Sip, Swirl, and Say It Right: Wine & Cheese Vocabulary for Tastings

I was standing in the breezy courtyard of a restored colonial house in Santiago de los Caballeros when the sommelier offered me a glass of tempranillo. The color danced ruby-red in the Caribbean sun, but what grabbed everyone’s attention was my attempt to describe its aroma—in Spanish. I reached for especiado (spicy) but blurted out especial. The whole table chuckled politely—until Juan, a visiting friend from Medellín, jumped in with “Se nota el clavo y la vainilla” (“You can taste the clove and vanilla”). He saved my reputation, and in that moment I realized that sharing wine, cheese, and stories is easier when your Spanish Vocabulary keeps pace with your palate. Ten years of Dominican sunsets and a dozen Colombian coffee breaks later, I still lean on those tasting verbs and adjectives to connect glasses and cultures.

Aromas Across the Caribbean Andes

A proper wine tasting in Santo Domingo often begins with merengue drifting through the colmado across the street. The host raises a bottle of Cabernet, and someone inevitably shouts “¡Brindemos!” The vibe in Medellín differs: salsa beats pulse softly, and tasters tilt their glasses with almost academic reverence. Yet both settings share one rule—describe what you sense. Describir and degustar may seem like textbook verbs, but on tasting night they feel as alive as the swirl of liquid in your stemware. Practicing that Spanish Vocabulary transforms casual sipping into a multilingual adventure.

During one cross-country tasting I hosted, my Dominican neighbor Rosa compared a buttery Chardonnay to dulce de leche, while Juan insisted it smelled like arequipe. Same caramel note, two cultures, one linguistic bridge. The conversation quickly detoured into a debate over the proper word for goat cheese: Rosa said queso de chivo, and Juan swore by queso de cabra. The friendly clash illustrated how Spain’s legacy and local twists keep the Spanish language as complex as any reserva.

Foundations of Flavor and Speech

Wine whispers through four senses—sight, smell, taste, and touch—but your tongue must also talk. That means verbs like oler (to smell), adjectives like afrutado (fruity), and nouns such as retrogusto (aftertaste). Back when I first moved to the DR, I described every red as simply fuerte. A Venezuelan coworker laughed and asked whether I was talking about a bouncer or a Beaujolais. Since then, I’ve collected words the way vintners collect oak barrels, labeling each on mental shelves: Dominican slang next to Colombian idioms, all of it ready to uncork at the right social moment.

Below is my go-to cheat sheet. Bookmark it, screenshot it, or stick it to your wine rack with fridge magnets. Let its forty-plus terms aerate your own Spanish Vocabulary.

Practical Vocabulary

From Swirl to Spanish: Sensory Storytelling

Tasting vocab matters, yet delivery makes it memorable. Dominicans love hyperbole. When a Cabernet’s tannins grabbed my gums during a La Romana soirée, Rosa exclaimed, “¡Eso agarra más fuerte que un motoconcho en hora pico!” (“That grips harder than a moto-taxi in rush hour!”) The room roared. Over in Medellín, Juan would call the same sensation “una estructura chévere, firme pero amable.” The underlying point: cultural metaphors flavor the language as fiercely as oak flavors Rioja.

A few guidelines help weave these words into genuine conversation:

• Notice environment cues. In the DR someone may reference mangú or bachata to describe texture or rhythm. In Colombia expect analogies to pan de bono or trova folk music.
• Sprinkle the keyword Spanish Vocabulary naturally. Each usage anchors new words in communal memory, turning a casual sip into an impromptu class.
• Embrace mistakes. I once mixed up amargo (bitter) with amado (beloved), telling a Dominican winemaker his beloved Syrah tasted bitter. We still laugh about it, and the correction stuck permanently.

Real-Life Mini-Dialogues

—¿Ya descubriste la nariz? Huele a pimiento asado. (DR)
—Have you noticed the nose yet? It smells like roasted bell pepper.

—Sí, parce, y tiene un retrogusto chévere de cacao. (CO)
—Yes, buddy, and it has a cool cocoa aftertaste.

—¿Con qué queso lo maridamos? (CO)
—What cheese should we pair it with?

—Prueba este queso de chivo; es cremoso y no tan fuerte. (DR)
—Try this goat cheese; it’s creamy and not too strong.

—Me encanta cómo el tanino envuelve la lengua. (CO)
—I love how the tannin coats the tongue.

—Ojo, esa vaina está oxidadita; déjala airear un chin. (DR)
—Careful, that thing is a bit oxidized; let it breathe a bit.

—¿Notas algo amaderado? (CO)
—Do you notice something woody?

—Más bien lo siento afrutaíto, como guayaba. (DR)
—I feel it’s rather fruity, like guava.

—Brindemos por esta sobremesa llena de risas. (DR)
—Let’s toast to this after-dinner chat full of laughs.

—¡Salud, parce, y que siga la música suave! (CO)
—Cheers, buddy, and let the smooth music continue!

—¿Te parece sedoso o muy espeso? (CO)
—Do you find it silky or very thick?

—Diría que está en el punto; la acidez lo mantiene vivo. (DR)
—I’d say it’s just right; the acidity keeps it lively.

—Necesitamos otra copa para comparar la añada 2019. (CO)
—We need another glass to compare the 2019 vintage.

—¡Ay mi madre, ese corcho se rompió! (DR)
—Oh my goodness, that cork broke!

—Tranquilo, usamos un colador y seguimos la cata. (CO)
—No worries, we’ll use a strainer and continue the tasting.

—¿Crees que el manchego va mejor con este espumoso? (DR)
—Do you think the manchego goes better with this sparkling wine?

—Prefiero un azul suave; equilibra el dulzor. (CO)
—I prefer a mild blue cheese; it balances the sweetness.

—Entonces traigo la baguette para limpiar el paladar. (DR)
—Then I’ll bring the baguette to cleanse the palate.

—Esa idea está chévere; así apreciamos el retrogusto. (CO)
—That idea is cool; that way we appreciate the aftertaste.

—Quedó nadie sobrio para manejar, así que llamo un concho. (DR)
—No one’s sober to drive, so I’m calling a moto-taxi.

Cultural Gems

Tip: In Bogotá, tinto is small black coffee—perfect palate cleanser. Say vino tinto if you truly mean red wine.

Insight: Dominicans sometimes use “seco” for both dry wine and straight rum. Clarify context to avoid surprise shots at a tasting.

Warning: Ordering “queso azul” in Colombia may bring a spicy penicillin-rich cheese. In the DR you might get a milder imported gorgonzola. Taste before you judge.

Pro Move: Ask “¿Cuál es la cepa dominante?” in Colombia to sound sommelier-savvy. In the DR, swap cepa for uva to fit local ears.

Between Clinks and Conversation

The strongest pairings happen beyond the plate. In Santo Domingo, we inevitably end the evening comparing island merengue to the swirl of Malbec. Someone always belts out a chorus, weaving music, memory, and Spanish Vocabulary into one rousing toast. Over in Medellín, the party drifts to the balcony where the city lights mimic bubbles in a cava. Conversations stretch: “¿Cuál fue tu primera copa memorable?” They share stories of grandfathers crushing grapes or abuelas aging queso in clay jars. Each anecdote introduces another term—maduración, botritis, corteza florecida—proof that language, like wine, matures with exposure and patience.

All the while, my tongue juggles Dominican slang and Colombian cadence. A single arrow of vocabulary can break cultural ice: say “¡Qué sedoso!” and watch faces light up. Slip in “¡Qué vaina más rica!” and locals grin, recognizing a foreigner who honors their lingo. These micro-victories keep me chasing more words the way oenophiles chase elusive terroir.

Final Pour: Let the Spanish Flow

Traveling between the DR and Colombia has trained my palate and my ear in equal measure. From buttery queso de chivo paired with tropical Chardonnay to smoky paipa cheese cuddling up to Cabernet in Bogotá, every match reinforces the bond between flavor and speech. So un-cork your curiosity: host a bilingual tasting, circulate these terms, and let mistakes ferment into memories. Then return here, swirl your thoughts into the comment section, and share the phrases or pairings that made you grin. Your stories—ripe with fresh Spanish Vocabulary—are the yeast that keeps this community alive and happily tipsy.