Blogs:

Know Your Wine Jargon:

Part 1: A Simple Guide to Sounding Like A Wine Pro

Have you ever looked at a wine label and thought it was written in another language?  Full-bodied? Aged vs Unoaked?  Don’t worry — we’ve all been there. The world of wine is full of fancy terms and tasting notes that sound like a fruit salad, but behind them are simple ideas that make perfect sense once you know them.

Here’s your easy guide to the words you’ll often see on a wine bottle label or restaurant wine list — including ours at Woodvalley Vineyards.

🍇    Red, White, and Rosé — What’s the Difference?

At its heart, wine is simple: red grapes make red wine, white grapes make white wine. The magic (and colour) happens in the skin contact.

•  Red wines are fermented with their skins, giving deep colour, body, and those “tannins” that make your mouth feel dry.
•  White wines skip the skin part, keeping things fresh, zesty, and light.
•  Rosé wines flirt briefly with the skins — just long enough for that perfect blush.

So next time someone says “it’s all in the skin,” they’re not wrong.

🍷 Body Talk: Light, Medium, Full

When people describe a wine as light-bodied or full-bodied, they’re talking about weight and texture, not calories.

• Light-bodied: crisp, refreshing, delicate (think Pinot Grigio or Beaujolais).
• Medium-bodied: balanced, versatile (Sauvignon Blanc or Merlot).
• Full-bodied: rich, bold, velvety (Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon).

If you imagine light-bodied wines as linen and full-bodied as velvet, you’ve got the idea.

🌿 Dry, Off-Dry, Sweet — Sugar Levels in Wine

Blanc de Blancs (“white from whites”) is made entirely from white grapes — usually Chardonnay. Elegant, crisp, and age-worthy, blended from several grape varieties.

Blanc de Noirs (“white from black”) uses red grapes like Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier, but with skins removed early to keep the colour pale and the flavour richer and rounder.

In short: Blanc de Blancs = bright and crisp. Blanc de Noirs = smooth and generous.

🪵      Oaked vs Unoaked

Oaked wines spend time in wooden barrels, soaking up flavour and texture. Expect vanilla, spice, toast, and a rounder feel.

Unoaked wines are more about purity — clean, bright, fruit-forward.

Neither is better — it’s like preferring jazz or disco. (At Woodvalley, we appreciate both 🎶).

👃    Aroma, Bouquet & Tannins

Tasting notes can sound poetic — black cherry, wet stone, hint of cigar box — but they’re just ways to describe what your nose and tongue are telling you.

Aroma: the fruity, floral, or spicy smells from the grapes.

Bouquet: the deeper, more complex scents from ageing.

Tannins: natural compounds from skins, seeds, and oak that give structure — that gentle dryness you feel on your gums.

🍾 Old World vs New World

This one’s about geography and style.

Old World: Europe — France, Italy, Spain. Expect elegance, restraint, and tradition.

New World: places like Australia, Chile, the US — bolder, fruitier, more sunshine in the glass.

England? We’re technically New World by geography, Old World by weather. The best of both. 😉

✨   A Final Sip

Wine can be wonderfully simple or endlessly complex — that’s what makes it magic. Whether you love bold reds, crisp whites, or something sparkling and a little disco, the real joy is in discovering what you love, one glass at a time.