A list of some of the colors you will see in order from young wine to older wine:
White Wines - pale yellow-green, straw yellow, yellow-gold, gold, old gold, yellow-brown, brown
Red Wines - purple, ruby, red brick, red, red-brown, brown

Colors tells you a lot about the wine. Age is especially noticeable upon aging the wines. Notice from the list above that white wines gain color as they age and red wines lose color. Since red wines are usually made to age more than white wines, generally once a red wine becomes becomes slightly see through it's ready. White wines will also be darker if they're aged in wood. Different grapes have different colors too, and you will have to come to learn them. For instance, a Chardonnay is usually darker than a Riesling.

Normal Wine Colors

White Wines Pale Yellow Chablis German Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Straw Gewurztraminer Chenin Blanc Riesling Buttery Yellow Chardonnay

Red Wines Deep Red Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Light Red Pinot Noir Purpley Light Red Beaujolais (Gamay)

 

Flavor and Bouquet

Things You Might Smell or Taste in Red Wine

• Dark ripe fruit: black cherries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, raisins, currants
• Candied or fermented dark ripe fruit
• Smoke
• Wood: oak, cedar, pine, eucalyptus, lead pencil
• Chocolate
• Vanilla
• Butter/butterscotch
• Earth/damp earth
• Leather/suede
• Herbs: menthol, mint, licorice, fennel, anise, grass
• Spices: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg
• Minerals: petroleum, talc, slate
• Cola, root beer, Coffee
  
  

Things You Might Smell or Taste in White Wine

• Tart or ripe fruit: melon, apple, pear, pineapple, lemon, lime, grapefruit
• Stone fruit: peach, nectarine, apricot
• Tropical/exotic fruit: Gooseberry, guava, quince, papaya, mango, litchi
• Candied/fermented fruit
• Smoke
• Vanilla
• Cream
• Oak
• Butter/butterscotch
• Honey
• Floral: gardenia, jasmine, rose, lavender, chamomile
• Nuts, almonds, almond blossom
• Spices: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg
• Minerals: talc, slate, petroleum

Alcoholic Content
In a natural wine all the alcohol present has been produced by fermentation. Fortified wines, such as sherry, port, Madeira, and Malaga, are wines to which brandy or other spirits have been added. These wines contain a higher alcohol content (from 16% to 35%) than the still wines (from 7% to 15%). Sparkling wines, of which champagne is the finest example, are produced by the process of secondary fermentation in the bottle.

Some Terms for Characteristics

• Acidity - Tart, mouth-puckering quality of wines due to the presence of agreeable acids. Acidity varies depending on a number of factors, including the grapes used and the duration of aging. A certain amount of acidity is essential for keeping the flavor of wine crisp and fresh.
  
  
• Acrid - Describes a wine with overly pronounced acidity. This is often apparent in cheap red wines.
  
  
• Assertive - Upfront, forward.
  
  
• Attractive- A lighter style, fresh, easy to drink wine.
  
  
• Balanced - Indicates that the fruit, acid, wood flavors are in the right proportion. A wine is well balanced when none of those characteristics dominates. Wine not in balance may be "acidic," "cloying," "flat" or "harsh."
  
  
• Big - A wine that is full-bodied, rich and slightly alcoholic tasting.
  
  
• Bitter - This taste is determined at the back of the tongue.
  
  
• Body - Feeling of fullness in the mouth. Dark red wines feel thicker and richer in the mouth and are referred to as full-bodied wines, while lighter, crisper white wines are usually described as lighter-bodied or thin wines.
  
  
• Bouquet - The aromas that develop with age in fine wines; young wines have an aroma, not a bouquet.
  
  
• Character - A wine with top-notch distinguishing qualities.
  
  
• Crisp - Denotes a fresh, young, wine with good acidity.
  
  
• Cutting Edge - Stylistic, hip.
  
  
• Closed - Describes wines that are concentrated and have character, but are shy in aroma or flavor.
  
  
• Complete - A full-bodied wine rich in extracts with a pronounced finish.
  
  
• Complex - Describes a wine that combines all flavor and taste components in almost miraculous harmony.
  
  
• Delicate - Used to describe light- to medium-weight wines with good flavours.
  
  
• Dense - Describes a wine that has concentrated aromas on the nose and palate, desirable in young wines.
  
  
• Depth - Describes the complexity and concentration of flavours in a wine. Generally refers to a quality wine with subtle layers of flavour that go "deep." Opposite of 'Shallow.'
  
  
• Developed - Refers to the maturity of a wine.
  
  
• Distinctive - A refined, elegant character that sets a wine apart.
  
  
• Elegant - Describes a wine of grace, balance and beauty.
  
  
• Empty - Flavorless and uninteresting.
  
  
• Fading - Describes a wine that is losing colour, fruit or flavour, usually as a result of age.
  
  
• Finish - The aftertaste, or final impression, that a wine leaves.
  
  
• Flabby - Lacking acidity on the palate.
  
  
• Flat - Having low acidity; the next stage after flabby; or refers to a sparkling wine that has lost its bubbles.
  
  
• Fruit - The flavor imparted by the type of grape used. Different types of grapes have significantly different flavors and produce wines with a variety of flavors that are characteristic of the grape itself.
  
  
• Mouthfeel - The impressions that wine leaves in your mouth, especially sensations such as heat from high alcohol content or heaviness from the sugar in the wine.
  
  
• Neutral - Describes a wine without outstanding characteristics, good or bad.
  
  
• Nutty - Nutlike aromas may develop in wines such as sherries or old white wines.
  
  
• Oaky - The flavor imparted by the type of grape used. Different types of grapes have significantly different flavors and produce wines with a variety of flavors that are characteristic of the grape itself. Characterized by smokiness, vanilla, clove or other spices.
  
  
• Pedestrian - Plain.
  
  
• Potent - Describes a strong, intense, powerful wine.
  
  
• Robust - Describes a full-bodied, intense and vigorous wine; possibly inflated.
  
  
• Round - Describes a well-balanced wine in fruit, tannins and body.
  
  
• Seductive - A wine that is appealing.
  
  
• Short - Describes a wine that does not remain on the palate after swallowing.
  
  
• Simple - Describes a wine with few characteristics that follow the initial impression. Not necessarily unfavourable; often describes an inexpensive, young wine.
  
  
• Soft - Describes a wine with low acid/tannin, or alcohol content with little impact on the palate.
  
  
• Sour/Tart - This is determined at the edges of the tongue and back of throat usually signaling acidity.
  
  
• Supple - Describes a wine with well-balanced tannins and fruit characteristics.
  
  
• Sweet - You will experience this taste immediately if there is any residual sugar in the wine as sweetness is determined on the tip of the tongue.
  
  
• Tannic - A natural component found in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. Tannins are more prominent in red wines, where they create a dry sensation. This dryness mellows with aging and drops out of the wine to form sediment. Bitter taste present in red wines from chemical compounds in the skins of red grapes. Tannins act as a natural preservative, enabling red wines to age for long periods of time without spoiling.
  
  
• Thin: Lacking body and depth.
  
  
• Weight - Felt in the middle of the tongue and around the gums. Light or full?

Some Varietal Characteristics

All varietals exude certain characteristics which can aid in determining one wine from another. This differentiation also contributes to your own approval and disapproval of certain wines. Some are light bodied and fruity, others are full bodied and earthy, whatever your style, there is bound to be a grape varietal that will satisfy.

Our chart below is an excellent tool to use when purchasing and/or tasting wine. The left column represents several popular wine varietals while the right column displays typical characteristics of that particular varietal.