Do you have an unrefined palate? Don’t know your Merlot from your Malbec? Don’t worry! It’s time to self-educate. If you’re an amateur at a wine tasting, here are some keywords to keep you afloat.

• Aftertaste is the flavor that remains on your palate after you swallow the wine. How long that taste remains can be indicative of the wine’s quality. Longer aftertaste means better quality. Aftertaste can also be referred to as the “finish.”

• The wine’s “body” refers to its thickness.

• A “crisp” wine has a high fruit acidity.

• A “flowery” wine is said to have the fragrance of a flower.

• A “buttery” wine has the aroma or taste of butter typically resulting from the length of time the wine is contact with yeast during the fermentation period.

• A “balanced” wine has a complimentary combination of tannin (bitter compounds), texture, flavor and acidity.

• The five steps associated with wine tasting are color, swirl, smell, taste and savor.

• Younger white wines are more pale yellow while older whites have brown shades. Younger reds are purple in color, and older ones are more brown.

• When you swirl your wine, it allows oxygen to aerate the wine and provide a better smell, or bouquet.

• If a wine tastes “oaky,” it means the wine’s flavor and aroma have been influenced by the oak barrels in which it was aged.

• White wine’s three major grape varietals are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. Red wine’s three major grape varietals are Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

• A “clean” wine has no unpleasant aromas or tastes.

• A “dry” wine means that it has no remaining sugar, or it’s unsweet.

• A “full-bodied” wine means that it feels heavy or full on the palate. This weightiness is associated with wine of high alcoholic content.

• All wines, depending on varietal, need to be at a specific temperature for premium taste. Get a white wine too cold, and you lose the flavor. Get a red wine too warm, and you get over-exaggerated tannins and acidity. White wines should be around 48 degrees, and red wines should be around 57 degrees.

• Any wine of any price— from $9 to $1,000 — needs to breathe. Oxygen “opens up” the wine and therefore allows the wine to portray its truest taste. Put the wine in a pitcher, a vase or preferably a “decanter”... anything that can hold the wine while allowing in air.