Wine Terms You Need to Know
Terms You Need to Know
Those of us with the great privilege of working in the wine industry are often asked to explain a few basic terms for those just getting started in their wine tasting journey.
Alcohol/Acid: Alcohol in wine is created through the reaction of the yeast and the sugar in the grapes. Acid in many ways is the opposite of sugar, as grapes ripen they lose acidity. As you can imagine the challenge becomes when to harvest your grapes so that they have the perfect balance between the sugar (and eventual alcohol) and acidity.
Tannins: Probably the most confusing and misunderstood part of grapes turning into the good stuff we all love so much. Tannins are the part of wine that makes red wine feel dry in your mouth. They are imparted into wine by the skins and stems of the grapes. To best explain what a tannin is, think about tea or coffee that you let brew for too long, think about the taste. It seems bitter which is what you think of as tannins.
Fruitiness: Probably the most simple concept to explain when it comes to wine. This is simply if the wine carries either a flavor or aroma of a fruit. This can be either grapes, or other common fruit flavors that are often present in wine. During your journey into wine you’ll start to notice certain flavors which are consistently present in certain varietals. For example, Pinot Noir will often show a cherry flavor.
Sweetness/Dryness: Most people have a tendency to say they either like sweet wine or dry wine. When we talk about a sweet wine we generally think of residual sugar in the wine. Interestingly, many very popular Chardonnay’s do contain an element of residual sugar.
One of the inherent challenges in the wine industry is the long term education and demystification of wine itself. So often sommeliers can, sometimes purposely sometimes not, make wine seem more complicated then it needs to be. Like any hobby wine should be fun and provide some entertainment value. It’s fun to have a conversation about the winemakers or the wineries that craft the wines that you are tasting.
If people within the wine industry continue to be focused more on confusing the general public and attempting to keep information inside the industry rather then share it, people will continue to be mystified by the wine industry and won’t be as comfortable as we’d like them to be.
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Author: Mark A Aselstine
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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