Wine Term: Finish
Variations: Exit, Resonates, Waves, Length
Alternate Usages: Finish of, exits with, resonant waves of, resonates with, with great length
What it really means: The aftertaste of the wine
Ok, never good to say the wine has a banana “aftertaste” – it sounds so much more eloquent to say it “finishes” with bananas. If you get a series of flavors, best to say you’re getting “waves” of the flavors, and identify what those flavors are.
How to effectively use it:
Best to compliment the wine or winemaker by saying you’re getting “[insert observations] on the finish” – also note how long you’re getting those flavors, if it is short lived, say it is a “quick finish of [insert flavors],” and if the flavors carry on for a while, let them know you get “a long finish of [insert observations].” As always, filler for fluff goes to infinity and beyond when you’re being judged by someone who thinks they know more than you:
Bad idea: “The wine has an aftertaste of raspberries and dirt.”
Better approach: “I get raspberries and earth on the finish.”
Best approach (Somm-level fluff): “The finish is redolent with alternating waves of raspberries and earth carried over great length.”
You walked into the tasting room a nobody, now you’ve exited their new best friend as you’ve showered them with compliments, and in turn, they’ve taken extra care of you for your knowledge and ability to speak their language. Go you!