1.

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In this Episode of Wine & Wines , we are discussing about the wine traits.
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WHAT MAKES WINE GREAT & THE TRAITS IN WINE
In previous episodes you have learnt what wine is and component of a grape :feel free to go
through earlier episodes
3.
THE BASIC WINE TRAITS
The basic wine traits are
 Sweetness
 Acidity
 Tannin
 Alcohol
 Body
Lets go through each traits and understand them
4.

Sweetness / dryness
Sweetness is a primary taste involved while tasting a wine.
What is Sweetness ????
Sweetness is the natural grape residual sugar present in the wine after fermentation.
It can vary from 0 grams per liter up to 600 gram per liter of residual grape sugar
one thing you have to keep in mind while tasting a wine is Perception of sweetness can be
changed by other traits in a wine. For example wine with higher acidity may taste less sweet
than actually it is.

To understand sweetness you need to familizire few terms

Borne dry means less than 1 gm per liter of residual sugar
Dry is 1 gm per liter to 17 gm per liter of residual sugar
Off dry is 17 Gm per liter to 35 gm per liter of residual sugar
Medium sweet is 35 gm per liter to 120 gm per liter
Sweet means more than 120 gm per liter of residual sugar in a wine

ACIDITY
Acidity is what gives wine its tart and sour taste. In other words when you drink the wine,
the tingly , mouthwatering sensation in your mouth is what acidity is. Acidity also give the
wine freshness, liveliness and also make its thirst quenching.
Overall Acidity give a sense of precision and clarity to wine
The major acid compound found in wine are Tartaric acid which is mild , Malic acid are
those acids that are found in fruits and citric acid
Acidity play a major role in aging so wine that lacks acidty do not age well and maybe
susceptible to spoilage.

A tip - Warm region wine may be less aciditc than cool region wine as grape loses it acidity
in warm climate.
Tannin
Tannin is a major traits in a Red wine but not found in white wines
Taninn has both taste and feel ,
taste of tannin is good bitterness and the feel of tannin is astringency or dryness
Tannin provide two things to a wine. Structure and ageablility
structure is more like a skeleton of a wine. A well structured wine will feel impressive on
our palate. On another hand Tannin is also a natural preservative so the wine tend to age and
live longer than low tannin wines.
Tannins also help to stabilize the wine and buffer it against oxidisation

Lets see Examples of wine with high to low tanins

Petite sirah
Nebbiolo
Zinfandel
Syrah
Pinotage
Merlot
Cabernet sauvignon
Malbec
Pinot Noir
Cinsault
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is the result of fermenting grape sugar. The more sugar the grapes contain (that is,
the riper they are), the higher the alcohol content of the final wine will be.
During fermentation not only alcohol is produced some byproducts are also created. One of
the most important of these is glycerol, which gives wine a sweetness and may contribute a
slightly viscous, mouth-coating texture.
The more alcohol, the fuller the body. Thus, high alcohol wines feel weighty on the palate.
When a wine has so much alcohol that all you get when you smell it is the burn,
the wine is said to be “hot.”
Lets see Few wine terms related to Alcohol content in wine which you can see on the
label of a wine bottle
Low – 5% to 10 % ABV ( Alcohol BY Volume)
Medium Low is 10% - 11.5% ABV
Medium means 11.5% to 13.5% ABV
Medium high is 13.5 -15% ABV
High means over 15% ABV (Alcohol BY Volume)

BODY
Body means the intensity level- from lightest to full.
Ie How our mouth feels , whether the wine is light or is it heavy in our palate.
Alcohol is an trait that has a direct effect on body of a wine: higher the alcohol content, wine
has a fuller body
Some example of White wine from light to full bodied
Pinot blanc
Riesling
Pinot gris
Chenin blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Viognier
Chardonnay
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