I have been trying to keep with a good, basic, wine appreciation theme over the last few weeks so I thought I'd continue with some of the more basic and fundamental terms associated with wine appreciation. These are words which wine professionals use on a daily basis to describe wine to one another and to consumers, as well.

Nose: Sometimes referred to as "bouquet." It is interesting to note the term 'Bouquet" was used throughout the 1960's, 70's and 80's, but currently “Nose” is used more than “Bouquet” today, though the terms are interchangeable.

“Nose” is used to describe what is smelled in the glass. It has always been my assertion that most of what goes on in a wine, especially what goes wrong in a bottle can be ascertained in the nose of the wine. Here we can find a variety of wonderful or not so wonderful bouquet flavor tones.

Great smells such as tropical notes, earth tones, berry highlights and oak can really be enchanting to perceive through the nose. Off flavors are also perceived, such as sulphur, rot and bad oak treatment, among other beasties, from the nose. A wine person with an acute sense of smell and an ability to place those smells with what is going on in the wine, either in the cellar or in the glass, is a very valuable asset.

Sight: Quite a bit can be gleaned from looking at a glass of wine. Colors or clarity are telltale signs of a wine's age or viability. An example would be a premature browning in young wines or slight tawny aspects of a well-aged Claret. We understand that some wines, such as older Sauterne can have golden hues whereas new Chardonnay should almost never show signs of deep gold.

Palate: All varietals have a certain palate feel. Nothing is worse than a “thin” syrah or a “flat” glass of bubbly. Pages can be devoted to what can be perceived on the palate.

I like to divide the palate into three parts; front, middle and back, as well as weight and grip.

In my opinion, the front palate is the first receptor where fruit is perceived. How fruity is the wine? This is never to be confused — although folks many times think of this — as sweetness. We can have a wine which explodes with fruit, such as a well-made merlot, but have zero residual sugar. On the other hand, we might have a very fruity riesling which can be sweet or dry. So, fruit is just that, the fruity component of a wine, nothing else.

This front palate fruit perceptor recognizes (or should recognize) older, softer fruit from intense, young (for example) raspberry and light cherry offerings. With that first step understood, then the type of fruit — such as tropical, berry, or plummy fruit — is the next to be perceived, and so on. There are some folks who are very, very good at this and can really go deep on front palate tastes.

The middle palate is where weight and grip come into play.

The weight on the palate is just that; how heavy is the wine on the palate? Some Port and dessert wine can be very unctuous and heavy whereas the very lighter pinot gris and Soave (for example) can be featherweight wines.

Grip is heading toward and is the connector to back palate. How long do the taste sensations hold in there? This is grip. Here we also can get a sense of wood treatment. Some of this comes in the nose, of course, and in the front palate, but the tactile sense of oak is perceived here. We also get the “chewy” feel of thick juice and wood at this point.

The back palate is where the “finish” and “aftertaste” reside. Here is where all of the perceptions of the wine come together as a “braid” of sorts and gives one the final experience of the wine. Long finish, tailings of aftertastes and the last hint of wood are tasted here. I love this part of the wine experience as the “afterglow” of the wine is felt without interruption and is the part which marries so well with cuisine.

Put these terms to the test at the Southern Oregon World of Wine Festival Grand Tasting on Aug. 27.