The Wine Guy - Questions
Leonard G. Logan, Jr.
I continue to receive questions about wine.
“How does a wine have flavors that we can identify as being a certain fruit, or mineral, or leather or chocolate, among so many other flavors?”
I have written in previous blogs that wine is just a food made from grapes. More particularly it is just fermented grape juice. But, oh what great grape juice can be created.
The varied aromas, taste and flavors that can come from the same varietal depending upon its location is incredible. I have been asked if wine makers insert flavoring in a wine, like tropical fruit in a California chardonnay or cherry in an Oregon pinot noir. The answer is an emphatic no. Legitimate wine makers do not add flavor. (Some very inexpensive kool-aide type wines add flavor but that can’t even be compared with real wine.)
Wine gets its taste and flavor from
(1.) the grape varietal (varietals like Chardonnay, chenin blanc. Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, syrah,- each have distinctive flavors) ,
2)the terrior (the grape varietals from different vineyards and parts of the world have distinct tastes- depending upon where and how the vines are grown) Consider a merlot from California contrasted with Chateau Petrus from Bordeaux. Same varietal but entirely different taste, and
(3)the wine making process. When grapes ferment the sugar in the grapes is eaten by yeast resulting in carbon dioxide, alcohol and over 200 aromatic compounds called esters. One identifiable ester is Ethyl Acetate which gives wine a sweet and slightly fruity nose. Esters also add complexity to wine.
We tend to use aroma, taste and flavor interchangeably when we describe wine, however, that is inaccurate.
Aroma is an identifiable scent from an aromatic compound. An example is coffee. We can smell coffee and know it is coffee.
Taste is what the tongue detects in identifying sweetness (sugar), sourness (acidity), bitterness and saltiness. The tongue can also detect heat from alcohol, astringency from tannin and creaminess from milk.
Flavor is what the brain tells us we are tasting from components in the wine - what we smell through the nose, taste with the tongue and feel in the mouth. Without having to see it, we know bacon from the smell, taste and mouth feel.
What wine do you recommend for oysters?
Although this doesn’t answer your question, my favorite accompaniment to oysters cooked outside on my son’s deck is a beer. Champagne will work, but the best wine pairing is Muscadet produced in the Loire region of France. Look for wines from Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine AC. These wines are soft, creamy and have citrus notes. I have also enjoyed Pinot Blanc and dry Riesling with oysters.
About the author
Leonard Logan's passion for wine, love of good food, and knack for entertaining has garnered him a reputation on both a local and national level. As the owner of a restaurant that has won countless awards-from "The Best Fine Dining Wine Restaurant in the United States" (Santé Magazine, 2003) to "The Award of Ultimate Distinction" (The Wine Enthusiast, 2004 and 2005) - Logan has been honing his craft since his college days at Duke University as an amateur caterer for football games and college parties.