Glossary

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Fat:

Fills the mouth in a positive manner. The wine "feels" and tastes a little obvious and often lacks elegance but is prized by connoisseurs of sweet dessert wines. Not quite desirable in a late harvest Moselle Riesling, but appropriate in a classic Sauternes. Fatness/oiliness is determined by the naturally occurring glycerol content in the wine.

Fermentation:

Complex process in which sugars, naturally present in grape juice, are transformed into alcohol and carbon dioxide by the action of yeasts. Heat is the other main by-product.

Filtered:

Wines that have had suspended particulates resulting from the fermentation process removed. Important for future clarity and stability of a wine.

Fined:

Use of various materials for clarifying wines. These materials precipitate to the bottom of the fermentation process vessel carrying any suspended particulate matter with them.

Finish:

Tasting term used to indicate the final sensation left in the mouth once a wine is swallowed. A long, persistent finish is considered a sign of a fine wine.

Fino:

Style of Sherry, pale, dry and pungent, produced by ageing the wine under a layer of yeast cells called flor.

Firm:

Attacks the palate with acid or tannic astringency. Suggests that the wine is young and will age. Nearly always a positive comment and very desirable with highly flavored foods (see also austere).

Flabby:

Tasting term used to indicate a wine lacking in structure, often marked by low acidity.

Flat:

Opposite of "firm". Usually indicates very low acidity, so tasting insipid and lacking flavor (see also meager, thin).

Fleshy:

Refers to both body and texture. A fleshy wine tastes fatter than a meaty wine, exhibiting some excess oiliness if too pronounced. Often suggests great smoothness and richness.

Flint / Flinty:

Synonym for "stoney", a smoky, whiff of gunflint, almost acrid taste. Characterized by high acidity, a tactile "mouthfeel" that is filling and yet has a flavor sensation that is cleanly "earthy".

Floral / Flowery:

Suggests the aroma or taste, usually aroma, of flowers in wine. "Floral" usually employed as an adjective without modifier to describe attributes of white wine aromas. Few red wines have floral aromas (see also nose).

Forward:

Opposite of "closed-in" or, as used by some, backward. Means presence of "fruitiness" is immediately apparent. Usually employed as a term denoting that the wine is in peak condition and on its plateau of maturity.

Foxy:

Common descriptive word used to note the presence of the unique musky and grapey character attached to native american Vitis labrusca grapes such as the Concord or Catawba varieties. The term "fox" has traditionally been a pejorative name given by grapegrowers to the fruit of a feral, ie. reverted to the wild species, cultivar grapevine.

Fresh:

The wine has a lively fruity acidity, maybe a little bite of acid, as found in youthful light reds, rose's and most whites. All young whites should be fresh. The opposite is flatness, staleness.

Fruity:

A fruity wine has an "appley", berrylike" or herbaceous character. "Fruitiness" usually incorporates the detection of a little extra sweetness as is found in really fresh grapes or berries.

Full-bodied:

As opposed to "thin" or "thin-bodied". Fills the mouth, has a winey taste, alcohol is present, the wine has "weight on the tongue".