Grapevine: Descriptive Terms Used in Describing a Sensory Wine Experience
“This is a hedonistic wine that is full-bodied, with aromas of forest floor, black fruit and a hint of vanilla. It’s assertive, but a bit flabby. Chocolate, and a touch of barnyard, accent the supple tannins, which contribute to a long finish.”
Is this a precise and concise description of a particular wine or a pretentious, overwrought exaggeration ascribed to wine snobs? I believe it is a bit of both: an attempt to convey the unique characteristics of a particular wine by employing vibrant adjectival terms. Many of you are exposed to these “descriptive” terms when considering the purchase of a bottle of wine.
Whether in a critic’s written review, from the mouth of a sommelier at a restaurant, or printed on a shelf-talker at your local wine shop, the terms used by these cognoscente typically run the gamut of terms not otherwise associated with agricultural products. However, wine has a tendency to bring out the best, and sometimes the most creative, subjective descriptive terms one can imagine.
This week we’re going to explore the world of wine-tasting terms frequently encountered by consumers. Whether viewed as elaborative or bombastic, expressive or trite, they are now firmly embedded in the wine lexicon.
Allow me to expound. Wine is a sensory expression of smell and taste; each of us has varying impressions as we experience it. My interpretation of the 10,000 senses of smell and five senses of taste that are built into my DNA are not the same as yours.
My pungent, earthy perception of a wine from the southern Rhone may be an off-putting barnyard aroma to you. Nonetheless, wine terms serve a valid purpose: they differentiate one grape from the next, one region from the next, one regional winemaker from the next.
Let’s explore a few of the terms that seem to pervade the wine world. For ease of context, I’ve arbitrarily aggregated them into three broad descriptive categories: found in Mother Nature, human traits and human physiology.
1. Found in Mother Nature. Wine is a fruit, so you would expect grapes to have a varied fruit aroma and flavor profile. Adjectives for whites run the gamut, from peach and pear to apple and lemon; for reds, chocolate (cocoa), black berries, cherries and blueberries seem to proliferate. But there are a few terms that push the envelope. Saddle leather, tobacco, wet dog, tar, #2 pencil and barnyard are aromas that exist in nature, but do I really want them in my wine? Yet, to my nose they are quite evident in some wines.
More abstract terms like tannic (a dry mouth feel) and acidic (pucker effect) are based on the organic chemistry of wines, but there are several seemingly contradictory adverbs that modify these adjectives. Can wine have silky tannins or balanced acid?
2. Human Traits. Certain wine qualities have no context in natural wine terms, so abstract terms are employed. The wine lexicon has embraced human traits to explain wine’s finer attributes. Examples: approachable, someone who is accessible. In wine, one that is ready to be drunk now; hedonistic, a pleasure of the senses. In wine, one that is meant to be enjoyed without pretext – not to be analyzed or deconstructed; assertive, bold, aggressively self-assured. In wine, one that is in-your-face with bold flavors and/or tannins.
3. Human Physiology. Here I may be treading on slippery grape skins. Certain terms historically used to describe our physical characteristics have found their way into the wine descriptor lexicon. Some are complimentary, others pejorative: full-bodied, round, great nose, supple, flabby, leggy. I’ll leave it to your imagination to draw these comparisons between humans and wines.
As I tell anyone who asks for advice on selecting wines: “Experiment. When you find one that intrigues you, that tantalizes your senses, asserts its suppleness without being too flabby…”
Oops, I slipped. Rather: “Do you like the aroma and taste of a particular wine? After all, it’s a beverage to be enjoyed, not analyzed.”
Nick Antonaccio is a 40-year Pleasantville resident. For over 20 years he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
