Wine Term: Varietal Variations: Single varietal, Varietal wine What it really means: The wine is made from* and labeled as a single grape variety. A varietal wine is labeled as a single grape wine. Examples would be wines labeled as: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot,…
Varietal
Customer Take Over Version: Linear
Customer David C. writes: “What is meant by ‘linear?’” At the end of January we wrote about ‘Angular’ wines – not to be mistaken for ‘Linear’ wines, see below: Wine Term: Linear Variations: Straightforward, commonplace What it really means: the wine does nothing to play outside of the…
Filtered vs. Unfiltered
There are 2 types of finished wines. Wine Term(s): Filtered and Unfiltered No one or the other is better, they are a stylistic choice by the winemakers in modern times. Historically speaking, wines always had to be filtered to remove potentially harmful bacteria, but due to modern winemaking…
Customer Take Over Version: Terroir
Our customer Gene W. writes: “Cam – A surprising absence from your list is the thoroughly overworked and equally misunderstood: terroir. As we know soil has a role in every wine, but it is far from the driving force in any wine’s outcome. I take great pleasure in…
Lees
Wine Term: Lees Another departure from our general format for these Wine: Simplified posts. Sorry, we’ve given enough wine speak insight to get you some free pours at the tasting room or make some new friends with the staff (which generally also results in free pours). Now we’re…
Field Blend
Wine Term: Field Blend We’ll go about this one in a different manner than usual as ‘Field Blend’ is very specific. To call it a red or white blend doesn’t do the wine justice, so there aren’t really any different terms associated with it that describe it so…
Beefy
Wine Term: Beefy Variations: Brawny, Muscular, Chewy What it really means: The wine will punch you in the face, not say “sorry,” then proceed to walk away casually as though nothing happened. Sounds aggressive, right? Well it is! A beefy wine has no time for elegance or finesse. …
Cloying
Wine Term: Cloying Variations: Sweet, Flabby What it really means: The wine is noticeably sweet, to a fault. The wine is sweet. Destructively so. It’s flabby, unidimensional, and well…cloying. Nothing good comes from this description of a wine, it’s a fault, even if the winemaker intended to make…
Angular
Wine Term: Angular Variations: Lean, Thin What it really means: the wine shoots straight through the center of the palate to the back of the mouth, generally the finish feels centered as well. This is the opposite of a round, smooth, or fleshy wine. Painting in broad strokes:…