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MONDAY December 8, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels November 18, 2003 Off the Vine Starting at the start: terminology Lorn Razzano At first glance the wine world can seem like a tangled nest of labels, wineries, wine articles and "experts" that can confuse and intimidate the consumer. Wine, after all is said and done, is simply 25 or so ounces of fermented grape juice! That's it! Let's take a closer look at the terminology that is used to untangle the world of wine and put to rest some of this confusion: Sweet This is a term to designate the residual sugar in a wine. In many instances the term "sweet" is one of the most misused descriptors in the wine dictionary. Many use the term to describe "fruit" the berry or apple or any such fruit like element in the wine. A wine can be fruity, such as a chardonnay, giving us hints of apple, butter or other soft fruit flavors and be totally dry. On the other hand we can have a dessert wine such as a residual sugar German wine (auslese) which is both sweet as well as fruity. Try to taste the wine in terms of fruit, which all wine will display, then look in the aftertastes for sweetness. That's where it resides in most wines. Balance Wine is always a creature of balance. If we learn nothing about wine but this concept, we're in good shape. A wine that is too sweet and not thirstquenching is simply out of balance. A wine that is all up front taste and has nothing to carry it to the "end" we also say is out of balance. A wine with a predominance of any one item, such as oak, that dominates the wine, is out of balance. Body Wine can't be a wimp, no matter what price you pay for it! Wine needs to be felt on the palate. In fact, the majority of wine sold in the world is meant to go with cuisine. Wine needs to marry with what we eat, not sulk in the background. A wine with "body" will hold its own and give the taster something to chew, something to bounce to all of the palate points of the palate. A "sipping" wine should also have this quality, substance as well as depth and finish. Nose Bouquet or "nose" is one of the first indicators that we look for in a wine. We look at this in wine as we do in food. We don't simply eat a piece of lasagna, we savor it first with its aroma. As wine judges, the nose of a wine will tell us of any problems with the wine. The "nose" is the pulse, the fingerprint of what the rest of the body of the wine will be. I consider it to be the best tool as a wine appreciator. Just about everything in a glass of wine will first be indicated by the "nose." Color Here's a fun wine term. Color can be a problem. The tint "brown" can indicate a very old red wine or can also show us oxidation in younger wines, much like biting into a piece of fruit and leaving it on the counter for an hour or so. Winemakers love to use different terms to tell us about the shades of color in certain wines. Don't be too concerned about what people tell you about color in wine, simply note the ranges that you see and look out for browning in younger wines such as dry whites and reds. The wine world is vast and full of wonderful treats. Enjoy! Lorn Razzano teaches wine appreciation at Southern Oregon University. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Road Cams