\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Since we last chronicled <\/span>the new vocabulary of wine<\/span><\/a>, a half-decade ago, wine culture has drastically changed. The <\/span>way we shop for bottles<\/span><\/a> has been reimagined, and how much we drink (<\/span>if at all<\/span><\/a>) has been reconsidered. Natural wine became entangled with the internet, so much so that posting about it is now a viable career path for <\/span>a duo of wine-tasting influencer twins<\/span><\/a>, a <\/span>shitposting wine critic<\/span><\/a> and several online personalities dedicated to making wine more accessible, or at least more fun. The scene got irony-pilled\u2014cue the <\/span>\u201cNatural Wine Sucks\u201d T-shirts<\/span><\/a> of just a few years ago\u2014and has now circled back around to a full, unironic embrace of the things many once stood resolutely against, like <\/span>establishment<\/span><\/i> red wines, while <\/span>p\u00e9t-nat<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>piquette<\/span><\/a> became pass\u00e9. Are you following?<\/span><\/p>\n Colleen Allerton-Hollier<\/b> is the director of education and events at <\/span>Leon & Son<\/span><\/a> in Brooklyn, New York.<\/span><\/p>\n Nader Asgari-Tari<\/b> is the director of wine at Boston\u2019s <\/span>BCB3<\/span><\/a> restaurant group.<\/span><\/p>\n Marie Cheslik<\/b> is the creator of <\/span>Slik Wines<\/span><\/a> and author of the forthcoming <\/span>How To Read A Wine Label<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n David Cortes<\/b> is the lead sommelier at <\/span>Majordomo<\/span><\/a> in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n Kayleigh Fair<\/b> is the assistant general manager at <\/span>June\u2019s All Day<\/span><\/a> in Austin, Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n Andrew Fortgang<\/b> is the co-owner of <\/span>Le Pigeon<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Canard<\/span><\/a> in Portland, Oregon.<\/span><\/p>\n Yann Janvier<\/b> is the sommelier at <\/span>Terra Restaurant<\/span><\/a> in Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n Ren Peir<\/b> is the wine director in residence at <\/span>Nin Hao<\/span><\/a> in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n William Simons<\/b> is the director of operations and wine director at <\/span>Albi<\/span><\/a> in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/p>\n Eitan Spivak<\/b> is the lead sommelier at <\/span>Kabawa<\/span><\/a> and Bar Kabawa in New York.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
If you\u2019re confused, you\u2019re not alone. The wine world is fractured. For every person in a wine meme page\u2019s comments saying <\/span>natty is dead<\/span><\/i>, there is a blissfully offline wine enthusiast with no idea what you\u2019re talking about. And, for the most part, we can\u2019t even seem to agree on what the relevant terms mean.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cI am someone who knows how to do the wine talk<\/i>, but also knows how ineffective it can be,\u201d says Marie Cheslik, a former wine director and the creator of Slik Wines, a platform for wine education. \u201cPeople have a hard time describing wine naturally… They say, \u2018I want something that\u2019s dry\u2019, or \u2018fruity,\u2019 but I don\u2019t even think we\u2019re all on the same page, as a society, about what that means. It is almost too<\/i> subjective.\u201d A universal wine language does not entirely exist.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n So how do you talk about wine, which has only gotten more expansive and convoluted in the past five years, in a meaningful way? Trite as it may sound, you have to take it offline, and you have to taste\u2014and talk about it\u2014with others as much as you can.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important for people to, at the risk of sounding so corny, be curious,\u201d says Colleen Allerton-Hollier, director of education and events at Leon & Son, a wine shop in Brooklyn, New York. \u201cYou won\u2019t know what to call something unless you\u2019ve experienced it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n In the meantime, here\u2019s your cheat sheet to the wine words to know right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n Aeration: <\/b>Literally adding oxygen (via air) to wine. For centuries, people have come up with <\/span>all manner of gadgets and hacks<\/span><\/a> to aerate their wines. According to Punch contributor Saman Hosseini, it\u2019s \u201ca symptom of early-aughts drinkers\u2019 ceaseless desire for \u2018<\/span>smoothness<\/span><\/a>\u2019\u201d and a way to flex your Sharper Image purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Baby fat:<\/b> For Nader Asgari-Tari, director of wine at Boston\u2019s BCB3, \u201cbaby fat\u201d can be a useful way to describe \u201cthe temporary roundness and characteristics associated with younger wines that have lots of flesh and will assuredly lose some of that [texture].\u201d As certain wines, like an albari\u00f1o, mature, they may lose some of that texture (aka baby fat) and fall more into balance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Big Red Wine:<\/b> Bolder, fuller-bodied red wines like Bordeaux and Barolo. As Punch contributor Eliza Dumais <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a>, Big Reds represent a pendulum swing for the wine world, partly in reaction to the now years-long reign of \u201cchilled reds\u201d like gamay and Beaujolais at natural wine bars and shops everywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Budget banger:<\/b> A useful term from the retail floor at Leon & Son. \u201cA budget banger, to me, is the best way to communicate to someone that they\u2019re getting a great deal,\u201d says Allerton-Hollier. These wines punch above their weight for their price, like an entry-level wine from \u201ca producer who [also] makes really expensive or allocated wines.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Clean: <\/b>Can refer to the flavor and texture of a wine (see also: \u201cCrisp\/crispy\u201d), while some, confusingly, use it to describe the way a wine is made\u2014sustainably? naturally? Like the nebulous diet culture phrase \u201cclean eating,\u201d it can be unclear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Conventional:<\/b> Generally used to describe the opposite of \u201cnatural\u201d wines.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Crisp\/crispy: <\/b>Lately, it seems \u201ccrisp\u201d is meant to convey a <\/span>vibe<\/span><\/a> more than any actual characteristic. \u201c\u2018Crisp white wines\u2019\u2014I hear that all the time [requested] on the retail floor,\u201d says Allerton-Hollier. \u201c\u2018Nothing sweet. No Chardonnay.\u2019 It\u2019s like, <\/span>Aw, man, what if you had something with texture?<\/span><\/i>\u201d As Bustle <\/span>reported last month<\/span><\/a>, white wines that mostly just taste \u201ccold\u201d \u201care back\u201d in a \u201csemi-ironic, intentional self-bimbo-ficiation\u201d way. To that I say: What the hell, sure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Crunchy:<\/b> This term refers to structure, describing high-acid wines with a <\/span>brittle<\/span><\/a> characteristic. Though it\u2019s not new, the word is \u201cascendant\u201d among wine drinkers, but has grown to \u201cbecome a kind of shibboleth,\u201d <\/span>says William Simons, wine director at Washington D.C.\u2019s Albi, who feels it may be time to retire the buzzword in favor of clearer descriptions.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Crushable:<\/b> A bro-y catchall for \u201ceasy-drinking\u201d that isn\u2019t just limited to wine, but also beer, seltzer and cocktails. As Punch contributor Danny Chau <\/span>writes<\/span><\/a>, \u201cIts value lies in its universality.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n Dad Wine:<\/b> Sarah Morrissey, bar manager of Le Veau d\u2019Or in New York City, <\/span>puts<\/span><\/a> \u201cCabs, Bordeaux, merlot, blends… any red that can stand up to bold flavors\u201d in this category. See also: Big Red Wine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Dry:<\/b> Technically, lacking residual sugar. In practice, though, retailers and educators say the average wine drinker <\/span>over<\/span><\/i>requests \u201csomething dry,\u201d without much of an understanding of what they\u2019re actually after. \u201cI would say to them that 90 percent of wines are dry. I\u2019m not talking about residual sugar. I\u2019m talking about … most of the wines you\u2019re going to taste in a tasting are dry,\u201d says Cheslik. \u201cIt\u2019s like literal grape juice [as \u2018sweet\u2019] versus most wine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Dusty:<\/b> \u201cWhenever I taste Bordeaux, it tastes dusty to me. There is a decrepit aspect to it. I called it \u2018library energy\u2019 [in a recent TikTok,]\u201d says Cheslik.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Feminine\/masculine:<\/b> Historically, \u201cfeminine\u201d wines are said to be <\/span>sexy<\/span><\/i>, or, ugh, <\/span>supple, <\/span><\/i>while \u201cmasculine\u201d wines are structured, rich, powerful. These gendered frameworks are widely considered <\/span>dated<\/span><\/a>, but the ideas behind them persist\u2014you can probably think of \u201cdad\u201d and \u201cmom\u201d wines, some even <\/span>branded<\/span><\/a> as such.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Funky:<\/b> A widely (over)used term. It typically refers to a flavor profile\u2014a savory, earthy, sometimes musty quality\u2014but has some detractors. Because it\u2019s characterized by \u201c<\/span>novel<\/span><\/a>\u201d or \u201c<\/span>unfamiliar<\/span><\/a>\u201d tastes and aromas, the description inherently involves subjectivity, which means it can be confusing. Wine pros caution against using \u201cfunky\u201d as a catchall: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t always mean \u2018the flavors of an orange or spontaneously fermented wine,\u2019\u201d says Allerton-Hollier.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Glou-glou: <\/b>Because of the pervasiveness of this term in the past decade, in 2025, it now feels a bit dated. It is, in fact, not new, but <\/span>from the 1600s<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s onomatopoeia, the French version of \u201cglug,\u201d and refers to fresh and juicy wines. More recently, however, after lending its name to wine shops, publications and other brands, it\u2019s \u201c<\/span>become a meta-profile for natural wine overall<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n High-toned:<\/b> \u201cThis tells me that the wine is super bright, acidic and a little austere,\u201d says Ren Peir, wine director in residence at Nin Hao, in Brooklyn, New York.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Jammy: <\/b>Jammy wines are characterized by ripe (or overripe) fruit flavor. They are often misidentified as \u201csweet\u201d by the uninitiated, according to David Cortes, lead sommelier at Majordomo, in Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Juice\/juicy:<\/b> \u201cA \u2018juicy\u2019 wine creates an unshakable perception of fruit on the palate, aided by a balance of acid and just enough tannins for a touch of textural density akin to, well, juice,\u201d <\/span>writes Chau<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Linear:<\/b> Imagine the \u201cline,\u201d here, connecting the first taste of the wine to its finish. A linear wine doesn\u2019t have much differentiation from the beginning to the end.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\nExperts Featured<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"Mousy](\"https:\/\/punchdrink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Social-Mousy-Natural-Wine.jpg\")
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