Wine Wednesday Wordologie: “L” is for “Length”


When drinking wine–especially at a wine tasting–we’re sometimes faced with {what can seem like} indecipherable wine lingo.

While I admit that some people can occasionally get a little pretentious with it, the real purpose of wine terminology is ultimately to help the drinker figure out why they do or don’t like a wine–it helps discover preferences. Once a sipper then knows what they prefer it enables her or him to enjoy wine even more. See? Those terms serve a good purpose. Now say it with me: “Wine lingo is my friend…”

So let’s get into the long and short of it {you see what I did there?} and talk “Length” for today’s wine lingo, also known as Wine Wednesday Wordologie.

Wine Wed Word Length

The word “length” in wine terms is essentially the same with regards to its general meaning: the measurement of length of something. When we use the term for wine tasting purposes it indicates how long the wine flavors persist on your palate and in your mouth after you have swallowed your sip.

We’ve already established the term is an indicator of measurement, so naturally the length of a wine can be described as short, moderate, or long in reference to how long the flavors linger. Here is a general range of time measurements to indicate wine length:

  • SHORT: 5-10 seconds
  • MODERATE: sensations lasting from 11-to-20 seconds to those lasting between 20-30 seconds
  • LONG:  30 seconds or more {with exceptional wines lasting from 1 to several minutes}

Of course, since this is an “effervescent” inspired series, I just couldn’t go without saying at least a tiny bit about champagne and sparkling wine. The longer then length of the flavor sensation of a sparkling wine or champagne, the higher the quality. Those lengthy finishes are what many champagnes {and sparkling wines made in méthode champenoise style} strive for. So, for the most part, the longer the finish = the higher the quality. Wines that have a really short length are those that are typically inexpensive or, worse yet, of poor quality.

I was having a conversation a few days ago with one of my fabulous blogging partners-in-crime, scrivener extraordinaire Joi Maria, and we were discussing how to “taste” wine and figure out flavors. So based on our little confab I thought this little tidbit  might help: Have you ever sipped 2 glasses of bubbly that kind of taste the same, but you find yourself favoring 1 glass over the other without quite being able to put your finger on why? It’s probably because the 1 you prefer is the one with…yep, you guessed it: the one with the longer finish! See? I told you wine terminology was your friend.

And because I always love to go above and beyond, I want to leave you with a little somethin’ extra my dears so, behold, I present you with” THE BUBBLEISTA’S SECRET TASTING TIP O’ THE DAY:” to determine what a wine’s length is– (1) take a sip; (2) swallow; (3) immediately after you swallow, slowly exhale; (4) as you exhale focus on the flavor sensations that linger; and (5) lastly count the seconds that the sensation lasts. 

TA-DA!!!! Wine knowledge AND tasting skill tips all wrapped up into 1 lovely little post. I do it all for you, my bubbly loving friends, because I adore you so.

You know what else? I just realized that with today’s post we are already halfway through the Wine Wednesday Wordologie A-to-Z alphabet! Have you been keeping up? If not, be sure to catch up from the beginning, and don’t forget to tune in for the next installment. Stick with me and you’re gonna be a bubbly sipping connoisseur in no time at all. Or at least by the end of the alphabet.

Wordology definition