WINE VOCABULARY, STEP BY STEP - 7

THIS WILL BE YOUR SECRET MANUAL TO

Affordable styles, self-development, how-to do’s, learn to divine and describe your own taste. Wine is a personal preference; everybody taste different and likes or dislikes some smell or taste impressions.

FOR THE SELF-MADE PERSON

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 —> B

Body

Body, the word and meaning is the mouthfeel, the texture / feeling what the wine gives you in the mouth.

It is not a single component, but an overall impression created by all the structural components. For most of the wines, alcohol is the main factor contributing. Sugar adds tot the body, whereas high acidity makes a wine feeling lighter. Generally, high levels of tannin make a wine feel fuller also. For certain wines, judging the body is relatively straightforward. A wine that is high in alcohol, ripe tannins and intense flavours is very clearly full-bodied. For example, for wines that are sweet, but high in acidity and low in alcohol, it can be harder to agree on the level of body. Then a more systematic approach is more easy to do so you have to put your own feelings aside.

Bush vines

In some regions, the vines may not have a trellis system and the shoots will hang down often even till on the ground. Trellis system is a system that has between pillars three lines where the shoots can grow on. Bush vines are called like this because they are head-trained(* 1) and spur-pruned(* 2). This system is often used in warm to hot, dry and very sunny regions. For example Southern Rhône Valley in France, Barossa Valley in Australia, South Africa, South Italy, Greece and more. This system creates extra shade and protect the grapes from burning. In cool or wet regions, the shade can impede grape ripening and the lack of airflow can promote diseases. Bush vines are always handpicked because they are not suitable for mechanical harvesting.

(* 1) head-trained

The vine has relatively little permanent wood. Some have a trunk (is the main wooden “mother part, above the underground part with the root systems, it’s above the ground  till the side arms). Often have a few short arms of permanent wood growing from the top of the trunk. 

(* 2) Spur-pruning

Spurs are short sections of one-year-old wood that have been cut down to the only two to three buds. The spurs are guided up then to the trellis system. This system can be  used for mechanical harvesting.

Bush Vine vineyard

Trellis system

Trellis system vineyard

The following week we start with the letter - C.

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