Stan The Wine Man

I like the word “nervy” as a wine descriptor, and I really don’t use it enough. But what is a wine writer trying to convey when using this word in relation to wine?

Nervy: In the dictionary, the word can mean a couple of things. One definition is strong, sinewy, vigorous. Certainly one could apply those words to wine. There are wines that are vigorous on the palate, lighting it up with flavors. I often think of a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and Sancerre, or a chardonnay from Chablis that hasn’t seen any oak (believe it or not, some wine makers see a need to use oak in Chablis). Strong, vigorous flavors are driven by acidity which could be likened to the sinew of the body in a wine. Without a proper amount of acidity, the wine will not be vigorous on the palate. Mind you, there are wine makers that are not looking to make their wines in a vigorous style and they back off on the prominence of the acidity.

The other definition, and this is the one that I think of when using this word is nervous, excitable, on edge. This is very close to the same things mentioned above with just a little twist. I think of a nervy wine as one that jumps around on the palate like a nervous or excitable person might fidget and squirm in their seat. The flavors of the wine pop in the mouth and have an edginess to them that cuts into your taste buds. Again, all we have to do is drink a Sancerre or Chablis which are generally higher in acidity to understand the term “nervy” when used as a wine descriptor.

There are of course reds that can have a nervy quality to them. I had a wine from Tuscany the other night that was so nervy and edgy on the front of the palate that it caught me off guard. The acid levels where through the roof. After I adjusted, I appreciated the wine a little more, and it went really well with the food that I ate later. Sangiovese from Tuscany and Cabernet Franc from Chinon have a reputation for being nervy on the palate. Another red grape that can push the acid levels causing it to be a nervy or excitable on the palate is Pinot Noir. Have you ever drank a young Pinot from Burgundy, New Zealand or Oregon? I think you get the picture. I had a Pinot Noir one time that was so bright and nervy on the palate that I likened it to SweetTarts in my mouth.

So, if a wine you are drinking causes excitement in your mouth, is edgy and vigorous with a strong backbone of acidity, then you may want to describe that wine as “nervy”.

Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

Big guns (biceps), well-developed pecks or defined quads… These are some of the things that come to mind when we use the word muscular. There is freakish muscular, like some of the body builders you see in muscle magazines. There are also the basically fit men or woman who have obvious (visible) definition of the muscles in their body. So what the hell does any of this have to do with a glass of wine? This is a very good question, and I hope I am able to help you understand why some wine writers use the term “muscular” when describing a wine, and what they are trying to convey.

Muscular: I will admit, that I do not use this term very often in my wine descriptors. However, I do understand what wine writers are trying to relay to their readers when using this adjective. First off, muscular implies more than just big in the mouth, it also involves structure…A word we have already addressed. For a wine to be muscular, it not only has to be broad and structured on the palate, it also has to have definition. A person can be as strong as an ox, but without definition, they will not be perceived as muscular. The same is true with a wine described in this way.

Let’s use cabernet sauvignon as an example. Cabs fall into a few categories. There are soft, fruit-forward versions, big tannic versions, some that show finesse and some that are a combination of the three . For a cab to be described as muscular, it must have solid, defined fruit flavors along with solid tannins to uphold the fruit (but are not necessarily overbearing). If the wine is flabby or soft, it cannot be described as muscular. A muscular wine leaves an impression on your palate (like a well-defined body might leave on your mind). Don’t get all weird on me here, just try to follow my train of thought. A muscular cab is a cab with the stuff to age. It might smack your palate around a bit and hit you with some thought-provoking flavors. It has structure in spades with a strong backbone of tannins and acidity that help define the powerful fruit notes. It is BIG without being fat.

There is also another angle to the term muscular, and hopefully the source of the descriptor clarifies what they mean. Muscular can also denote a wine that is almost undrinkable because it is so tightly wound up (like a body builder). For instance, a Barbaresco or Barolo may be defined as muscular in the sense of a wine that is rustic, tight and mouth-puckering. Tannat is a grape that is famous for putting out muscle-bound wines that need some time to soften up before they are drinkable (although I enjoy a muscle-bound wine now and then). There are no subtleties in a wine that is muscular in this sense. So, make sure whoever uses the term muscular also surrounds it with enough descriptors to help you understand the angle they are coming from. I like the word muscular, as long as it has clarifying text surrounding it. In either case, if you want a wine that will age a bit, it has to have the muscles to do it.

Cheers! Stan The Wine Man

Balance is always a good word. We all like to have a balanced checkbook, balance in our diet and balance in life. A kid that has good balance will in most cases be good at sports. When it comes to wine, balance is critical if a wine is to make a good impression on the palate. The questions is, what do we mean when we refer to a wine as being balanced?

When analyzing a wine, there are key elements I look for. They are tannins, fruit, alcohol, acidity, mid-palate and length of the finish. Mind you, each critic is somewhat different in their approach. However, I feel comfortable that the six elements just mentioned are a key part of any critic’s breakdown of wine. Some may look at color (I rarely refer to color in my tasting notes), body (I feel the sum of all six is the body) or other things that they feel are important to look at when analyzing or scoring a wine.

All that being said, it is the cohesiveness of all those elements together that creates balance. It reminds me of a quote from Doug Floyd… “You don’t get harmony when everyone sings the same note.” Tannins, acid, alcohol and fruit are all different elements. However, when they sing in harmony in that glass of wine, it is a beautiful thing.

Let’s stick to the musical theme for a moment. Say the tannins are the bass section of a wine. In a choir,if the bass section is too loud, it drowns out the more subtle portions of the harmony. Have you ever heard a car drive by with the bass thumping so loud, it’s all you hear? If in a wine, the tannins are too prominent they will cause your mouth to pucker and you cannot enjoy the more subtle nuances of the wine. The bass section in a band or choir gives the music the structure or backbone of the rhythm. Tannins in a wine give it the backbone and structure not only to age, but also to give the wine a solid feel on the palate. Tannins that are too harsh or dominate make the wine out of balance, losing it’s harmony.

Acidity is the soprano section of your wine. I always liked the soprano section of a choir. It gives the music a certain lift and pizzaz that adds so much to the harmony. Why do you think so many people enjoyed Michael Jackson’s music. His soprano voice adds so much to the songs. However, if all you had was soprano and nothing else to surround it, it would be ingratiating for sure (like listening to a Chipmunk’s album all day). So it is with acidity in a wine. Too much and it puts the wine out of balance and can actually make the wine ingratiating on the palate.

What about the tenor section in a choir? The tenors add depth to the music giving it resonance. Fruit is the tenor section of a wine. The fruit flavors add depth and resonance on the palate. When you get deep, concentrated fruit flavors that harmonize with the tannins and acid, you have a wine that resonates from start to finish. Without fruit in a wine, the wine becomes simple and thin, like a choir without a tenor section.

Closely related to fruit is the alcohol content of a wine. Alcohol could be likened to the beat or rhythm of a song. Without a beat or rhythm, there is no song. Without alcohol, there would be no wine. There is heavy metal (Zinfandel) and opera (Pinot Noir) each having a place depending on your mood. However, if the beat is difficult to follow or a little off, the music is not as enjoyable. In a wine, if the alcohol shows prominent up front on the mid-palate or on the finish, it throws off the flow of the wine and it is not as enjoyable.

Any memorable song, has a good chorus line. I was thinking of a chorus line in a song that is universally recognized, and for some reason, the chorus to Hotel California came to mind. It is such a classic chorus line and I think that most people could sing it from memory (it helps that they play it over and over on the radio). The chorus line of a wine is the mid-palate. That is where all the flavors come to life, all the elements cohere and your taste buds analyze the quality of the liquid in your mouth. Like a chorus line, the mid-palate ties it all together.

Last but not least, a great song has a classic finish. When it comes to finishing songs, Led Zeppelin’s crooning singer Robert Plant did it better than anyone I can remember (I’m a huge Zeppelin fan of course). A wine can be balanced up front and in the middle, but if the finish is weak the balance is compromised. Like a good piece of music, the harmony and balance of all the elements in a wine come to a crescendo in the finish leaving you begging for more.

Wines with balance are memorable. It is the balance of the key elements in that glass, the fruit, acid, tannins, alcohol, mid-palate and finish all working together in perfect harmony that make the wine sing on your palate. Like a classic song, a wine with excellent balance will be one that you go back to over and over again.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man