The 5 Characteristics of WINE - All you have to know about

The 5 Characteristics of WINE - All you have to know about

In this article we are going to analyze in a short and extremely functional way the 5 characteristics of wine.
We are not talking about aromas and scents but about those characteristics that can be perceived in the mouth.

These characteristics are:

Sweetness
Acidity
Tannicity
Alcohol
Bodiness


These types of perceptions will obviously take place in our mouth at the first sip. If we take time to analyze what we perceive we will be able to clearly distinguish them.
This is very useful in order to understand what we like - Let's remember wine is first of all a personal matter.

Let's therefore analyze sweetness.
Let's start by trying to understand where this sweetness will be perceived.
The area where we will be able to notice the sweetness of a wine or better to say where the receptors of sweetness are located is on the tip of the tongue.

Residual sugar in the wine will be perceived by the aforementioned receptors, therefore making us perceive the sweet characteristic of the aforementioned wine. There will certainly be wines where sweetness will be more prominent and wines where sweetness will be almost absent, wines which will obviously tend more to sapidity, minerality and crispness.

Now let's talk about acidity for a moment.

We often hear about acidity in a wine - but what is it and where is it perceived?

First of all I would like to point out acidity in a wine is fundamental, without it, in fact, it would be without soul and completely flat.

In absence of sweetness, acidity in a wine will be the first characteristic we will perceive, and this will happen at the sides of our mouth, and of our tongue. In fact, you will notice that in wines having a strong acidity you will start salivating.


Let's talk about tannins - How much astringency do I perceive in this wine? Does it have components that can be defined as bitter?
Certainly among the characteristics of wine, tannins, is the one that is the most discussed.

Tannicity is one of the tactile sensations, perceptible in the central part of our tongue, it gives us that sort of astringency in the mouth and roughness. An elegant tannin in any case is, in my opinion, extremely pleasing, and it is certainly typical of many great Tuscan wines.

Residual heat, alcohol perception and percentage of alcohol by volume are another subject that will surely be discussed when talking about the characteristics of a wine.

Simplifying, we could say alcohol has the right potentiality for the emanation of aromas, but beware, wines which are too young, unbalanced and chaotic have extremely prominent alcohol percentages and absolutely not enjoyable.

How can I recognize alcohol? Well, of course from the residual heat you will have in your mouth, in particular on the internal part of the cheeks, and also  from the structure of the wine itself.

Dulcis in Fundo, let's now talk about the body of a wine.
Many of us prefer powerful wines, whereas some prefer agile, light and fine wines having a unique elegance.
The body of a wine is the characteristic that mainly depends by the grape variety, vintage and climate, age of the vine and geological composition of the territory.
It will be the weight of the wine to tell us more about its body, heavier wines will obviously have a bigger body, finer, lighter and more agile wines will have a leaner body.

Well, now, order your favorite wine, uncork the bottle, pour it and analyze it by observing the many characteristics. You will see the wine from a completely new point of view.

Enjoy yourselves


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