"dancing acids provide a great balance"
Uhm....
Describing wine isn't easy. It can be so diverse that it becomes difficult to capture your taste in words. And when we talk about taste, are we talking about your personal taste or about an objective view of wine? Those are two different things. You might not like a wine, but that doesn't automatically mean it's bad. That's why the word "good" isn't on this list of basic tasting concepts. This list is intended for those who want to go a step further than simply classifying a wine as "good" or " not good ."
Basic concepts about tasting
Finish. How long does the wine's flavor linger in your mouth? The longer, the better. After about six seconds, we call it a "long finish."
Aroma. The aromas of wine. It's helpful to use an aroma wheel for this. Also a great tip: the Winefolly book (I deliberately chose the English version; it's better).
Balance. A certain degree of balance is important in wine. A white wine aged in oak is delicious, but especially when it's balanced with the acidity and fruit. Sometimes the oak can be overpowering, making the wine "out of balance." Sometimes the tannins can be too harsh, drying out the mouth completely. In such a case, it might be a good idea to decant the wine.
Brut. The most common style of Champagne, a (reasonably) dry Champagne with a sugar content between 6 and 15 grams.
Body. Mouthfeel. How does the wine feel in your mouth? Compare it to skim milk, whole milk, or heavy cream.
Bouquet . Usually used to describe tertiary aromas. Honestly, I never use the word. It goes too far for me.
Decanting . Decanting is essentially the same as carafe, but has a different purpose. Its purpose is to separate the wine from its lees. This is sometimes necessary with older wines.
Demi-Sec. Champagne with a sugar content between 32 and 50 grams. A sweet champagne.
Sweet. A champagne with over 50 grams of sugar, the sweetest champagne of all.
Extra Brut. This champagne contains less than 6 grams of sugar.
Extra Dry: An extra dry Champagne contains between 12 and 20 grams of sugar, a Champagne that is not quite dry.
Filmy. The opposite of a tight wine. Filmy is the collective term for the full, creamy mouthfeel that some wines have (milk chocolate, for example).
Decanting . Decanting is pouring wine into a carafe to aerate it. The presence of oxygen opens the wine and releases aromas and flavors. You do the same thing in your glass when you swirl your wine. See also decanting.
Cork . As a finish to the bottle, okay, but "if the wine is corked," not okay. The wine has a musty smell, which in itself could be described as a cellar where a wet dog has been. In such a case, it's of course impossible to miss. But it also occurs in lesser degrees, and then it's very difficult to detect in a wine. Moreover, some tasters are more sensitive to cork than others. My point is: it's okay if you don't smell it (directly). It can happen to the best of us.
On the technical side, it's related to a bacterium, trichloranisole (TCA) to be precise, which is caused by a reaction between chlorine-containing substances and mold or yeast on the cork. Unfortunately, it's impossible to solve. If the wine is corked, the fun is over.
Is a screw cap better than a cork?
Sparkling wine. Wine with bubbles. Sparkling wines can be made in different ways. Check out: How do you make sparkling wine?
Nervous . A wine with plenty of flavor and a generous but pleasant acidity. By far, one of the wine nerd's favorite words. Admittedly, it's a wonderful word to describe a wine.
Pétillant. This is slightly sparkling. Similar to Spa Groen.
Primary aromas. These are aromas related to the grape variety. A Muscat, for example, is a grape variety that truly smells of white grapes, while Sauvignon Blanc often has aromas of green pepper or boxwood. Each grape variety has its own set of aroma characteristics. Primary aromas can be categorized as follows:
- Fruit (peach, blackcurrant, apple)
- Vegetables (red cabbage, green pepper)
- Herbs (mint, oregano)
- Flowers (lavender, roses)
- Earthy (earthy, potting soil, beets)
Round . A smooth wine without harsh edges. Often accompanied by a soft mouthfeel (body). These wines usually undergo malolactic fermentation.
Sec. Champagne with a sugar content between 17 and 32 grams. A bit confusing, as sec is the French word for dry. But it is sweet.
Secondary aromas. These come from winemaking. They're usually related to fermentation and are easy to recognize in white wine, think of bread dough and brioche. Malolactic fermentation is also easy to detect in white wine. This fermentation converts the sharp malic acid into milder lactic acid and creates aromas of butter and dairy. It also makes the wine creamier in texture. Aging in oak can add another layer to this, imparting aromas of wood (duh), toast, nuts, and coconut to the wine. Want to know more about oak aging? Check: if you like oak .
Sulfites . You can't taste it if it's in the wine, but you can often tell if it's not. Since 2005, sulfites have been required on the label for all wines with a sulfur content of 10 mg per liter. Sulfites help preserve wine and slow down the chemical reactions that cause wine to spoil. These days, so-called natural wines are made, which are wines to which nothing is added (no commercial yeasts, sulfites, and no aging in new oak). This doesn't always work out well. In my opinion, the truth lies somewhere in the middle: use sulfites sparingly .
Top Jura winemaker Jean-François Ganevat inspired me to delve deeper into sulfites and their effects . The wines are aged in used oak and are aged without intervention or additives (including sulfites) on the fine lees (no bâtonage) until (unfiltered) bottling. Only then is a negligible amount of sulfites added. And not even always. Ganevat says about this: " I want to make fermented fruit juice that tastes like its origin and is 100% drinkable ." They radiate the dynamism and boundless energy of Ganevat himself. Original wines that vibrate. (Source: Vinoblesse )
Tight. If a wine is described as "tight," it has a good acidity. A dry Riesling is an example of a tight wine.
Tannin. Just bite into a grape seed. Tasty? Not really, right? A tart flavor that dries your mouth out a bit. That's tannin. It's found in the grape skins, seeds, and stems, with some grapes having more than others. Tannin adds both bitterness and complexity. Tannin is most common in red wine, although some white wines can also contain tannin (due to oak aging or when the skins are fermented, for example, in amphora wine).
Read more about tannin: extensive article on tannin .
Tertiary aromas. Aromas related to aging. As a wine ages, the primary and secondary aromas become increasingly intertwined. They blend, while the primary aromas recede into the background. While a base Champagne might reveal aromas of green apple and a hint of bread dough, a vintage Champagne, for example, five years old, might lean towards apple pie. That's lovely, isn't it? If you let red wines age longer, they can develop notes of mushrooms, herbs, and earthy notes like forest floor and leaves.
Swirling : Swirling your glass in circles introduces oxygen to the wine. You're essentially shaking the wine, releasing multiple aromas. If you're not super handy, you can also place your wine glass on the table and swirl it that way.
Acidity : Acidity is important for wine. Every wine contains acid, even Sauternes—the sweet dessert wine. This acidity keeps the wine balanced and provides freshness. Acidity also ensures a wine's ability to age.
Zero Dosage. A champagne with 0 grams of added sugar, resulting in a dry, almost bone-dry champagne. Global warming is making this increasingly possible. The grapes are riper, so there's simply no need to add as much sugar.
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