WINE WITH FOOD

Wine Families

Like cheese, one of the biggest barriers for both novice as well as wine drinkers with a little experience is a basic understanding of styles or flavors of wine. Too often we get hung up with trying to understand wine in terms of the grape variety used or where it comes from or who made it. It's true that these certainly influence wine’s flavor but it doesn’t say anything about how the wine actually tastes! Here again I’ve attempted to define wines according to flavor and appearance. Wouldn’t it be helpful if some similar system could be used to identify every bottle of wine? It’d sure make shopping a lot easier among the thousands of offerings that are available in the market today.

White Wines

White wines can be divided into 4 flavor profiles or styles:

• Crisp, Clean, Light-bodied
• Smooth, Round, Medium-bodied
• Rich, Full-bodied
• Aromatic Dry or Off-dry

Crisp, Clean, Lighter-bodied Whites: Other terms used to describe these are refreshing, brisk, racy, zesty, and acidic. They are typically pale in color, somewhat lower in alcohol with little or no oak aging. Typical aromas/flavors in these wines are green apple, pear, lemon, grapefruit, melon, pineapple, citrus blossoms, herbs, and minerals. Popular varieties that are made in this style include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio), Semillon and Semillon blends (in Bordeaux and California with Sauvignon Blanc, in Australia with Chardonnay). Sparkling wines including Champagne and Prosecco would also fall in this category

Smooth, Round, Medium-bodied Whites: Other terms used to describe these are silky, fruity, creamy, elegant, ripe, easy-drinking. They typically have a little more golden color and alcohol (12 – 13+ percent). They usually have some oak aging. Typical aromas/flavors are apple (green and sweet), citrus, banana, and with the bit of oak some toasty, spicy, vanilla, nutty, clove aromas/flavors. Popular varieties that are made in this style are Chardonnay, Sauvignon/Fume Blancs, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and increasingly in California proprietary blends which can include 2 or more grapes.

Rich, Full-bodied Whites: Terms like creamy, buttery, mouth-filling, ripe, full fruit, toasty, smoky are also used with these wines. These are usually deeper in color from straw to deep gold and a bit higher still in alcohol (13 – 14.5 percent). These almost always see oak both in fermentation and aging, which contributes the toasty/vanilla flavors. Malolactic fermentation and aging on the lees produces great texture and softens acidity. Popular varieties that are made in this style include Chardonnay (again), Pinot Blanc, some Sauvignon Blancs and Roussane (originally from the Rhone region of France but being planted now in California). Additionally many winemakers are creating proprietary blends of grapes which fall in this category.

Aromatic Dry and Off-dry to Sweet Whites: These can be made in either a dry or off-dry (slightly sweet) or very sweet style. Their distinguishing characteristic however is their pronounced floral and fruit aromas. Terms like apricot, peach, ripe melon, the whole range of tropical fruits (mango, passion fruit, litchi), flowers like honeysuckle and gardenia, sweet spices like cinnamon and clove and on and on. They vary in color from almost clear to straw and light golden. Generally the sweeter the more golden it is. Alcohols can be as low as 8 percent for the sweeter, off-dry whites to 13 percent for bone dry. All typically have a good acid balance to go along with their rich flavors. Varieties made in this style include Rieslings, Gewürztraminers, Muscats, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Malvasia Bianca. Sherries, which range from bone-dry to sweet, would also fall into this category.

Red wines can also be divided into 4 styles:

• Fruity, Light-bodied
• Smooth, Medium-bodied
• Rich, Hearty, Full-bodied
• Sweet Wines (mostly Port)

Fruity Light-bodied Reds: These can also be described as fresh, lively, juicy, clean, straightforward, soft wines. They are usually light, vibrant and translucent red in color, lower in alcohol than other reds with little or no oak or tannins. Typical aromas/flavors include cherry, strawberry, raspberry, rose, and “soda pop”. Popular varieties made in this style include Gamay, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Merlot, Zinfandel and the whole world of Rose’.

Smooth, Medium-bodied Reds: Other term used to describe these are round, juicy, balanced, and silky. Tannins are moderate here. They are usually darker red in color tending toward ruby and garnet and a bit higher in alcohol than those preceding (12.5 – 13.5 percent). Flavors/aromas can be described as blackberry, raspberry, cherry, plum, mint, eucalyptus, coffee, bittersweet chocolate, mushrooms and because of moderate oak aging toasty, vanilla and sweet spice. Popular varieties in this style include some Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Syrah/Shiraz.

Rich, Hearty, Full-bodied Reds: These are often also described as big, hearty, meaty, chewy, intense fruit, complex, tannic, powerful wines. They are very deep red in color typically, often almost black. They have high alcohol (13.5 – 15 percent). Varieties made in this style include Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Nebbiolo, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah and big proprietary blends.

Putting the Two Families Together

  Cheese Families

Understanding Cheese and Wine

Related Topics: Describing Wine According to Flavor Profile

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