Why Wines Differ
Step 1/67 min read0% read
Why Wines Differ
What's ahead
7 min readBeginner
By the end, you will be able to…
- Tell apart what comes from the grape, the climate, the site and the cellar
- Explain why sun gives more alcohol and less acidity
- Tell whether an aroma comes from the grape, the cellar or time
Step 1/6To begin
Four reasons one wine differs from another
Two red wines, two worlds: one light and fruity, the other dark and warming. There is nothing mysterious about the difference. It comes mostly from four causes, which you learn to untangle one at a time.
The grape
Each variety has its own aromas and structure.
Climate and vintage
Sun makes sugar, and so alcohol; coolness keeps acidity.
The site
Slope, aspect, soil: they set the water and heat the vine receives.
The cellar
Maceration, fermentations, ageing: each choice leaves its mark.
Step 2/6Chapter 1
The grape, the first signature
Some aromas come from the grape itself: these are primary aromas. Syrah's black pepper is a well-studied example: it is due to rotundone, a molecule found in the berry, and Syrah is its emblematic variety.
On the nose: Syrah
Primary aromas
- Black pepper
- Violet
- Blackberry
- Blackcurrant
- Liquorice
- Garrigue
Secondary aromas
- Smoke
- Smoked bacon
Tertiary aromas
- Leather
- Truffle
- Meat
- Tar
Syrah's profile: black fruit, pepper, violet.
A red smells clearly of black pepper. Which of these grapes is most likely?
Step 3/6Chapter 2
Sun makes alcohol, coolness keeps acidity
As it ripens in the sun, the grape builds up sugars, glucose and fructose, which fermentation turns into alcohol. At the same time its acidity falls. A warm climate or vintage therefore gives more alcoholic, less acidic wines; a cool one, lighter and brighter wines. The grape matters too: some naturally build up a lot of sugar.
Alcohol
- Grenache Noir4–5
- Gamay2–3
Grenache, which builds up a lot of sugar, against the more moderate Gamay.
Which of these two reds makes the warmer wines?
Step 4/6Chapter 3
The site: water, heat, and an open question
Slope, aspect and soil decide the heat and water the vine receives: well-drained soil limits water, a south-facing slope catches more sun. These effects on ripeness are well established. A direct path from rock to taste is not.
Step 5/6Chapter 4
The cellar, the wine's second author
Maceration
The skins colour the juice mostly in the first few days. A longer maceration mainly draws out more tannin.
Malolactic fermentation
Malic acid becomes softer lactic acid; it can bring a buttery note.
Lees
Wine aged on its dead yeast can take on brioche notes.
Oak
New oak brings vanilla and toasty notes. Many Chardonnays are aged in oak.
In his cellar, a winemaker has you taste a white before and after its malolactic fermentation. Afterwards, the wine feels rounder and less sharp.
What did malolactic fermentation transform in this wine?
Step 6/6Interactive exercise
Where does it come from?
Your turn to untangle: file each aroma by its origin — the grape, the cellar or time.
A vanilla note in a white comes from oak ageing. Which of these grapes carries it in its profile, because it is often aged that way?
Key takeaways
Three ideas to keep
- Four causes mainly set two wines apart: the grape, climate and vintage, the site, the cellar.
- Sun makes sugar, and so alcohol, while acidity falls as the grape ripens; coolness keeps acidity.
- Soil acts on the vine's water and heat; a direct taste of the rock has not been shown.
Words from the course
- Primary aromas
- Those that come from the grape itself, like Syrah's black pepper.
- Maceration
- The juice's contact with the skins: colour comes out mostly in the first days; extending it mostly draws out tannin.
- Malolactic fermentation
- Malic acid becomes softer lactic acid; it can bring a buttery note.
- Lees
- Dead yeast; a wine aged on them can take on brioche notes.
- Minerality
- A word widely used to describe some wines, but with no shared definition.
Going further
- In the encyclopedia:SyrahGrenache Noir
- Next course: How a Wine Is Made: Red, White, RoséSubscribers