You say you’re an accomplished oenophile, but are you able to determine a wine’s region or grape from a single taste? Or just their smell? Maybe not.
Wine lovers exclaim that great wines tend to thrill your taste buds and swear to provide a tingling sensation to last for hours. And, for that, the best part is you don’t even need to possess a skilled palette for determining your unique preferences. All you need is a keen understanding of wine’s fundamental characteristics, which will set you right for a lifetime’s tasting enjoyment.
If you’re new to the tasting journey, it may seem a little tricky initially. However, know that it isn’t impossible. Reading through, you’ll be able to choose and recommend the finest wine.
After all, it’s essential to know the flavor and characteristics, whether you wish to get a monthly wine subscription gift for your friend or select the best for the love of your life. Let’s get going with discovering some characteristics that differentiate wine from the rest:
5 wine characteristics
A first check
Sweetness in wine refers to the sugar that remains after its creation. When you sip, you can feel sensual sweetness on the tip of your tongue. Finding the sweetness in the wine can be difficult at times, so pay attention to the taste buds at the tip of your tongue. You can expect the tingling sensations.
A sweet wine will contain much residual sugar, whereas a dry wine will have converted all of its sugar to alcohol during the fragmentation process.
Wine sharpness
Acidity is difficult to grasp, and it’s frequently mistaken for alcohol. You know a wine is acidic if you experience a tangy and citrus taste on the insides of your mouth.
Also, the sharpness of wine is due to the acidity. Know that a sophisticated wine is the perfect combination of acidity, sweetness, and tannin.
Another method to determine the acidic wine is the wetness in your mouth. Yes, if your mouth is wet, chances are great; it’s wet.
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Drying agent
Tannin in wine works as a drying agent.
A wine strong in tannin is sometimes mislabeled as a dry wine. Because tannin has chemical compounds (phenolics), it makes your tongue dry. Know that the bitterness in the wine is also because of tannin.
Despite this, tannin completes a wine by adding balance and structure, which helps it stay longer. Ongoing research suggests the benefits of tannin (present in red wine) for catering to one’s health issues.
Alcohol content
Wine warms your throat when you drink it. The alcohol content of a typical wine glass ranges from 11 to 12 %. As a result, wines can vary in alcohol content from 5.5 vol.% to 20% or more.
Now, it’s time to determine if the wine is alcoholic or not? It can be bitter, sweet, spicy, and greasy all at the same time. You can feel warm and rapid bitter sensations in your taste buds.
A factor that sets mood
The body of wine sets the mood, and it is a perfect blend of several aspects such as the wine varieties used, the vintage, the amount of alcohol in the wine, and the method of preparation.
The body may be described as the wine’s overall final impression. If you pay attention to these, you may select the one that will delight your taste buds.
Final thoughts
After knowing these characteristics, you can choose the right wine, the one which suits your preferences.
Every year, many wines are released, and it’s helpful to think of characteristics at first while selecting the best. After all, great wines tell a story; it’s worth knowing what your wine is telling you!
