Unlock The Secrets In Your Glass
Winemaking is a labour of love, with every glass filled with the story behind the wine. With Barrique’s easy-to-follow guide to tasting wine, you’ll be able to understand how geography, climate and grapes come together to produce wines that can differ from one vineyard to the next. Discover how winemaking techniques can be used to transform flavour profiles and why aging wines can make all the difference. With our guide, you’ll know what wines you gravitate towards and why they work for you.
Key Terminology
When talking about the varieties of different wines, there are some key terms that are used – check out the definitions to fully understand the wine in your glass.
Acidity: Acidity in wine gives it freshness, tension and vibrancy. It’s that zingy, zesty feeling on your palate which gives energy and a backbone to the wine.
Body: The sense of weight on the palate resulting from a number of factors including alcohol, sugar, tannin and winemaking techniques.
Dry:A dry wine won’t have any perceivable sugar left after fermentation has finished. Don’t get this confused with the sweet character of fruit in a wine, this can be easily done.
Tannins: Natural compounds found in wine that create an astringent, drying, character on the palate. It can be referred to as a ‘grippy’ feeling.
Terroir: From the French word “terre,” meaning “earth,” terroir describes the entire natural environment where a particular wine is produced, including the soil, climate, and topography. Great wines reflect their terroir in the glass.
Vintage: This refers to the year when the grapes were picked. Finer wines will usually spend a number of years in the bottle before being released to the public.
Wines To Stock Up On
Serbal Cabernet Franc 2020, Bodega Atamisque
A wonderfully fresh and youthful, unoaked Cabernet Franc from Tupungato in Mendoza.
£13.95
Soli Pinot Noir 2019, Edoardo Mirolglio
Smokey sous bois, minerally Pinot perfume, spiked with wild strawberry and red cherry notes, orange rind, and sandalwood-clove hints.
£13.95
Chateau le Bourdieu Vertheuil Cru Bourgeois 2010
2010 is regarded as one of the best vintages for Haut-Medoc wine, with near perfect balance of fruit, tannins, acidity and alcohol.
£17.95
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