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My impression is that a lot of wine critics sound like a doctor. Using wine terms if everybody knows them. To understand this better, I will take you, in the coming time, step by step through those words in a normal way.


By AD Wines, Dannis Apeldoorn

From A to Z —> A

Acid / acidification / acidity

When the grapes are still in the vine, during ripening, can it happen that grape acid has fallen too far, Acid levels can be increased. This is called, Acidification and is normally carried out by adding tartaric acid in powder form.

In Europe, this treatment is permitted in warmer regions only, and it is common in many warm and hot regions around the world.

Tartaric acid is a naturally occurring crystalline organic acid found in many plants, including grapes and tamarinds. It is one of the chief acids in wine.

Tartaric acid may be most immediately recognisable to wine drinkers as the source of "wine diamonds/wine crystals", the small potassium bitartrate crystals that sometimes form spontaneously on the cork or bottom of the bottle. These "tartrates" are harmless, despite sometimes being mistaken for broken glass, and have a not nice mouth feeling.

Tartaric acid plays an important role chemically, lowering the pH of fermenting "must" to a level where many undesirable spoilage bacteria cannot live, and acting as a preservative after fermentation. In the mouth, tartaric acid provides some of the tartness in the wine, although citric and malice acids also play a role.

From strong to more mellow acid: Malice (apple) acid - Lactic acid. This change happens with the second fermentation (will be explained when we reach the F).

Anaerobic winemaking

Wooded wines are anaerobically made. Simple said, wines matured in contact with oxygen. So when wine is stored in wooden barrels or vessels, mostly made of oak, oxygen can reach the wine. You think the oak may be watertight but not airtight. Small amounts of oxygen can make its way true the pores of the oak and react with the wine. What does it do? This can help to soften tannins in red wines and gives more layers to the flavours of the wine. Primary fruits will become less and tertiary characters will start to develop. With white wine the colour will change from pale to a deeper yellow colour. This methode is sometimes also used with fortified wines, like Sherry and Twany Port.

Next week, same day, Saturday, and same time, 9:30 am CET, the next two words.