This wine is Dynamic, wouldn't you say?

(Wine Part 2 brought to you by Quamut)

Do you ever listen to people talking about wine and say to yourself, “What do you mean the structure has body? Or the wine has an unripe texture?” These are both different ways to talk about wine. Do you try wines sometimes and when someone asks you what you like about it you can’t really describe it? Well I am here to share with you different ways to, “talk about wine” or a quick blast of wine terminology. This way maybe at your next party when you’re with your friends you can be the one saying, “the firmness of this wine is great”. Alright, so the book says that there are four main “sensations” to describe wine: structure, aromatics, texture and overall experience.

Structure: (sweetness, acidity, tannins and alcohol) These are all qualities that make the structure of the wine; the best wines will have a combination of all four of them.

Sweetness – Wines can be sweet and then wines can also be dry, “off-dry” wines are in-between the two extremes.

Acidity – This is an important aspect to both red and white wine, although it’s more important to white wine. Acidity is sometimes said to be the “backbone” of the white wine because it’s what gives it its “firmness”. The terms usually associated with white wine are “tart” or “crisp”. If a wine has very little acidity it’s called “soft”. Not enough acidity is “flabby”.

Example:

Me - “Trudy how do you like that white wine?”

Trudy - “Well it’s a great summer wine, very crisp”

Tannins – So acidity is to white wine as tannins is to red wine. I am going to take this right from Quamut. “Tannins are molecules that exist naturally in grape skins, stems and seeds; they give red wine its trademark puckering sensation in the hollow between your cheeks and gums”. “Astringent” is when a wine is high with tannins, if they are in the middle its “hard” or “firm” if a wine has low tannins its known as “soft”. Hopefully you guys are still with me.

Body - The next is the body or the alcohol content. The amount of “honk-a-hall” as my sister used to call it, determines the body or weight of the wine. The higher the amount of alcohol you say, “This wine is full of body”. There is full bodied, medium bodied or light bodied wine.

Example:

Me – “Trudy how do you like that red wine?”

Trudy – “Well Kennedy, I like this wine a lot, I can already tell it is very full bodied”

Aromatics:
When you attend a wine tasting, they always tell you to smell the wine before you taste. This is because wines are very complex. When you smell a wine it “goes through your nasal cavity at the back of your mouth”, so it is important for when you do taste the wine. There are so many different terms used and it is so complex that they still don’t have a universal standard for wine aromas. So until they do, you are able to say whatever flavors come to mind when you smell a wine.

Common ones are: burnt, floral, fruity, herbal, earthy, cinnamon, grass, rosemary.
Uncommon ones are: horsey, manure, stewed.

Example

Me – “Trudy do you like that wine?”

Trudy – “Thank you for asking Kennedy, yes it has a very woody taste to it”. (That’s what she said)



Texture:
Texture is also known as “mouthfeel” is the tactile sensations you feel while drinking wine. The Australian Wine Research Institute came up with different ways to describe wine:

-Particulate: talc, wed clay, powder, dusty
-Surface Smoothness: furry, fine emery, velvet, suede, silk
-Complex: soft, supple, fleshy, rich
-Drying: numbing, parching, dry
-Dynamic: pucker, chewy, grippy, adhesive
-Harsh: hard, aggressive
-Unripe: resinous, sappy, green
-Weight: watery, thin, full
-Texture: syrupy, creamy
-Heat: hot, warm
-Irritation: chili, pepper, tingle, prickle

Overall Experience:
The overall experience is what allows someone to describe all three of the items listed above. It is something wine-o’s like to talk about. The “complexity” of a wine is how it can change or grow over the time it takes to swallow or the idea that wine is so multi-layered that textures can change over time. A “straightforward” wine is a wine that doesn’t change a lot. That being said, both are good wines it just all depends on what you like.

The “length” is very distinct in a wine. When a wine gives you a blast of flavor but then it dies as you swallow it's called “short”. When a wine gives off an after taste or lingers it’s called a “finish”. The “depth” is the dimension and power of it's flavor. Both of the wines (complex and straightforward) can have depth as long as the flavor is thriving and strong. The “typicity” is if a wine is in the same family or same type i.e. sharing basic characteristics vs. an outlier wine that is more or less on its own.

Me: “Trudy do you like the wine?”

Trudy: “Yes Kennedy, although I wish the finish of the wine was stronger.”

I will also add in because people have asked me before, “How can you tell if I wine is bad?”

Cork is shriveled or wet
Smells like rotten eggs
Smells like nail polish remover
Smells like card board
Tastes flat, dusty, stale, rotten or vinegary


*All information can be found on Quamut.com