Art of Good Taste
in association with Tio Pepe
Christine Parkinson
Christine Parkinson started her restaurant career in the kitchen but eventually followed her passion for wine and in 2001 created the first wine list for Hakkasan, Christine is now Wine Buyer for Michelin-starred restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha. She has been called "One of the most creative wine buyers in the UK" by wine guru Jancis Robinson. In her spare time she runs a wine shop, 'Cocovino', in Brighton - www.cocovino.co.uk
A-Z of Wine Terms
What sommeliers say...
What they mean
Approachable
easy-drinking
Bin number
a particular wine (wine used to be stored in 'bins')
Bin ends
discontinued wines (may be a bargain!)
Body
how 'heavy' the wine feels in your mouth
Boutique
small (but ambitious) wine producer
Cellar
wine store (not necessarily a cellar!)
Corkage
charge for bringing your own bottle
Corked / cork taint
faulty wine caused by tainted cork
Crisp
wine has high acidity (generally more refreshing)
Fine wine
expensive (often older) wines e.g. Bordeaux
Food-friendly
goes well with food
Fruit-forward
fruity
Magnum
'double' bottle (1.5 litres)
Mineral
pleasant 'earthy' flavour
Parker points
score given to the wine by American critic Robert Parker (often a rich, heavy style!)
Rounded
wine has low (or soft-tasting) acidity
Stelvin
screw cap (so no cork taint!)
Tannins
chewy / astringent character (important in red wines)
Terroir
the soil, climate and methods that give character to the wine
The wine needs to breathe
contact with air will bring out more flavour
The wine needs decanting
wine needs to breathe, or has (harmless) sediment
Vintage year
the grapes were harvested (maybe a 'good' or 'bad').
