Glossary of Tasting Wine(F-H)

Fading: Describes a wine that is losing color, fruit or flavor, usually as a result of age. 

Fat: Full-bodied, high alcohol wines low in acidity give a "fat" impression on the palate. Can be a plus with bold, ripe, rich flavors; can also suggest the wine's structure is suspect.

Feminine: Describes wines with more feminine qualities: smoothness, round, gentle, finesses, elegance and delicacy. See also masculine. 

Field Blend: Describes the wine produced from a vineyard planted with several complementary grape varieties, which have been harvested —and blended— together.

Fine: Term applied to wines of high quality.

Finish: The key to judging a wine's quality is finish, also called aftertaste--a measure of the taste or flavors that linger in the mouth after the wine is tasted. Great wines have rich, long, complex finishes. 

Firm: Tasting term used to indicate a wine with positive, assertive attributes, such as fruit, tannin and acidity.

Flabby: Soft, feeble, lacking acidity on the palate. 

Flat: Having low acidity; the next stage after flabby. Can also refer to a sparkling wine that has lost its bubbles.

Flavor: Impression given by wine taken into the mouth. Includes sensations gained by the taste organs and also by the olfactory reception. 

Fleshy: Soft and smooth in texture, with very little tannin. 

Flinty: Tasting term used to indicate the aroma (and sometimes taste) of fresh, pungent whites, particular from the Sauvignon Blanc variety.

Floral (also Flowery): Literally, having the characteristic aromas of flowers. Mostly associated with white wines. 

Fortified: Indicates wine whose alcohol content has been increased by the addition of brandy or neutral spirits. Port and sherry are two examples. 

Foxy: Tasting term used to indicate the wild, earthy flavour of wines made from hybrid grapes or native North American varieties.

Fragrance: Term applied to a well developed and pleasing aroma.

Fragrant: Term applied to wines with pronounced pleasing aroma.

Fresh: Tasting term used to indicate a pleasantly youthful and vigorous character, often associated with relatively high acidity, and a complete absence of oxidation.

Fruity: Tasting term used to describe the attractive flavour of wine made from ripe grapes, which may be reminiscent of a wide range of fruits including citrus fruits, red and black berries, and stone fruits. 

Full: Tasting term used to describe a wine giving a positive, satisfying sensation in the mouth, possibly associated with ripeness and high alcohol. 

Full-Bodied: A rich, extracted wine with a mouth filling sensation of weight or mass. See body. 

Glycerin: Produced during fermentation, glycerin contributes to the wine’s body.

Graceful: Describes a wine that is harmonious and pleasing in a subtle way.

Grapey: Tasting term indicating a wine with smell or flavour reminiscent of fresh grapes or grape juice.

Grassy: Tasting term indicating a wine with the smell of freshly-cut grass. Complimentary when applied to a fresh young white.

Green: Tasting term indicating a lack of ripeness, particular in red wine. Not complimentary. 

Grip: A welcome firmness of texture, usually from tannin, which helps give definition to wines such as Cabernet and Port. 

Hard: Tasting term indicating a wine with tough tannins or aggressive acidity. 

Harmonious: Well balanced, with no component obtrusive or lacking.

Harsh: Used to describe astringent wines that are tannic or high in alcohol.

Hazy: Used to describe a wine that has small amounts of visible matter. A good quality if a wine is unfined and unfiltered. 

Heady: Used to describe high-alcohol wines.

Hearty: Used to describe the full, warm, sometimes rustic qualities found in red wines with high alcohol. 

Herbaceous: Tasting term used to indicate the smell or taste of green plants.

Hollow: Tasting term used to indicate a wine lacking in depth, particularly on the middle palate.

Horizontal Tasting: An evaluation of wines from a single vintage; the wines may highlight producers from a single region or the same grape variety from many regions, among other permutations.

Hot: High alcohol, unbalanced wines that tend to burn with "heat" on the finish are called hot. Acceptable in Port-style wines.

Hydrogen sulphide: Rotten egg gas. Often produced during fermentation, but should have been dealt with by the time a wine is bottled. Occasionally develops in bottle (such a wine is said to be reduced or dirty).