Some Technical Stuff First
Terroir: A French word that is a collective term for the growing conditions in a vineyard – such as climate, soil type, drainage/slope, altitude, etc.
Fermentation: A completely natural process whereby yeasts, which exist on the grape skins and which can also be added to the juice by the winemaker, convert the sugars in the juice to alcohol.
How Climate Affects Style
Depending on how warm and sunny the climate is, grapes can become very ripe, very sweet, and very intensely flavored – or less so. The wine made from those grapes varies as a result. Wines from the less-ripe grapes are generally lighter in color, lighter in body or “weight”, have a tart-fruit or herbal flavor, and can be slightly astringent or less approachable. Wines from very ripe grapes generally have deep color, full body, flavors that resemble ripe or cooked fruits, and are softer in texture. Also very ripe grapes make a wine that is higher in alcoholic content than less ripe grapes because they have more sugar that the yeasts can convert into alcohol.
How Winemaking Affects Style
To some extent, the winemaker can simulate ripeness by adding sugar to the juice prior to fermentation, giving the finished product a fuller and more powerful taste. The temperature of the juice and skin-contact time, called maceration, are two more variables that greatly affect the outcome, although extended maceration time is mainly a function of red wine production since red grapes, and their skins, stems, and seeds contain a higher concentration of tannin than white grapes, which are virtually tannin free. A winemaker can also affect the wine by the size, age, and origin of the barrels used (or in the case of many white wines, not used) during the fermentation process. The extent to which the conversion of malic acid into lactic acid (called malolactic fermentation) is allowed is yet another means by which the winemaker can control the finished product.
RED WINES
Fruit: Cherry, plum, currant, blackberry
Spice: Cinnamon, cloves, black pepper
Herbs: Mint, anise, eucalyptus, and fennel
Vegetal: Green beans, tobacco, bell pepper
Earth: Musty leaves, mineral, tar
Wood: Oak, toast, smoke, cedar
Animal: leather, sweat, meaty aromas
WHITE WINES
Fruit: Citrus, tree, and tropical fruits
Floral: Roses, honeysuckle, jasmine
Vegetal: Grass, hay, asparagus
Earth: Chalk, flint, mineral, mushrooms
Wood: Vanilla, toast, smoke, coffee
Nutty: Almonds, hazelnuts, malt
Caramelized: Honey, butterscotch
Fermentation: A completely natural process whereby yeasts, which exist on the grape skins and which can also be added to the juice by the winemaker, convert the sugars in the juice to alcohol.
How Climate Affects Style
Depending on how warm and sunny the climate is, grapes can become very ripe, very sweet, and very intensely flavored – or less so. The wine made from those grapes varies as a result. Wines from the less-ripe grapes are generally lighter in color, lighter in body or “weight”, have a tart-fruit or herbal flavor, and can be slightly astringent or less approachable. Wines from very ripe grapes generally have deep color, full body, flavors that resemble ripe or cooked fruits, and are softer in texture. Also very ripe grapes make a wine that is higher in alcoholic content than less ripe grapes because they have more sugar that the yeasts can convert into alcohol.
How Winemaking Affects Style
To some extent, the winemaker can simulate ripeness by adding sugar to the juice prior to fermentation, giving the finished product a fuller and more powerful taste. The temperature of the juice and skin-contact time, called maceration, are two more variables that greatly affect the outcome, although extended maceration time is mainly a function of red wine production since red grapes, and their skins, stems, and seeds contain a higher concentration of tannin than white grapes, which are virtually tannin free. A winemaker can also affect the wine by the size, age, and origin of the barrels used (or in the case of many white wines, not used) during the fermentation process. The extent to which the conversion of malic acid into lactic acid (called malolactic fermentation) is allowed is yet another means by which the winemaker can control the finished product.
RED WINES
Fruit: Cherry, plum, currant, blackberry
Spice: Cinnamon, cloves, black pepper
Herbs: Mint, anise, eucalyptus, and fennel
Vegetal: Green beans, tobacco, bell pepper
Earth: Musty leaves, mineral, tar
Wood: Oak, toast, smoke, cedar
Animal: leather, sweat, meaty aromas
WHITE WINES
Fruit: Citrus, tree, and tropical fruits
Floral: Roses, honeysuckle, jasmine
Vegetal: Grass, hay, asparagus
Earth: Chalk, flint, mineral, mushrooms
Wood: Vanilla, toast, smoke, coffee
Nutty: Almonds, hazelnuts, malt
Caramelized: Honey, butterscotch