{"id":9907,"date":"2018-02-20T16:00:53","date_gmt":"2018-02-20T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.xtrawine.com\/?p=9907"},"modified":"2018-12-07T18:55:57","modified_gmt":"2018-12-07T17:55:57","slug":"the-terms-you-need-to-know-to-become-an-italian-wine-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.xtrawine.com\/en\/the-terms-you-need-to-know-to-become-an-italian-wine-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"The Terms You Need to Know to Become an Italian Wine Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

As with any industry, the Italian wine industry has a lot of jargon attached to it. This can seem somewhat impenetrable when you first start drinking wine. Someone may tell you to aerate your wine to improve its flavour. You nod along, having no idea what they really mean. Instead, you just pop the cork and pour it as normal.<\/p>\n

You need a little help, which is where Xtrawine comes in. We\u2019ve collected a few of the most common terms that have a habit of tripping up people who aren\u2019t too familiar with the Italian wine industry.<\/p>\n

Aerate<\/strong><\/p>\n

We mentioned it above, so we may as well make it the first term we cover in this article. Aerating a wine basically involves exposing the wine to the air. This happens as soon as you open the bottle. Particles from the air get into the wine, completely changing its complexion.<\/p>\n

This can work to your benefit or your disadvantage. For example, aerating a white wine for too long could lead to it becoming sour. However, some red wines benefit from a few hours of aeration before pouring. The air brings out the wine\u2019s natural bouquet, leading to a more complete experience.<\/p>\n

So, you aerate depending on the wine that you\u2019re drinking.<\/p>\n

Bottle Age<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve likely heard about the need to age some wines before you drink them. Some wines<\/a> need decades of ageing before they\u2019re brought up to their full potential.<\/p>\n

But did you know that there are different ways that your wine ages?<\/p>\n

The first of these takes place during the production process. A producer may keep a wine in a barrel for several years before bottling.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the bottle age. This doesn\u2019t refer to the year that the wine was made, as you may have expected. Instead, it refers to how long you should keep it in the bottle to allow it to reach its full potential.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say a wine has a bottle age of 10 years. This means you\u2019ll keep it in the bottle for a decade from the date that it was poured into the bottle. Note that this does not always mean from the date that you bought it. A wine may have already bottled aged for several years before you buy it.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also no rule to say that you have to bottle age a wine. You can open and pour it any time that you want. Just know that ageing changes the texture. Again, this can work for or against you. Bottle ageing a wine for the right amount of time leads to the best experience. But leaving it to age for too long reduces the quality of the wine.<\/p>\n

Finish<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve read one of our wine reviews, you\u2019ll have likely heard us mention the wine\u2019s finish at some point or another. The finish is essentially the wine\u2019s aftertaste. You get this with most types of food and drink. It\u2019s basically the taste that the wine leaves in your mouth in the minutes after you drank it.<\/p>\n

Several other terms can refer to the same thing. For example, some people refer to the finish as the end note. Again, it\u2019s all about the collection of flavours that the wine leaves behind after it\u2019s swallowed.<\/p>\n

So, why is the finish important?<\/p>\n

It adds another layer to the wine drinking experience. There are some notes in your wines that may not reveal themselves while being overpowered by the more prominent notes. While the wine is still in your mouth, these more prominent notes usually take precedent over the more subtle notes.<\/p>\n

In fact, you may miss the more subtle notes entirely if you don\u2019t take time to enjoy the finish. Try it the next time you take a sip of wine. Sit for a minute and allow yourself to explore the flavours the wine leaves behind. You\u2019ll often discover a whole new dimension to the wine.<\/p>\n

Structure<\/strong><\/p>\n

A wine\u2019s structure is made up of five key components:<\/p>\n