You do not have to be enthusiastic about wines or a professional palette connoisseur who can discern the exact make, area, and form of grape from a single whiff. Life is too short, though, to never give a red wine a try.
Amid the allure of wine, did you find ‘The One’? If not, here are five characteristics you can use as your guide to finding the wine that’s intended for you:
The level of sweetness
At the tip of the tongue, the ability to determine the sweetness of the wine begins. Are you feeling a tingling sensation? To assess the wine’s sweetness, strive to concentrate on the one endpoint on your tongue. This is an indicator that there is a slightly high residual sugar level in the wine. It should have high viscosity as well. So if you’re swirling your wine, because of the wine body, it should have a delayed ‘Swish.’
Level of acidity
This is not to be confused with possessing a high alcohol concentration. Wines with higher acidity levels will taste tart and zesty-slightly lighter than others. You can experience a tingling feeling on the front and sides of your tongue as you take a drink. If you want to choose a wine that is more ‘rich,’ however, then you need a less acidic wine.
Level of tannin
The compound that brings bitterness to a glass of wine is tannin. Typically, this is present in the grapes’ skin, and the bark of an aged oak tree used to age the wine in the barrels. In your wine, tannin is the ingredient that adds texture, complexity, and balance. It makes it last longer with your wine. If you want a wine high in tannin, the tongue’s front and sides should have a bitter taste. It will also leave your mouth with a residual dry feeling.
The fruitiness and flavor
If you take a drink of wine and most fruit flavors can be clearly defined, it is called fruity. For example, some wines may have strong strawberry notes, while others may have flavors of blueberry, blackberry, or a combination. Various kinds of wine can have multiple degrees of fruitiness. In framboise, blackberry, or blueberry, fruity red wines may be dominant. White wines can have notes of citrus (lemon, lime) or peachy.
Full-Bodied or Light
The wine body is not defined by a single factor, but rather by combining several factors, such as residual sugar and alcohol by volume (ABV). A wine with a high alcohol concentration can taste fuller than one with a low level of alcohol. But ultimately, the wine’s body is determined by taking a snapshot of several variables, whether light, medium, or full-bodied. To summarize, it is full-bodied if the taste of the wine lasts longer in your mouth, say 30-40 seconds.
In conclusion, the recognition of wine characteristics comes with practice. You can start now if you haven’t found your perfect wine yet.
