The fragrances that develop as wine ages and matures.

Chewy - Describes a rich, heavy, tannic wine.

Cloying - Unappealing, overwhelming sweetness.

Complex - A wine with multiple layers of flavors.

Corky - A wine that has been imbued with unpleasant qualities of bad cork, strong mustiness. Terms used to describe a wine that's been affected by a faulty cork. This characteristic is caused by a chemical compound (2,4,6-Tricloroanisole-246-TCA) that humans can perceive at levels as low as 30 ppt (parts per trillion). High levels of this compound produce an unmistakably putrefying odor and flavor that many compare to that of moldy, wet cardboard or newspapers. At moderate levels, a corked wine takes on a musty quality; at low levels, it seems austere and lacking in fruit. Wine professionals estimate that 3 to 5 percent of wines are ruined because of bad corks, which is why research is proceeding rapidly for an acceptable synthetic cork.

Finish - The lingering impression and aroma of a wine on the palate after swallowing. The finish in fine wines should be long and lingering.

Oaky - Wine aged in oak casks on a bit of the barrel's taste and smell. Often a vanilla or toasty quality.

Rich - Deeply flavorful and textured.

Spicy - A large number of fruit and spice flavors including cloves, mint, pepper, cinnamon, and many others.

Tannin - From the skins, stems, and seeds of grapes. It accounts for the wine's astringency, and essential elements of aging.

Tart - Lots of acidity.

Velvety - Smooth texture and deep, rich flavors.