For beginners in oenology or wine lovers, describing what happens through the nose or mouth during tasting can be complex. It must be said that the words used by the winemaker are not the most accessible! Here’s what you need to know about wine and vines!
What is the composition of wine?
Whether it is a bottle from Côtes-du-Rhône, the Rhône valley, Languedoc Roussillon, Burgundy or the Bordeaux vineyard, the wine is mainly equipped with water. 85% and 15% alcohol:
- Ethanol;
- Glycerol;
- Sorbitol;
- Butylene glycol;
- Methanol.
In rosé wines, red wines, white wines, we also find sugars, acids and phenolic compounds (tannins, or anthocyanins). Mineral substances and various organic substances can also be found.
Terms to describe wine: What we remember
Dress
It’s about visual of your wine. The tasting begins with everything that appeals to the eyes, especially the beautiful shades of color.
Generally, a red wine has a dark, ruby or purple color. The older the dress, the more tiled colors we find. For white wine, we tend to find green reflections.
The nose
Here, we refer to everything that is aromatic. Before tasting, it is obligatory to take it out since smell has a strong place in tasting. This allows us to detect notes of red fruits, citrus fruits…
The bouquet
It is used by winegrowers to describe complex aromas growing in a bottle. We can find a fruity or acidic taste based on lemon, strawberry or raspberry for example, associated with grapes.
The attack
This is the effect that the wine gives you once in your mouth. This is the first impression of the local product that you are going to test. This attack can be more gentle as it can be more strong.
The material
This is the feeling the wine makes once it hits your palace. We often use a whole range of textures to describe this.
The grape varieties
You should know that the cultivated vines are different from each other because of their foliage and their clusters. They will constitute the grape variety. There are several: Pinot Gris, Merlot, Coteaux, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon…
Loose
Associated with matter, it is a term evoking the sensation a beverage with a material coated in the mouth and whose aromatic palette occupies the entire mouth.
Tannic
It’s a very powerful wine. Tannins are molecules found in the skin and seeds of grapes. They give this quite rough appearance. For great wines to age, the tannins will soften over time.
A term to describe tannins: Round. Roundness describes a wine without aggressiveness.
Balance
This is the most important point during a tasting. It takes a good balance and a beautiful harmony to have a high class wine.
How to ensure the conservation of a grand cru?
When we start to buy great wines, which we are not going to consume directly, the question arises of its conservation in order to keep its aromas and finesse.
Among the main criteria to take into account are:
- The temperature oscillates between 12 and 13°C;
- Hygrometry, at 70-75% humidity;
- Darkness;
- The absence of vibrations.
Bottles should be kept lying down to keep the cork moist and prevent it from drying out.