Explore guides to understand wine acidity, aroma & flavor, color, tannin, sugar, alcohol, and food pairings.
Guides
Wine Acidity Guide
Wine acidity refers to the natural malic and tartaric acids found in grape pulps. When you think of acid, think about that acidic taste found in lemons, limes and grapefruit. Acid is what makes both fruits and wines refreshing. Sometimes these harsh acids are transformed into lactic acid later in the winery to achieve a softer, creamier, or buttery taste. However, acid plays an extremely important role in a wine’s final taste.
Some wines are naturally more acidic than others. For example, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes will be more acidic than Viognier and Pinotage. Grapes used for Champagne or Sparkling wine will have an extremely high acidic level to tolerate the autolytic processes and remain balanced.
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Aroma & Flavor Guide
Grape aroma and flavor refer to the smells and tastes that come from the grape itself and how they are expressed in wine. Aromas are what you perceive through your nose, while flavors describe what you experience on the palate when you taste the wine.
-Primary notes are the aromas and flavors that come directly from the grapes after fermentation. These fresh fruit, floral, and herb notes are most vivid in younger wines and become less pronounced as the wine ages.
-Secondary notes are aromas and flavors that come from wine-making processes rather than the grape itself. For example, malolactic fermentation can give Chardonnay buttery, creamy, or bready notes, while oak aging can add flavors like spice, chocolate, or cedar — with new barrels having a stronger impact than older ones.
-Tertiary characteristics develop only in wines that are capable of aging, as fresh primary fruit fades over time in bottle. Wines that experienced gentle oxidation in barrel may show flavors like chocolate, spice, coffee, or butterscotch, while bottle-aged reds and whites often take on earthy or dried notes — such as leather or game in reds, and petroleum or kerosene in some aged whites.
Some wines are naturally more acidic than others. For example, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes will be more acidic than Viognier and Pinotage. Grapes used for Champagne or Sparkling wine will have an extremely high acidic level to tolerate the autolytic processes and remain balanced.
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Wine Color Guide
White wines run on a color scale between lemon-green and brown. Fresher, or newer, grapes will make a wine closer to its original color of juice, which will be clear, or a have a slight yellow tint. Most white wines fall in the category of “lemon.”
Rosé wines run on a color scale between light pink and orange. In most cases, the pinker or darker a rosé, the more color and flavor extraction it has. However, it is important to note that the color is not a reflection of quality. Some of the most prestigious expressions are very light in color. The amount of “red” displayed in the wine can be indicative of several factors.
Red wines run on a color scale between purple and brown. Fresher, or newer, wines still have their inky purple hues, and darken in the winery or over time. Most red wines are classified as “ruby.” One the most important color factors is the color of the actual grape. For example, Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo are more red in color, whereas Malbec was once nicknamed “black wine.”
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Grape Tannins Guide
Tannins are not a flavor. Rather, they are polyphenols (astringent chemical compounds) found in grape skins, seeds and stems. They are also found in fruits, veggies, wood, leaves, bark, and a plethora of other livings plants. The compounds result in a velvety mouthfeel when we eat grapes or drink wine.
Black grapes have higher levels of skin tannin than white grapes. And even within the black-grape category, all tannin levels are not the same. Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Syrah and Tannat have some of highest tannin levels. Whereas Pinot Noir and Grenache have relatively lower levels. In addition, smaller berries, i.e. Syrah, may contribute even more tannins to a wine due to it’s high skin/pulp ratio.
Tannins are also found in wood and bark. When any wine is aged in an oak vessel, it extracts the natural tannins found in that particular barrel and increases that velvety feel and flavor complexity of the final wine. Keep in mind, barrels lose their impact and impart lower tannin levels each time they are used.
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Sugar & Alcohol Guide
Grape sugar changes into alcohol during fermentation, thereby turning grape juice into wine. If grapes are under-ripe, there won’t be enough sugar to make the alcohol.
When grapes come into the winery, they undergo a process called fermentation, whereby yeasts convert the juice sugars into alcohol. Wild (ambient) yeasts exist naturally on grape skins, stems, and even in the winery itself. A winemaker can choose to use these naturally-present yeasts to complete the fermentation process, or add yeast to the juice (most common). The grape juice temperature must be adjusted to the right setting in order for yeast to begin and continue their job.
Most wines have an ABV rate between 11% and 13.9%. In some cases the rate can be higher. However, the majority of grapes do not have enough natural sugar to exceed an ABV above 15.5%.
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Wine & Food Guide
The secret to food and wine pairing is to find a combination that enhances how a wine tastes. Wine rarely makes a food taste bad, but a bad combination can make a wine taste terrible! Ick! Contrarily, the right dish can make a wine taste 10 times better than it does on its own. There are rules of thumb to follow in order to create wine/food combinations that work in concert.
The best food pairing is one that makes a wine taste juicy, fruity, full and well-balanced. In order to achieve that outcome, you have to find foods and wines that compliment each other.
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