WORD OF THE DAY… STRUCTURE.

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man

I called upon fellow wine blogger Bill Eyer, author of the wine blog Cuvee Corner. I really like his writing style and he gives some brutally honest reviews of wines that he has tasted. I think it would be a credit to your bookmarks to add his blog to your list.

I asked him if he would be willing to tackle the word “structure” since it is a word used by many wine writers in describing a wine both white and red. Bill did an awesome job! Here is what he wrote…

“The characteristic of Brunello is its longevity,” Biondi Santi told Wine Spectator last year. “Nature is capable of creating beautiful things—you just have to wait.” And in order for you to wait for that wine to mature, then said wine needs to have the stuffing to go the long-haul. That’s something we wine-geeks call structure.

Let’s face it, not all wine is created equal and I know, I know that’s not what you’ve heard from your friends around the wine-cooler. But stick with me, all will be explained below. And for the average garden-variety vino-sapien out there, you probably don’t care too much about a wines structure. But let me frame it this way; a wine without good structure is like having that second cup of coffee brewed from the grounds of the first cup. Now you feel me don’t you?

Like the quote above from the Godfather of Brunello, if a wine is meant to go the long-haul which much of Brunello is, it’s going to need structure. And like any building, structure in wine is the foundation, for which every other component in the wine hangs upon. It was just the other day; I tasted through some very elegant and interesting Italian vino which got me to thinking about a wines structure and what does that really mean anyway. Some were what I call everyday drinkers, not much too them but in the short-term they were very tasty and got the job done.

Now this is where the nerd meets the herd [eye roll] it’s time to define what all this talk about structure means to you and to the wines you may or may not be consuming. There are mainly two aspects of any wine which defines its structure and, those are acid and tannin. On one side of the structure coin you have acidity; this is what gives wine its shape. If the acidity is too high, the wine will be piercing, taut, and linear [like sucking on lemons] and if there is too little acidity then the wine will feel flabby and or soft. Think about your mid-section, if you have high acid, you’ll see a freakish six-pack and if you have low acid, you’ll see a muffin top. Neither of those two extremes is good.

And on the other side of proverbial structure coin you have tannins, which contribute to a wine’s structure in more of a textural sense. Going back to that coffee example above, think about a dark-French roast and, drinking it black. Take that first sip and you’ve just experienced high-tannin and just like coffee, wines which are high in tannin will give you the impression of drinking your coffee black [not something most folks like]. Wines with high-tannin like this can feel like a kind-of velvet-friction [think cotton balls] on your gums and on the insides of your mouth. Typically tannins in wine come from the skin of the grape, seed, stems and barrels in which they were aged.

But what if the wine is too low in tannins; then the wine will appear soft and round in the mouth with just a nod to its overall texture. Of course the best wines are the ones which strike the perfect balance between acid structure and tannin structure, when these two facts come together perfectly they contribute to a wine’s overall mouth-feel.

And going back to a point I made earlier, while not all wines are the same, unfortunately there seems to be a trend of far too many wines being made today, being made in a mass-marketed monolithic style. So that said, if you’re looking for wines with recognized structure and, great aging potential then you’ll have to spend a bit more than $9.99 a bottle.

Cheers,

Bill Eyer
San Diego, Ca

There you have it, I could not have done a better job myself. I want to thank Bill for taking the time to add this definition to my “Words of Winedom”. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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WORD OF THE DAY… SILKY.

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man
Buy wine online at Wine Chateau.

Up until I was around 24 years old, I loved to rub my fingers across the silky edge of a blanket. Something about it was therapeutic and to be honest, it put me in sort of a trance. I don’t expect you to relate, but I think you can understand how silk feels to the hand. But how can we translate that feeling to a mouth full of wine? I don’t use this descriptor often, but when I sense it I write it down. I also have seen it used by many other wine writers. What do I mean when I use the word “silky”?

Silky: Like silk, wine can actually be slick in the mouth. Sometimes I will use “silky tannins” together in the description. Tannins can be prominent in the mouth and often times add a harsher element to it. Tannins can be mouth-puckering or add a grip to the wine. When a wine is silky, the tannins have to be plush, and are not a serious part of the wines structure. When I describe a wine as silky I immediately determine that it most likely will not age for a long time. Words related to silky could be smooth or polished but not soft. Soft implies lack of structure in a wine, which silky does not. Silky is a combination of plush tannins, well-integrated acidity and ripe, dark fruit flavors. If the acidity is too bright, you do not get silky. If the fruit flavors are on the red fruit (tart) side, you do not get silky. If the tannins are prominent in a wine, it will not be silky.

When I drink a silky wine, I do not think about structure, I think about the pure enjoyment of the juice in my mouth. Like rubbing the silky edge of a blanket, it can put me in a trance. The next time you drink a wine, and it just flows across your mouth effortlessly and deliciously without a bump in the road, think of the word “silky”, and I think you will understand the term. Silky is a good term for a wine that you want to drink now, not for a wine that you want to put away in your cellar.

Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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WORD OF THE DAY… JAMMY.

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man

I’ve gotten a bit of flak for using this term when describing a wine. In fact, I was at a wine tasting event that I put on, and one of the folks in my wine group said…”I think only you could get away with using that word.” Now, what he doesn’t realize is that many wine writers like to use the word “jammy” in particular when describing a red wine. What do I mean when I use that word as a descriptor?

Jammy: This is when the red wine actually tastes like a spoonful of Smuckers jam (flavor depends on the wine). Fruit-forward my be the politically correct term, put I really don’t think that does the mouth-feel you get justice. In most cases, a wine will come across jammy if it is high-octane (high in alcohol). Typical examples of wines that can reach the “jammy” level are, Zinfandel, Australian Shiraz and Spanish Monastrell or Grenache. Of course, I think there are other cases where wine can come across as jammy but the aforementioned examples are most common.

The term “Jammy” for a wine does not have to be taken as a negative. There is a time and place for such wines and if you are in the mood for a fruit-bomb jam session in your mouth, seek one of these wines out. There is the camp that believes that a wine that is high in alcohol and jammy is in some way flawed. My advice to them is… Don’t drink those types of wine. However, don’t persecute those who do!

Jammy can be misconstrued as flabby, but there is a difference. Flabby wine means no structure, life or pizzazz. Jammy just means the fruit is the prominent part of the taste experience and the fruit is ripe. The wine still has structure and still has life on the palate. If it is both jammy and flabby then yes, it is a flawed wine. There are times I really enjoy a jammy wine, especially when I’m eating something with a healthy dose of BBQ sauce on it or eating something sweet, like a piece of chocolate cake. There are also times (in most cases) I enjoy a wine that is mineral driven and shows restraint and finesse, or has a nice backbone of acidity. That is the beauty of wine. There is something for every occasion or whim and if we have an open mind and palate, we can find a way to enjoy them all.

Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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WORD OF THE DAY… MID-PALATE.

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Stan The Wine Man

I know, it’s actually two words but like most wine writers I use it as one word. It is a term I use often and is actually a shortened form of the term middle palate. Some writers probably think using mid-palate in describing a wine is going a bit over-the-top. It might be, but I really don’t care because I find it to be an important element in the wine drinking experience. So, how would I define “mid-palate”?

Mid-Palate: When drinking a wine, it is the flavor sensation you get between the initial hit in the mouth and the point when you swallow (or spit). This is an important part of the wine tasting experience. This is the part of tasting where the wine coats your taste bud sensations (sweet, sour, salty, bitter & umami). It is at this point that you get the most out of a wine if you are interested in analyzing it at all. It is a very important area for a wine critic in breaking down the flavors they taste in the wine itself.

If you are open at all to developing recognition of a mid-palate experience, you need to slow down a bit when drinking the wine. Another words, don’t slam down the glass of wine like a shot of whiskey. Take a moment to slosh the wine around in your mouth sucking some air through the liquid. Don’t give a f*#^ what people think, it’s your glass of wine. Think about what flavors you are tasting as the wine coats your taste buds. You can take as long as you want, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results. When you actually swallow the wine you will no doubt notice that the flavors you recognized on the mid-palate will linger through the finish (if it is a well made wine of course). With just a little practice, you will soon find that it is just a normal part of your wine drinking experience and unless you have challenged taste buds, it will certainly enhance that experience.

Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

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