Sep 2013
Body!
September, 2013 Filed in: Tasting wine
One of the most difficult challenges we have it describing tastes to customers when selecting a wine. Tastes are very subjective, and not definite. You can describe a colour, say something sounds like another familiar noise, but taste, good luck.
People will often describe a wine as being full-bodied, medium-bodied or light bodied. What is the difference? The closest analogy I like using is it can be described as like homogenized vs. skim milk. It is the weight of the wine in your mouth.
What determines the body of wine? One of the main factors is alcohol. The higher the alcohol the higher the perceived body. Alcohol increases the viscosity of wine, making it thicker in taste. That is why a high alcohol 13% Cabernet Sauvignon has more body than a lower alcohol 9% Riesling.
Generally red wine has more body than white wine. However, within white wines, certain varieties, have more body than others. Chardonnay is often more full bodied than Sauvignon Blanc and certainly Riesling. But even within Chardonnay there are difference in body. Chablis, is Chardonnay which is grown in a district in a cooler district of France, and as a result the skins of the grapes is thinner and the resulting wine has less body.
What makes for heavier bodied wines from kits? Well we mentioned the grape variety for one. The other thing is the amount of solids in the kit. So, our best kits have more solids and therefore more body. Lower end kits, those offered by big box stores have little if any solids in them and thus they can be light.
Whatever the case, be sure to tell us what you are looking for in your next kit and we will be able to find the right one for you. That is what we think we do best, finding the right wine for you!
People will often describe a wine as being full-bodied, medium-bodied or light bodied. What is the difference? The closest analogy I like using is it can be described as like homogenized vs. skim milk. It is the weight of the wine in your mouth.
What determines the body of wine? One of the main factors is alcohol. The higher the alcohol the higher the perceived body. Alcohol increases the viscosity of wine, making it thicker in taste. That is why a high alcohol 13% Cabernet Sauvignon has more body than a lower alcohol 9% Riesling.
Generally red wine has more body than white wine. However, within white wines, certain varieties, have more body than others. Chardonnay is often more full bodied than Sauvignon Blanc and certainly Riesling. But even within Chardonnay there are difference in body. Chablis, is Chardonnay which is grown in a district in a cooler district of France, and as a result the skins of the grapes is thinner and the resulting wine has less body.
What makes for heavier bodied wines from kits? Well we mentioned the grape variety for one. The other thing is the amount of solids in the kit. So, our best kits have more solids and therefore more body. Lower end kits, those offered by big box stores have little if any solids in them and thus they can be light.
Whatever the case, be sure to tell us what you are looking for in your next kit and we will be able to find the right one for you. That is what we think we do best, finding the right wine for you!