WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 , 2019. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ EE E7
Wine can be
vexing to
describe. “How do
you taste all those
flavors in a wine?”
is a question
readers often ask
me. My usual
advice is to pay
attention, not just
to what’s in your
glass, but also to your
environment. “Smell everything,
taste with discretion” is my
mantra. Your wine may smell
like a garden or a locker room.
(Just to be clear, a garden in your
glass is good. A locker room, not
so much.)
But not all wine terms relate
to flavors. Some describe the
texture of wine. These are
arguably the most important,
because we may each perceive
different flavors in a wine, but
textural characteristics are more
universal.
Here are common wine
tasting terms, including some I
use regularly to describe the
flavors and textures of wine, with
brief explanations that can help
you interpret tasting notes or
those wine-geek conversations at
dinner parties.
Balance is the harmony
among acidity, tannins, fruit, oak
and other characteristics of wine
on your palate, even though you
may notice each of these
attributes. It’s the Goldilocks of
wine — not too tart, not too
sweet, not too oaky, but just
right.
Body is the impression of
weight on your palate as you
hold the wine in your mouth.
Light, medium and full are the
usual descriptors; none is
inherently better than the other.
Body is similar to structure. A
wine without good body or
structure is often described as
flabby, indicating a lack of
acidity.
A full-bodied wine may be
described as “chewy,” which
seems nonsensical for a liquid.
When I see this word, I suspect
the wine might be slightly out of
balance, a bit rugged and harsh
on the palate.
A wine is said to be earthy if
its flavors suggest soil, decaying
leaves or “forest floor,” rocks,
even mushrooms. “Barnyard”
may be earthy or animal — it’s
usually considered not a good
flavor.
Extraction is the process of
steeping a wine, like tea, leaving
the juice on the skins for an
“extended maceration” or a “cold
soak” before fermentation. The
idea is to extract maximum color
and tannin from the skins before
pressing them off the juice,
making a bigger, more powerful
red wine. These “highly
extracted” wines will stain your
teeth, your tongue and your
shirts a deep purple. This
technique can be overdone,
resulting in a wine that tastes
contrived and manipulated. It
has fallen out of favor among
those who prefer lighter wines
with elegance rather than power.
Finish refers to the aftertaste;
the longer it lasts, the better.
Unless, of course, the finish
tastes like a locker room.
Herbaceous is usually
considered a negative, but I don’t
always agree. Scents and flavors
of herbs, especially sage, thyme
and rosemary, are common
attributes of red wines from
southern France, often described
as “garrigue.” However, if a wine
tastes “green,” it signifies
underripe grapes. A green wine
is usually thin and astringent.
Legs refer to the rivulets that
flow down the side of your glass
after you stop swirling the wine.
To say a wine “has good legs”
sounds sexist, so we tend to say a
wine has tears, like Pagliacci.
(Italian opera clowns, we mean
no offense.) Te ars indicate full
body, and maybe high alcohol.
Nose can be a noun or a verb,
synonymous with smell. You
“nose” a wine by sticking your
nose in the glass and taking a
sniffy sniff. A wine has a good
nose if it smells nice. To elevate
the pretentiousness of “nosing”
your wine, raise your eyebrows
and your pinkie finger.
Ripeness is another reference
to how the wine tastes. If
someone describes the wine as
“overripe,” it suggests raisins,
prunes or other dried fruits. This
can be fine in dessert wines such
as port. In other wines, it may
indicate a “hot vintage,” or
grapes that were left hanging
extra long on the vine, allowing
more sugar to accumulate. Long
“hang time” was popular about a
decade ago, but many growers
now are picking earlier to make
more elegant, refreshing wines.
Other commonly used wine
vocab. A “racy” wine has notable
acidity; it is refreshing and
palate cleansing, usually leaving
you craving another sip.
Some wine writers rebel
against the word “savory” to
describe a wine, but I like it. It’s a
good contrast to “sweet.”
And “sweet” may be the most
misunderstood and abused word
in the wine lexicon. Consumers
often tell retailers they don’t
want a sweet wine, because
sweet is the opposite of dry, and
we are somehow told that dry is
the ideal. But wine is made from
fruit, and ripe fruit tastes sweet.
Ripe flavors are not bad in wine.
A truly sweet wine has
considerable residual sugar —
sugar leftover after fermentation
— and can be wonderful for
dessert or with cheese. A “semi-
dry” or “off-dry” wine can be
beautifully balanced (sugar and
acidity) to match robust and
spicy foods. And let’s face it: We
Americans have a sweet tooth.
We should get over our fear of
“sweet” wines.
With these words in your
vocabulary, you can decipher
tasting notes to find wines you
might like to try. And you can
describe ones you like to
retailers, to help you find new
gems.
[email protected]McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On
Twitter: @dmwine.Key wine terms to find
what you like — without
sounding like a snob
DAVE MCINTYREThe author’s notes at a wine tasting. Not all wine terms relate to
flavors. Some describe texture and some describe the smell.
Wine
DAVE
MCINTYRE
Exceptional
Excellent Very GoodA Rhone Valley “cru” wine under $20
is a rare find, so this week’s greatest
value is the Brotte Cru des Côtes du
Rhône from the village of Cairanne.
We also have two affordable malbecs
— one from Argentina, the other from
Cahors in southwestern Fr ance. For
whites, try a rich, splurge-worthy
sauvignon blanc from Sancerre or a
racy txakoli from Spain’s Basque
country.
— D.M.GREAT VALUE
Brotte de Père e n Fils C ru des
Côtes du Rhône
Cairanne, Rhone Valley, Fr ance, $1 4
Cairanne is one of the villages in the
Rhone Valley that has earned its
own appellation because of the
quality of its wines. They usually
cost more than $20, so this beauty
is a terrific bargain. Think textbook
Rhone red — hints of dark cherries,
violets and wild herbs. Pair it with
any red meat dishes — grilled,
braised or roasted. Alcohol by
volume: 14 percent.
Imported and distributed by M. Touton
Selection: Available in the District at Eye Street
Cellars, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, Rodman’s,
Whole Foods Market (P Street), Wine
Specialist. Available in Maryland at Absolutely
Wine or Spirits in Columbia; Bradley Food &
Beverage and Lance’s Beer and Wine in
Bethesda; Downtown Crown Wine and Beer in
Gaithersburg; Fr anklins Restaurant, Brewery
and General Store in Hyattsville; Fr ederick
Wine House and Old Farm Liquors in Fr ederick;
Grosvenor Market in Rockville; Hop N Grape in
North Bethesda; Hunt Valley Wine, Liquor &
Beer in Cockeysville; Jason’s Wine & Spirits
and Pine Orchard Liquors in Ellicott City; Mills
Fine Wine & Spirits in Annapolis. Available in
Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington,
Chain Bridge Cellars and the Wine Outlet in
McLean.Alphonse Mellot La M oussiere
Sancerre 2018
Loire Valley, Fr ance, $36
Sancerre is one of the global
benchmarks for sauvignon blanc,
and this bottling by Alphonse Mellot
is top-notch, year in, year out. As
2018 was a warm, ripe vintage, thiswine shows more tree fruit
character and round, rich
mouthfeel, rather than the slightly
aggressive or stony mineral profile
sauvignon blanc has in more classic
years. Enjoy this for its ripeness and
exuberance, with broiled fish or
roast chicken. ABV: 13 percent.
Imported and distributed by Elite: Available
in the District at MacArthur Beverages,
Paul’s of Chevy Chase, Rodman’s, Whole
Foods Market (P Street). Available in
Maryland at Bo Brooks Lighthouse Liquors
and Wine Source in Baltimore, Cranbrook
Liquors in Cockeysville, Finewine.com in
Gaithersburg, Viniferous in Fr ederick.
Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese
and Grand Cru in Arlington, Balducci’s
(Alexandria, McLean), Richmond Wine
Station in Richmond, Total Wine & More
(Alexandria, McLean), Whole Foods Market
(Arlington, Reston), Wine Cabinet in Reston.Alleme 2 018 Txakolina
Getariako Tx akolina, Spain, $19
Crisp, racy and refreshing, this
vibrant white wine screams for food.
Serve it with seafood salad, grilled
or broiled shrimp, sardines,
scallops, oysters, anything with
anchovies... well, you get the idea!
ABV: 12 percent.
Imported and distributed by Kysela: Available
in the District at Magruder’s, Rodman’s.
Available in Maryland at 13.5% Wine Bar, the
Old Vine, Wells Discount Liquors and Wine
Source in Baltimore; 5 O’Clock Wines & Spirits
in Owings Mills; Fishpaws Marketplace in
Arnold; Maple Lawn Wine & Spirits in Fulton;
Wine Bin in Ellicott City. Available in Virginia at
Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington, Farm Fr esh
in Richmond, Kelsick Specialty Market in
Gloucester, Locke Store in Millwood, Puck’sMarket in Henrico, Vino Market in Midlothian.GREAT VALUE
Baron Edmond de Rothschild
Aguaribay Malbec 2017
Mendoza, Argentina, $13
Dense purple in color, this malbec
from a leading Bordeaux company’s
investment in Argentina offers
appealing aromas and flavors of
blueberries, smoke and meat. ABV:
14 percent.
Imported and distributed by M. Touton
Selection: Available in the District at Barmy
Wines & Liquors, Connecticut Avenue Wine &
Liquor, Eye Street Cellars, Harry’s Reserve Fine
Wine & Spirits, Oasis Market, Open Door
Market, Prego Again, Rodman’s, S&R Liquors,
U Street Wine & Beer, Wide World of Wines,
Wine Specialist, World Liquors. Available in
Maryland at 108 Deli & Liquor in Clarksville;
Absolutely Wine or Spirits and Kings
Contrivance Liquor Shop in Columbia; Allview
Liquors, Jason’s Wine & Spirits and Pine
Orchard Liquors in Ellicott City; Angelo’s Beer
Wine Liquor, the Liquor Store and the Wine
Shoppe in Waldorf; Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits in
Annapolis; Bradley Food & Beverage in
Bethesda; Centreville Liquors in Centreville;
Cork & Bottle Liquors in Laurel; Fr ederick Wine
House, Old Farm Liquors and Riverside Liquors
in Fr ederick; Fulton Wine & Spirits in Fulton;
Grosvenor Market, On the Vine Craft Beer &
Wine and Potomac Beer & Wine in Rockville;
Hop N Grape in North Bethesda; Rosewick
Wine & Spirits in La Plata; Silesia Liquors in
Fort Washington; Thirsty’s Wine and Spirits in
Oxon Hill; Wine & Liquor Depot in Brandywine.
Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in
Arlington, Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean.Cèdre Heritage Malbec 20 16
Cahors, France, $15
Argentina built its reputation for finereds on the malbec grape in the
1990s, sparking a friendly rivalry
with Cahors, in southwestern
Fr ance, where the grape has thrived
for generations. The Cèdre Heritage
is typical for the region: brawny and
rustic, with meaty flavors and an
almost chewy texture. ABV:
13.5 percent.
Imported and distributed by Elite: Available
in the District at Chat’s Liquors, Harry’s
Reserve Fine Wine & Spirits, Imperial Wine
& Spirits, Metro Wine & Spirits, Michigan
Liquors, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, Paul’s
of Chevy Chase, Rodman’s, Schneider’s of
Capitol Hill, Wardman Wines. Available in
Maryland at Cheers & Spirits in Arnold;
Harbour Spirits in Severna Park; Pine
Orchard Liquors in Ellicott City; the
Rockville Pike Craft Beer, Wine & More in
Rockville; Rodman’s in White Flint; State
Line Liquors in Elkton; Troy Farms Liquors
in Elkridge; Wine Source and Wine
Underground in Baltimore. Available in
Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese, Crystal
City Wine Shop, Pentagon City Wine
Merchant and Tower Foods in Arlington;
Balducci’s, Cheesetique, Department of
Beer and Wine, and Unwined in Alexandria;
Basic Necessities in Nellysford; Branch &
Vine, Ellwood Thompson’s Natural Market
and Fastop in Richmond; Green Mansions
and Leesburg Vintner in Leesburg, Sonny’s
Fine Wine and Beer in Henrico, Whole
Foods Market (Alexandria, Arlington).Availability information is based on
distributor records. Wines might not
be in stock at every listed store and
might be sold at additional stores.
Prices are approximate. Check
Winesearcher.com to verify
availability, or ask a favorite wine
store to order through a distributor.RECOMMENDATIONS
TOM MCCORKLE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Brotte de Père en Fils Cru des Côtes du Rhône; Alphonse Mellot La Moussiere Sancerre 201 8; Baron
Edmond de Rothschild Aguaribay Malbec 20 17 ; Alleme 2018 Txakolina; Cèdre Heritage Malbec 2016.My usual advice is to
pay attention, not just to
what’s in your glass,
but also to your
environment.
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