GHI

G

Grip

Grip is used to describe a wine’s texture, structure, tannin and acidity. The wine strongly grips on to your cheeks as it takes over the tasting experience. It could be a sign that the wine may age well and possibly a wine you want to sip initially rather than drinking it right away. This descriptor usually comes with Cabernet Sauvignon or a bigger, more tannic wine.

Gamy

A Gamy flavor in wine may taste lighter with a different texture than your typical steak taste. The wine may seem softer, sweeter and more fragrant. If you have had game animals like bison, elk and venison, it may taste Gamy.

Grassy

When you notice that a wine smells or tastes grassy, it may have an herbaceous or vegetal component to the wine’s aromas and flavors. From freshly mowed lawn to lemon grass notes, this descriptor usually shows up in Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon among a few others. Fresh salads and vegetables that have a crunch to them pair well with a grassy wine.

Gnarly

When a wine is gnarly it has a lot going on and may be indescribable or heady. It could be a bold or bigger wine but may also be medium bodied. It has complexities that can be thick or thin and a bit overwhelming when actually tasting the vine in the wine sometimes. It may have high alcohol or not and is usually very interesting. You usually find it in red wine like Zinfandel or Petite Sirah.

H

Hot

If you notice a wine to have a hot characteristic, the wine usually has a high alcohol content and sometimes has a lack of balance, creating a warmth on the palate and a burning sensation in your throat during the finish. It does not refer to the temperature of wine and may be created by picking overripe fruit. You may find a hotness in Zinfandel and Port wines.

Hint

When you get a hint of something in a wine, it usually is not the dominant flavor or description characterizing the wines profile. It has a touch of something along with the main flavors appearing in the wine. You can have hints of various flavors in a variety of wines, red or white.

Hella

Hella is a slang word created in the Bay Area of Northern California in the late 1970s. It was entered in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2002 and is used to describe a wine when there is a lot of something in its flavors. This wine is hella fruity someone might say. Along with hella sweet, hella smooth or hella balanced. Wines may also be described in a negative fashion when a wine is hella flabby or hella gross. You may not want to use hella in a sophisticated wine crowd, so make sure you are around people who will appreciate the description.

Herbaceous

Herbaceous is a wine tasting term that gives off herbal and vegetal flavors and aromas in the wine similar to herbs such as basil, mint, oregano, rosemary or eucalyptus. Sometimes it is used to describe vegetable-like aromas like asparagus or green peppers. You may find a wine that is herbaceous in Sauvignon Blanc and possibly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

I

Intense

A wine can be intense when the flavors, aromas and color are concentrated and focused. It may be complex, have high alcohol and may be a younger wine that could use some aging. The strong burst of energy, aroma and taste that the wine gives you can be considered intense. Any wine may have this characteristic, but you can find it in more fuller red wines that have a dark and opaque color.

Ice Wine

Ice wine or Eiswein as known in its native Germany is a dessert wine made from grapes that have been frozen on the vine. It is created by freezing and thawing the grapes several times throughout the growing season. The grapes are harvested in the middle of the night in freezing temperatures during the Winter months so they remain frozen. By allowing the grapes to freeze, the sugars separate from much of the grape’s water content, resulting in highly concentrated and sweet juices. 

Indica

Indica is a cannabis plant species that pairs very well with red wine. It’s sedative and relaxing effects match with the wine creating a blissful experience both euphoric and elevating. The aromas of indica also come through in the nose when smelling certain wines. You can also taste a smokiness when drinking the wine. The pairing is not for everyone since both substances can be heavy and mind-bending. If someone has never experienced this combination together make sure you are with friends and open to laughing and smiling.

Ill

Ill is a slang word that was started in the 1980s by hip-hop culture describing something positively sick, cool or awesome. If a wine is ill it is crazy good and has lots of stylish character. It is the opposite of the term meaning unwell. You will not hear Ill used too often in a sophisticated wine crowd but it may be used within different cultural friend groups. Any varietal red or white can be an ill wine.

Santa Maria Valley

Cabernet Sauvignon