The topic about wine can be a little bit complex considering it is intermingled with culture, geology, history, genetics and culture. Over the same, you can still learn more about wine without being confused by details. But how do you go about the whole issue? In the past, wine has been learned by region for the longest time and it worked well.
However, things have changed. Wine is being produced everywhere. Therefore, the regional lines are no longer useful. For that reason, it is now time to come up with other strategies. Below are some fundamental things about wine that are not hard to grasp.
Crucial things about wine
The most popular wine regions
Italy, Spain and France are the best known wine producing countries in the world. This could be because they produce some of the best wine in the world and they are the source of the most popular varieties of wine in the world. It could also be because they produce bulk wine as compared to other parts of the world.
Taste of wines
Have you ever wondered why some wines taste tart than others? The only way to answer this question is by learning the basic characteristics of wine. There are some wines which tastes tart while others don’t. The acidity is the tartness of the wine. While some wines will burn the back of your throat, the others will leave a lingering dry/bitter taste in your mouth. This is what is known as tannin.
Wine without sugar can still taste sweet. This trait in the wine world is called fruit forward. A completely dry wine can actually taste sweeter than other wines. This is made possible by a number of factors such as the region, oak aging and grape variety. For instance, there is a difference between Malbec from Argentina and Malbec from France. In other words, the flavor is greatly affected by the region where the grapes grow.
Getting the wine you like
After trying a number of different wines, you ended up knowing your taste. So, how do you communicate the same to others? Well, to be in a better position to do so, make sure you know the varieties and regions that you prefer. However, there are other wine characteristics such as fruit, herb, body, oak, yeast and much more. Although wine is basically fermented grape juice, there are incredible wide variety of flavors within it.
Basic characteristics of wine
There are 5 basic wine characteristics which include:
Body
When it comes to the body, there are so many factors included such as where it is from, how it is made and the alcohol level. The overall impression of a wine is what is referred to as the body. Normally, you will find wine in light, medium or full-bodied.
Alcohol
On average, a glass of wine contains around 11-13% alcohol. There are different taste receptors which you can use to interpret alcohol. Hence, wine can taste sweet, bitter, oily and spicy at the same time. How bitter or sweet alcohol tastes has a lot to do with your genetics.
Acidity
There are times when tasting acidity is confused with alcohol. If you like wine that is more round and rich, you be enjoying wine that is slightly less acidic. Some of the characteristics of acidity include:
- Mouth feeling wet
- Tingling sensation on the front and sides of the tongue
- Your mouth will feel gravelly if you rub the tongue to the roof of the mouth
Tannin
How bitter is your glass of wine? Since tannin kind of dries your mouth, it is normally confused with the level of dryness. So, tannin in wine is basically the presence of phenolic compounds found in the skins and seeds of the wine grapes. They are known to add bitterness to the wine. Tannin is typically described as astringent and it tastes herbaceous. Interestingly, even though these description sounds very negative, tannin actually adds complexity, structure and balance to the wine. In fact, it makes the wine last longer.
Sweetness
The level of is the first impression of a wine. The human perception of sweetness is that it should start from the tip of the tongue. If you want to taste the sweetness of your wine, focus more on the taste buds on the tip of your tongue. If your taste buds are tingling, there is an indication of sweetness. Surprisingly, most dry wines have some sweetness which makes them full-bodied.
The adventures of drinking wine
Enjoy all the uniqueness and sweetness wine has to offer by drinking your glass of wine. Do not be afraid to experiment new brands. This is just a way of expanding your understanding about wine. Funny enough, even a wine expert can never give you a straight answer about their favorite wine. Reason being, all of it is superb, they love it all. In my case, I prefer to try a new wine once in a while, and when I do, I buy from Wine.com, they have such a large selection to choose from.
Most wines are meant to be taken the same year they are released although there are some which improve as they get older. Some of the traits of an age-worthy wine are acidity, residual sugar, tannin and low alcohol.
Wine happens not to taste the same year after year. If you bought a bottle of wine, liked the taste and drank it all then bought another and realized it doesn’t taste the same. The truth is, you are not crazy. The taste has changed. The main culprit here is the Vintage Variation. It mostly happens in cooler regions.
