Lexicon
Simon&Fils offers you a complete lexicon to accompany you throughout your discovery of oenology.
a
Acerbe
bitter and green (unripe apple).
Acid
acts on the taste buds like a lemon.
Acre
irritates the mucous membranes.
Aggressive
unpleasant.
Aigu
imbalance between alcohol and acidity.
Aimable
very pleasant.
Amaigri
little flesh, little body.
Amber
dark yellow.
Ample
balanced and harmonious. that has roundness, is said of a wine that has consistency, that is generous.
Angular
bitter, astringent.
Appearance
Coarse, medium, fine, creamy.
Apre
Strong astringent.
Aqueous
very weak, diluted.
Ardent
rich in alcohol.
Aroma
odorous principle that exhales a wine: Floral, fruity, vegetal, spices aromas, animal, empyreumatic, defect.
Aromatic
lets out penetrating aromas (fruity wines).
Astringent
Tightens the mucous membranes (due to the tannin), tannic. Causes the tightening of the taste buds.
Austere
still without a bouquet.
b
Balanced
whose characters harmonize. Whose all qualities are present in harmony.
Barrel
have a musty taste.
Bitter
bitter.
Bold
pleasantly unctuous: impression of roundness, softness, mellow.
Bouquet
set of olfactory sensations: All the smells and perfumes of wine.
Bourru
disturbed by the dregs.
Bright
the brilliance of the wine is such that it seems to bring light.
Brilliance
Limpidity, luminous radiance.
Brilliant
with vivid reflections.
Bubbles
Inexistent, glued to glass, slow, large, medium, light, fine, fast.
c
Carpentry
Balanced with a slight tannic dominance: Well-structured, robust, well-balanced, harmonious wine.
Cassé
cloudy and oxidized.
Chair
a lot of consistency, fullness.
Character
originality, strength of a wine.
Chatoyante
is said to be the robe of a wine with a luminous radiance.
Chewed
exposed to the air, rough, unbalanced: a wine with lamb's lettuce is a thick wine, rich in tannins.
Clair
rid of the dregs.
Clarity
Cloudy (deposit), blurred, shady, clear, bright, crystalline.
Clear
without any trouble.
Closed
that needs to evolve.
Coarse
without quality.
Complete
well balanced.
Complex
rich in aromas that combine in a subtle way.
Corked
with the taste of cork.
Coulant
flexible and pleasant.
Creamy
pleasant but strongly mellow.
Cristallin
whose transparency is similar to that of crystal.
Croupi
almost moldy.
d
Delicate
fine and melted.
Discolored
faded, faded color.
Dish
without bouquet nor acidity.
Distinguished
fine and original.
Dress
color : Corresponds in oenology to the brightness, the luminosity, the color of the wine.
Dried
too old, faded, charmless.
Dry
without sugar.
e
Effervescent
releases gas bubbles.
Elegant
harmonious grand cru: distinguished with character.
Emaciated
skinny, tired, lacking everything.
End
which is not ordinary: remarkable for its nuances and distinction.
Epanoui
develops its bouquet perfectly.
Etoffé
ample and full-bodied.
Eventé
without bouquet.
f
Farm
slightly hard but pleasant.
Female
full of grace, charm and elegance.
Finesse
brings pleasure with delicacy and subtlety.
Fleshy
fills the mouth: which has body, consistency, fat.
Flexible
whose softness slightly dominates: an easy drinking wine, low in tannin and acidity, which does not offend the palate.
Fort
apparently very alcoholic.
Fourré
Precious sensation of smoothness and velvetiness.
Foxé
smell or taste of wild, fawn.
Franc
clean, pleasant and well marked sensations.
Fresh
pleasantly acidic.
Friand
Fresh and pleasant.
Fruity
with a fruity smell: reminds the taste of fresh grapes. Often in young wines.
Full
with rich and intense characters: which has all the qualities of a good wine with a strong presence.
Full-bodied
is said to be a wine with body and strength.
Fumet
smell that emanates from the wine and reveals its personality.
Funny
pleasant, without roughness and which pleases.
g
Generous
rich and strong: rich in alcohol, warm, vigorous.
Gouleyant
Fresh and light: Easy to drink.
Grater
green and astringent.
Great
of high class.
Green
too acidic.
h
Hail
tastes like hail, or thin.
Hard
acid and astringent.
Harmonious
with a good balance of flavors and hues.
Heady
very alcoholic.
Heavy
lack of acidity.
Herbacé
a grassy smell.
Hollow
without consistency.
Honest
wine that does not deceive its world while satisfying it.
i
Intensity
Pale, medium, good, dark.
l
Lace
very fine, very delicate, very subtle perfumes.
Ladle
slightly cloudy.
Law
with a frank taste, without abnormalities.
Lean
tannic and without body.
Leg
the way wine slides down the sides of a glass when it is rich in alcohol, like tears.
Light
not very full-bodied nor alcoholic.
Lively
of pleasant acidity.
Loaded
heavy and thick.
Long
whose aroma lingers: whose bouquet and flavor is kept for a long time in the mouth, great wines are long in the mouth.
Low
without magnitude or character.
Loyal
Honest, sincere, gives himself up without reluctance.
m
Madérisé
oxidized, too old for a white.
Melted
of a beautiful harmony.
Moelleux
little acid: sensation of sweetness, velvety.
Moisi
musty smell and taste.
Muscaté
with the taste of Muscat grapes.
Musky
has the smell of musk, taste of Muscat grapes.
n
Nervous
very acidic and very soft at the same time: which combines strength and vivacity.
Nervousness
linked to acidity, has character.
Net
frank and straight: without complex elements, with a pleasant and frank taste.
Neutral
without personality.
Noble
with superior qualities.
o
Old
more than five years.
Open
Full bloom, ready to drink.
Oxidized
Frayed in contact with air.
p
Perlant
slightly sparkling.
Persistence
duration of perception of taste sensations. Very weak, weak, average, good, very good, excellent :Weak, short, average, long, very long.
Pinching
pinch the tongue due to excess acidity.
Piqué
turns to vinegar.
Pleasant
flawless.
Pointed
pinching.
Powerful
Full-bodied: rich in alcohol and has, in abundance, all the qualities of a good wine.
Primeur
wine of the year served before December 15th.
Printing
Closed, common, simple, original, elegant, distinguished, fine, very fine, complex, rich, lean, small, aggressive, supple, tender, full-bodied, fleshy, robust.
r
Racé
typical and original.
Radiant
is said to have a very luminous shine.
Raw
with zero softness.
Ready
whose evolution is complete, needs to be drunk.
Rich
balanced but giving an impression of warmth: powerful and strong in alcohol and color.
Robust
full-bodied and powerful.
Rough
astringent and of low quality.
Round
Fleshy and supple: that is supple, soft and fat.
s
Saveurs
White wines : Acidity : Green, acerbic, acid, nervous, lively, fresh, flat.
Moelleux : Tender, supple, fat, soft, pasty.
Red wines: Acidic, lively, fresh
Moelleux : Supple, melted, fleshy, fat, smooth.
Tannin : Firm, solid, full-bodied, tannic, bitter, rough.
Senile
old.
Serious
with a pronounced aromatic flavour and alcoholic strength.
Severe
hard and without bouquet.
Shades
White wines: White gold, pale yellow, light yellow, straw yellow, serine yellow (bright), amber yellow (white wines)
Red wines: Purple red, cherry red, purple, garnet, ruby, brick red, orange red, brown red.
Short
does not persist in the mouth.
Sliding
flowing.
Slim
light in alcohol, insufficient bouquet and taste.
Small
disappointing, or friendly and familiar.
Smoked
to the taste of smoked food.
Sniff out
Action of perceiving the odors of the wine during the olfactory examination.
Soft
lacks slightly acidity.
Solid
robust.
Sour
smells like vinegar.
Sparkling
effervescent.
Spicy
with a spicy smell.
Stiff
tannic and acidic.
Stripped
clear after precipitation of solid deposits.
Structured
A well-structured wine has balanced and quality aromas.
Suave
refined and exquisite quality, with a delicate, soft and harmonious fragrance.
Subtle
wine with fine, delicate aromas, married with harmony.
Supported
not very tannic and pleasantly acidic and mellow.
Sweet
rough and still sweet.
Sweetness
Unpleasantly sweet.
t
Tannic
dominated by tannin or tannin: component of the wine that gives more or less astringency.
Tendre
slightly acidic, delicate, fresh, light: supple, easy to drink.
Terroir
characteristic taste.
Thick
bitter, astringent.
Tiled
amber red of old wines.
Tired
requires rest.
Typical
whose characteristics of the grape variety(ies) can be easily detected.
u
Unbalanced
who is missing an element.
v
Velvety
sensation of caressing softness.
Vigorous
robust.
Viné
with alcohol.
Viril
powerful, vigorous, full of character.
Voilé
slightly cloudy.
w
Warm
rich in alcohol.
Whole
to whom nothing is missing, who has no gaps in the tasting.
Wine for storage
Wine that improves with age.
Woody
with the taste of new barrel.
Wrapped
soft and round.
y
Young
not old enough, or, for an old wine, fiery and fruity.