If you are a newbie to the world of wine, then you might be surprised by how much there is to learn. It can be a bit overwhelming at first. However, this article can be a great place to start when you want to learn more about wine. Below are some things you may find helpful to you when you decide to learn more about red wine.

Red wine comes with fancy lingo

One of the hard parts of becoming more familiar with red wine can be the lingo. When you aren't sure what others are even talking about, the learning process can go on even longer. Here are some of the terms commonly used when it comes to red wine, as well as their meanings: 

• Aeration - The process of adding oxygen to soften a wine

• Aging - Keeping wine in containers longer to bring them to a more desirable state

• Aroma - The smell of the wine

• Balance - How the acids, sugars, tannins, and alcohol come together

• Blend - Wine made from a number of grape variants

• Body - The weight and fullness of wine in one's mouth

• Bouquet - The aromas of aged wine

• Breathing - Similar to "Aeration"

• Closed - Young wine without full flavors yet

• Dry - Wine that causes puckering in the mouth

• Enology - The science of winemaking

• Fermentation - Converting grape sugars to alcohol with the help of yeast

• Full-bodied - Wine that's high in both alcohol and flavors

• Mature - Ready to drink

• Nose - Describing the bouquets of wine

• Open - Wine that's ready to drink

• Rosé - Pink wine made from red grapes

• Sommelier - Wine butler

• Texture - How wine feels on one's palate

• Vintage - The year that a particular wine was bottled

• Weight - The sensation of rich wine on the palate

• Wine-tasting - Using the steps of seeing, swirling, sniffing, sipping, and savoring to taste wine

• Young - Immature wine that's bottled and sold in the same year

There are three main bodies of red wines

Light-bodied wine - Wine that's lightweight and has a refreshing taste. These wines are often enjoyed with heavier foods, such as barbecued food, meat and potatoes, burgers, and more. 

Medium-bodied wine - Wine that's in the middle, often considered to be not too light, yet not too bold. These red wines are often enjoyed with just about any type of food since they fall in the middle. 

Full-bodied wine - This wine is considered to have weight and usually has the highest amount of alcohol in them. They are often enjoyed with foods like lamb chops, fish, and breaded cutlets. 

You now likely know much more about red wine and should have an easier time keeping up with wine-related conversations. For more information on red wine, contact a professional near you.