Even in ancient times, wine tasters had a language for describing wine quality. Around a hundred terms have been found in Greek literature. However, there was no generally accepted vocabulary; instead, an assessment was left to the imagination or judgement of the individual. It was not until the beginning of the 18th century that a culture in this regard slowly began to develop in wine community.
The French chemist Jean-Antoine Claude Chaptal (1756-1832) already used more than 60 expressions in his work "Art de faire, de gouverner, et de perfectionner les vins", published in 1807. Professor René Pijassou (1922-2007) from the University of Bordeaux collected all the expressions used by brokers and wine estate owners at the time in his studies on the history of Médoc wines. These included inexpressive, flat, full-bodied, full-flavoured, aftertaste, robust, round, velvety). He also realised that tasting rules already existed.
![]()
The wein.plus encyclopaedia is a comprehensive, well-researched reference work. Available anytime and anywhere, it has become an indispensable part of teaching, used by students and myself alike. Highly recommended!
Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg