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The Wineaux

Know the terms, enjoy the wine

By KEITH ST. CLAIR
Published February 4, 2005

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For a few weeks now I've been telling you about some great wines being poured at tastings around Tampa Bay.

Hopefully, some folks have been reading these columns as an introduction to wine. And hopefully, these are inspiring you to get out there and taste for yourselves. You're certainly being pointed toward what's worth tasting and buying.

But out of respect for the newbies, perhaps it's a good time to pause and explain a few of the wine terms I've been throwing around.

Read on to get a handle on some of the basics.

Acid : One of the essential components of wine, it's identifiable by the crisp character it imparts. Acid supports a wine's aftertaste and helps it age.

Breathe : Allowing a wine to mix with air, typically (and most effectively) by pouring it into another container such as a decanter or wine glass. Decanting softens tannins in young red wines, which enhances the fruit. Swirling within a glass also helps bring out a wine's aromas. As for pulling the cork on a full bottle of wine and letting it sit awhile "to breathe," don't bother. The size of the wine's surface actually being exposed to air in the bottle's neck is minuscule. Instead, pour a glass or two, and let them and the bottle sit awhile. Or better yet, invest in a decanter. And remember: The larger surface area for the wine to meet air, the better and more quickly the wine will soften.

Closed : When a young wine's aroma/flavor is muted, it's often said the wine is closed. This is a stage many wines with aging potential go through, and they "open up" with time.

Corked : When a wine is afflicted by a cork fungus that gives off a musty, damp-cardboard or wet newspaper smell and/or flavor. This totally overwhelms the fruit in a wine leaving you no choice but to dump the bottle. In minor cases, the wine just doesn't smell or taste right. Same result: dump it.

Flabby : When a wine lacks enough acidity. This often makes it difficult to differentiate flavors.

Fat : A ripe, flavorful wine with high in alcohol and low in acidity, resulting in a fleshy or "fat" mouthfeel. (All right, got that? Flabby is bad, but some folks like fat. Go figure.)

Finish : The aftertaste or flavors that linger in the mouth after tasting or swallowing wine; sometimes called a wine's "length." The longer and more complex the finish, the better.

Oaky : Describes the aroma or taste quality a wine gets from the oak barrels or casks in which it was aged. Different factors and choices -- American or French oak, new or used barrels, toasted or untoasted wood -- all impart different characters to the wine.

Nose : The aroma or overall smell of a wine; also sometimes called its "bouquet" (though you'll never see that snooty term in this column).

Structure : The blueprint of a wine's elements -- fruit, acid, alcohol, tannins and sometimes oak. When they're all noticeable, the wine has good structure. When they're all in harmony and no single one dominates, the wine is said to be "balanced." It often takes time in the bottle for a wine to achieve such balance.

Tannin : A natural substance found in grape skins, seeds and stems that gives wine its astringency. Tannins are noticed as a tactile sensation on the tongue and act as a natural preservative that helps wine develop with age. Over time, tannins dissipate. But when they dominate in a wine (most common in a young wine), they build up on the tongue and essentially shut down the taste buds, cutting off a wine's flavors, most often its finish.

Terroir : French term (literally meaning "soil" or "earth"') that refers to all the environmental characteristics in and around a particular vineyard site, including soil, geographic location and climate, that are imparted into a wine.

In closing, don't ever be intimidated by winespeak. Enjoying wine is about enjoying wine , not trying to talk like you're part of some secret society. If you come across a wine term that you aren't familiar with, I'd be glad to help. E-mail me at stclair@tampabay.com with your wine questions or to suggest a topic you want to read about.

- Keith St. Clair, an editor who lives in Clearwater, frequents tastings throughout Tampa Bay.

Taste (for yourself)

New Arrivals (2/4) A free tasting of newly arrived wines, 6:30-8:30 p.m.. Got Wine, 662 Main St., Dunedin, Call (727) 736-4077.

Benefit tasting (2/5) Features Fetzer Five Rivers Ranch cabernet, Fetzer syrah rose and more. Any donations benefit the Downtown Merchants Association of Dunedin's tsunami relief fund. 7-11 p.m. at Got Wine (see above listing).

Warming Cabs (2/8) A flight of California cabernet sauvignons, perfect for crisp winter evenings. 6-8 p.m. A Taste for Wine, 241 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Tickets are $18. Call (727) 895-1623 to reserve.

[Last modified February 2, 2005, 13:28:04]