The Language of Wine: Key Terms Every Napa Visitor Should Know
Join me on Substack
When I first arrived in Napa Valley, I thought I knew a thing or two about wine. I’d been to wine bars, I could confidently order a glass of Malbec, and I knew that swirling and sniffing your wine…at least made you look like you belonged there. But sitting atPride Mountain Vineyards—straddling Napa Valley and Sonoma, California—I listened to our wine guide Nicole Menetski describe the tannic structure of their latest bottles, and I realized this was a whole different language.
Listen to the Napa episode ofGlobocurious to meet the guides and visit the wineries mentioned in this post.
Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a beat.
Wine has a way of making people feel intimidated. There’s an entire vocabulary around it that can sound esoteric and unapproachable. But the good news? You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy wine in Napa. You just need a few key terms to help you navigate tastings with more confidence.
So, whether you’re heading to your first tasting in Napa or just want to understand wine-speak a little better, here’s your guide to the language.
Tannin: The Texture in Every Sip
I first learned about tannins at Pride Mountain Vineyards, where Nicole Menetski handed us a glass of their signature Cabernet Sauvignon and asked us to pay attention to how it felt in our mouths. “Notice that drying sensation?” she said. I nodded, suddenly hyper-aware of the way the wine gripped my tongue and cheeks. “Those are the tannins.”
Tannins come from grape skins, seeds, and stems, and they create that astringent, slightly bitter, drying sensation in wine—kind of like if you’ve ever overbrewed a cup of black tea. Wines with high tannins, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Nebbiolo, tend to feel bigger, more structured, and age-worthy, while wines with low tannins, like Pinot Noir or Grenache, feel softer and more delicate.
How to use it in context:
Brix: The Measure of Ripeness
Nicole continued our wine tasting talking about the Brix level of each bottle she served us. Perplexed, I asked, “What does Brix mean?” Nicole explained that Brix is a measure of sugar levels in grapes, and it helps winemakers determine when to pick them. The higher the Brix, the sweeter the grapes—because sugar is what gets converted into alcohol during fermentation.
A Cabernet Sauvignon harvested at 24-26 Brix will produce a bold, high-alcohol wine, while a Riesling picked at 19-21 Brix will result in something lighter and lower in alcohol. In Napa, where sunshine reigns supreme, Brix levels tend to be higher than in cooler regions like Burgundy, leading to wines that are bigger, richer, and more fruit-forward.
I loved learning this because it gave me a whole new way to think about wine ripeness. Now, when I taste a Napa Cab bursting with dark fruit, I think about those perfectly ripened grapes hanging on the vine, just waiting for the right Brix level to be picked. And by the way, if your mind works like mine, then I’m here to tell you that Brix is named after X Brix and not referring to bricks of sugar. If you didn’t think about that at all, then just forget I said anything. *backs into the bushes awkwardly*
How to use it in context:
Ferment to Dryness: When All the Sugar is Gone
Listen to theNapa Wine episode of Globocurious to hear Nicole say “We ferment this to dryness.” Having no idea what that meant or entailed, I asked her to break it down for us.
Fermenting to dryness means allowing all the natural sugars in the grapes to fully convert into alcohol during fermentation. This results in a wine with little to no residual sugar, making it taste dry rather than sweet.
Most Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays in Napa are fermented to dryness, while some Rieslings, Moscatos, and dessert wines retain a bit of sugar for sweetness. A winemaker’s decision to ferment to dryness affects the wine’s mouthfeel, balance, and overall perception of flavors.
How to use it in context:
Learn about wine through the lens of a three-Michelin-star sommelier on The French Laundry episode ofGlobocurious.
Terroir: The Soul of the Wine
Every winemaker in Napa will tell you: terroir is everything. Terroir (pronounced tehr-WAH) is a French term that describes how a wine is shaped by its environment—the soil, climate, elevation, and geography of where the grapes are grown.
AtSpring Mountain Vineyard, our guide Ben Griffin explained how their high-elevation vines produced grapes with thicker skins and more intense flavors due to the cooler mountain climate and rocky soils. Meanwhile, in the valley floor wineries, where temperatures are warmer, grapes ripen faster, creating wines that are fruitier and softer.
This is why a Cabernet Sauvignon from a mountain vineyard might taste completely different from one grown just a few miles away on the valley floor—even though they’re made from the same grape.
How to use it in context:
Final Sip: Enjoy the Wine, Forget the Pressure
If there’s one thing I learned in Napa, it’s that wine should be enjoyed, not overanalyzed. Sure, understanding more wine-speak can make you feel more confident at a tasting, but at the end of the day, it’s all about what you enjoy.
So next time you’re in Napa, swirl your glass, take a sip, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. After all, the best way to learn the language of wine is to drink more of it.
Cheers!🍷
Listen to the Napa episode of Globocurious to meet the guides and visit the wineries mentioned in this post.
Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a beat.
Leave a Reply