Flavor

Definition - What does Flavor mean?

In the context of wine, flavor refers to the sensory impression of the taste of a wine, through the combination of the two senses of taste and smell. The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami, however, the number of aromas humans can identify are unlimited. As wine grapes are such an impressionable fruit and interact dynamically with yeast during fermentation, wines can contain the characteristics of the grape varietal in addition to hundreds of subtle aromas and flavors.

WineFrog explains Flavor

Understanding wine flavor helps you learn which wines you enjoy drinking and develops your wine tasting palate. When you first begin drinking wine, you may notice aromas in the wine that you cannot taste, however you will be able to easily detect sweetness and acidity in wine because those are common flavors that you can taste in your mouth. Overtime as you taste more wine and breathe in the aroma, not only will you be able to detect many layers of subtle aromas, but you will also be able to taste them when you drink wine. As wine grapes undergo fermentation and the winemaking process, there are so many taste influences that are introduced into wine, which is why you can taste so many different flavors in wine not normally associated with grapes, including chocolate, tobacco, leather and oak.