Your nose knows a good wine!
Unlike any other drink on earth, wine has subtle flavors that
extend far beyond the ingredient (grapes) it's made from. For
example, a chardonnay may have a strong oak taste to it as well as
essences of pineapple, apple and fig. Other wines may have hints of
earth, tobacco, chocolate, plum, violets or lemongrass.
There are nine basic essences found in all wines: sweet, bitter,
sour, smooth, acetic, flowery, fruity, oak and tannin. Each grape
varietal has its own unique combination of essences. Many of these
overlap from one style of wine to the next. Knowing how these nine
essences work together will help you analyze the wines you taste
and enjoy them to the fullest.
Sweet - Sweet isn't the same as fruity. Sweet is the amount of
residual sugar that is left in the wine after fermentation.
Bitter - A slight bitterness can give the wine a nice aftertaste.
It is not the same as sour or tannic essences.
Sour - This is the tangy taste of wine. It comes from the acidity.
For example, a chardonnay may have a hint of apple in it, that
comes from the malic acid in the wine.
Smooth - If the malic acid is too high, it may be converted into
lactic acid (also found in milk) by the winemaker. This conversion
gives wine its buttery smooth characteristic.
Acetic - Small amounts of acetic acid enhances a wine's bouquet and
produces the familiar sour essence. This same acid eventually turns
wine into vinegar.
Flowery - This is more of a fragrance rather than a taste. Wines
can have a variety of flowery perfumes that will influence the
taste: citrus, honeysuckle, violets and even rose petals.
Fruity - The aroma of this essence is more important than its
taste. Fruit essences may include raspberry, cherry, blackberry,
pear, melon, apple or tropical fruits.
Oak - As wines are aged, they pick up characteristics from the
barrels they are stored in. These can include wood, vanilla,
chocolate and clove.
Tannin - Tannin gives you the puckery, dry sensation. It is
primarily from red wines which are rich in tannin.
An Essences Collections kit can help you learn more about these
nine essences. The glass vials in the kit allow you to identify the
separate tastes in wine and understand the countless ways they can
be blended. Kits can be ordered from www.barparts.com. They make a
great addition to a wine tasting party.
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