Tasting vocab: difference between "aftetaste" and "finish"?

OK, there are usually taken to mean one and the same thing but, for some of you, but does finish describe the tail end of the aftertaste, or should it be considered to be synonymous with aftertaste?

Best regards,
Alex R.

I've always thought of 'finish' as a more polite way of saying 'aftertaste.' Strictly speaking, any sensation after you've actually swallowed the wine is 'aftertaste.' But that's not he way we talk about it. We sometimes hear of '60 second finishes.' That's clearly well into the 'aftertaste' realm, but that is not the term we use.

[Robin Garr]

I think I'm agreeing with Ryan in simpler terms: They're synonyms, with "finish" being perhaps a bit more obscure to the uninitiated and therefore perhaps qualifying as jargon.

Don't the French call it "caudalie," literally "tail"?

Hi Robin,

Here's the definition of Caudalie:

Caudalie: unité de mesure exprimant la longueur en bouche d'un vin issu du latin cauda qui signifie queue.
Une caudalie = une seconde.
En dégustation nous parlons également de PAI, persistance aromatique intense.
Cette persistance aromatique qui se calcule justement en caudalie permet de mesurer la qualité d'un vin en fonction de sa capacité à laisser ses arômes s'exprimer en bouche une fois ce dernier avalé ou recraché.
Toute la complexité pour le néophyte de détecter cette longeur en bouche vient du fait qu'il ne faut pas prendre en compte le temps que les saveurs comme l'acidité, l'amertume ou le sucré restent en bouche mais bien les arômes.
Nous commencons a parler de vin de qualité lorsque la longeur atteind les 8 à 10 caudalies et de vins exceptionnels lorsque la longeur de ce dernier atteind 15 à 20 caudalies.

I asked this question because I am in the process of translating 50 full pages of tasting notes. A daunting task, even for a wine lover!
Anyway, this is not the first time that I have seen a French text that implies that there are 2 stages to the aftertaste.

I've seen the word "finish" in a lot of tasting notes, but maybe this is a difference between American and British English?

Best regards,
Alex R.

Caudalie: unité de mesure exprimant la longueur en bouche d'un vin issu du latin cauda qui signifie queue.
Une caudalie = une seconde.

If one caudalie equals one second, why do we need the extra terminology and 'unit of measurement'?

[David M. Bueker]

I will argue that they are different:

Finish - the overall qualities of the wine after it has been swallowed/spit
Aftertaste - the specific flavor elements of that finish

Aftertaste does not include overall presence, persistence, etc., at least for me.

Rahsaan,

>>>If one caudalie equals one second, why do we need the extra terminology and 'unit of measurement'?

Just shorthand.
Jargon.
One more thing to make wine appreciation seem more complicated!

The Caudalie line of cosmetic products made from grapes (from the folks at Smith Haut Lafitte, who also own a spa of the same name) is a huge hit.

Best regards,
Alex R.

The "aftertaste" is what you taste after the wine leaves your mouth. The "finish" is the aftertaste in the mouth of a pompous blowhard.

Sorry, couldn't resist. If you're writing for the geek audience (and it sounds like you are) I think you have to use "finish," despite the fact that it's jargon. I've only seen "aftertaste" used with at best a neutral connotation, and usually it's negative.

Walt

P.S.

For a good laugh about language, watch this clip of Moe making fun of Homer's pretension http://www.hulu.com/watch/21834/the-simpsons-the-car-hole

Homer: Hmm. I wonder why he's so eager to go to the garage?
Moe: The "gahrage"? Hey fellas, the "gahrage"! Well, ooh la di da, Mr. French Man.
Homer: Well what do _you_ call it?
Moe: A car hole!

I usually think of finish as something that can almost be measured. How long it lasts and the physical parts of the tongue and mouth that are affected and if those parts affected are balanced throughout the mouth. For instance, Baco Noir (to me anyway) usually has a short finish and affects the roof of my mouth and center of the tongue more than other parts, making it unbalanced and short. I also tend to use the term "aftertaste" in a negative connotation.

I tend to agree with David B. Aftertaste to me speaks to flavor or flavors, good or bad. Finish is more about the feel or presence.

Woohoo! I'm a pompous blowhard Finally I've achieved something in life (rummages in draw for copy of CV)

Yes it is jargon, but it has a use. Aftertaste, as others allude to, is typically purely a simple description of flavour, be it bitter, sweet, fruity, sour or salty. Finish is used in wine circles to expand on that to cover the *length of time that flavour remain in the mouth, it's intensity, it's desirability, it's balance and perhaps other stuff I've missed.

So yes in a way it's pompous, going to the nth degree to describe the detail, when someone less interested would say "that's got a bitter aftertaste". In this context I'm happy to be pompous as I'm interested in the extra detail

* I do draw the line at putting a stopwatch on it though - that's really sad!

regards

Ian

* I do draw the line at putting a stopwatch on it though - that's really sad!

I wouldn't use a stopwatch either. However, on a few very nice wines that I've had, using an hourglass wouldn't bother me.