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TANNIN

Found in grape skins, pips, and stalks, tannins are harsh, bitter compounds that, if present in large amounts, make a wine difficult to drink, leaving a dry, puckered sensation in the mouth. Tannins can be increased by enhancing extraction and prolonging the cuvaison. Tannins may also enter the wine from oak barrels. Tannic wines are generally destined for aging, and the tannins polymerize to form sediment with time.

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TARTARIC ACID

One of a number of naturally occurring grape acids that contribute to the acidity of a wine. Other essential acids include acetic, malic, lactic, citric, and carbonic acid.

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TERROIR (FRENCH)

There is much discussion of terroir, a French term with no simple English translation. It refers to the external influences on the ripening grapes, including the soils (depth and type), bedrock, exposure to sun and wind, water table, etc. Others include rootstock (really an intrinsic part of the vine, even if it is grafted) and local climate.

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TAWNY PORT

A wood-aged style. Prolonged periods of aging in wood result in loss of pigment, so this is a much paler, tawny-colored style of Port, hence the name. Although such wines may be bottled as single-vintage colheita Ports, they are usually blended as a tawny of either 10, 20, 30 or 40 years of age, each comprising a blend of wines which average out at the age declared on the label.​

TEXTURE

The texture of a wine describes how it feels in the mouth—is it silky, velvety, rounded, or smooth? It is a more specific term than body, which describes the general impact of the wine.

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TOASTY

A tasting term. Toasty literally means – smelling or tasting of toast. It may reflect the ‘toasting’ of the barrels when they may be placed around a fire (sometimes as they are made), the flames altering the physical and chemical composition of the surface of the wood, and subsequently, this will have a significant effect on the flavor of the wine.

TRIAGE

A term used in Champagne or sparkling wine production refers to the first bottling step in the process.