Tasting notes can be a helpful tool when picking a new wine to try. But the wine world is full of insider terminology that is often purposefully ambiguous.
The good news is that if you still feel lost after reading a wine review, the fault may not be your own. We decode seven commonly used tasting terms to help the next time a writer’s tasting notes make you want to scream, “Just tell me what you mean!”
Red and Black Berries
Red and black berry flavors might seem like a straightforward tasting note, but are all berries really the same? Would you equate a raspberry to a cranberry in any other context?
What reviewers usually mean is that wines with red berry flavors are often bright and juicy, while dark berries can indicate a more brooding, nuanced wine. But when a tasting note simply says red and black berries you may be left scratching your head wondering, “Shouldn’t it be one or the other?”
Perhaps tasters should be taking their cue from the candy aisle. When red and black are used in conjunction, what they mean is mixed berry—think more pomegranate, cranberry and black cherry, or even something akin to shoving a handful of Skittles in your mouth at once. Wines with these mixed-berry characteristics have a little more weight, but plenty of juicy acidity, along with a general sense of muddled fruitiness.
Tropical
The term tropical by itself is hazy—there is whole world of tropical fruits with strong distinct flavors. What does a writer mean? Pineapple? Papaya? Coconut? These tropical flavors all differ vastly.
Before you start accusing the taster of being lazy, consider the wine itself might actually be the uninspiring one. Wines produced in a more immediately quaffable style at a wallet-friendly price point are often made to be simple. Many don’t strive for specific flavors like pineapple and guava, but rather opt for a general mishmash that is uncomplicated, but delivers a juicy and ripe palate.
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