Spanish Wine Vocabulary Compilation
Living in Spain, wine culture is definitely an unavoidable part of daily life. Whether shopping at supermarkets or ordering wine at restaurants, mastering some basic wine vocabulary will make life much more convenient. Today I’ve compiled a comprehensive Spanish wine vocabulary list that I hope will be helpful to everyone.
Basic Wine Vocabulary
Let’s start with the basics. In Spain, red wine is called Vino tinto, white wine is Vino blanco, and rosé wine is called Vino rosado. If you want sparkling wine for your Spanish wine vocabulary collection, that’s Cava or Espumoso. Dry wine is called Seco, sweet wine is Dulce, and semi-dry is Semiseco.
| Spanish | English Meaning | Notes |
|---|
| Vino tinto | Red wine | Most commonly used |
| Vino blanco | White wine | Very popular in summer |
| Vino rosado | Rosé wine | Color between red and white |
| Cava | Sparkling wine | Spanish specialty |
| Reserva | Aged wine | Higher quality |
| Crianza | Oak barrel aged | Medium quality |
Tasting-Related Vocabulary
During wine tasting, you’ll often hear professional terminology. For example, Aroma refers to fragrance, Bouquet is the wine’s bouquet, and Cuerpo indicates the body’s richness. If the wine in your Spanish wine vocabulary experience is very smooth, Spaniards will say Suave; if it’s rather rough, it’s Áspero. Acidity is called Acidez, and tannin content is Taninos.
Maridaje is a particularly important word, referring to food and wine pairing. In Spanish restaurants, waiters often recommend suitable wines based on the dishes you order, which is making maridaje suggestions.
Regional and Winery Terms
Spain has many famous wine regions, with the most renowned being the Rioja region. There are also Ribera del Duero, Priorat, and others. Denominación de Origen is protected designation of origin, similar to France’s AOC system. The higher classification is DOCa.
Bodega refers to a winery or wine cellar, Viñedo is a vineyard, and Vendimia is the harvest season. If you see the word Cosecha, it refers to a particular vintage’s harvest.
Practical Vocabulary for Purchasing
When buying wine at supermarkets or specialized wine shops, Precio is of course the price, and Oferta means special offer. If you want good value wines, you can ask if there are any Relación calidad-precio recommendations. Etiqueta is the wine label, and the information on it is very important. Corcho is the cork, and Botella is the bottle.
After mastering this vocabulary, selecting wine in Spain will be much easier. Of course, the most important thing is to try different wines and find flavors you enjoy. If there are other wine vocabulary terms you’d like to learn about, everyone can continue to share and exchange ideas.
