THE STRUCTURE OF WINE

I first heard about the structure of wine reading Wine for Dummies. I had absolutely no idea why some wines were more acidic or sweet while others left a bitter taste in my mouth. At one time, somebody tried to explain acidity, tannins, and sugar in wines to me, but they lost me at tannins! Before we delve headfirst (or should I say, palette-first) into Spanish wine, let’s take a look at the things that directly effect the structure of the wine and, in turn, its flavor!

A. Tannins: There’s that word again! Tannins come from the pips, skins, and stalks of the grapes when making the wine. They are essential, as tannins act as a natural preservative. Tannins have a kind of bitter taste that settles on your tongue. Aged wines aren’t “tannic” because tannins fade over the years and time. A better wine, then, isn’t bitter. Essentially, the tannins provide the structure for the wine to age, but a good, aged wine’s flavor isn’t overwhelmed by tannins.

B. Acidity: Acidity in wine is sensed at the front and sides of the tongue (just where you sense the acidity of a lemon, orange, or kiwi!). Just like fruit, a wine needs levels of acidity to give it flavor, but too much makes the wine taste something like rubbing alcohol or vinegar. Some wines need chemical acidification to add the zip the wine needs (in warmer regions). A higher acidity level is found in wines that are cultivated in cooler areas.

C. Alcohol: Wine without alcohol is, well, grape juice. Alcohol is produced by fermenting natural grape sugars by yeasts. All wine has alcohol. The amount of sugar in the grapes is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol produced in the wine. In cool climates, for instance, it takes a long time for the vines to ripen the grapes, and the sugar level of the grapes is much lower than warmer climates. The difference in alcohol content is substantial being 7 – 8% in cooler climates and up to 14% in warmer climates.

The final alcohol content, though, is determined more by the yeasts than the sugars. Yeasts are naturally present in grapevines and when grapes are harvested, fermentation takes place naturally. The fermentation process, if controlled, will produce many different flavors in the wine. Some winemakers prefer to manipulate fermentation instead of leaving it up to Mother Nature. They do this by using cultured strains of yeast. This has its drawbacks, as the wine might develop strange flavors.

D. Sugar: The level of sugar in the wine directly effects how the wine tastes. All wines have residual sugar -- even the driest wines. Sugar is a by-product of the fermentation process. The more residual sugar in the wine, the sweeter the wine will be. Some wines, though, with high sugar contents may have high acidity and tannins to counter-act them, so they don’t taste as sweet as they “should.”

E. Oak: Because the majority of wines are matured and/or fermented in oak barrels (oak harvested from the USA or France), the flavor in the wine will be affected by the oak in which the wine was matured or fermented. Oak gives wine a butter, toffee, soft caramel, and spicy flavor. There is a difference in the flavor that French and American oak give the wine, but this depends on whether the oak was new, when the wine was placed to mature, or if the oak is re-used. It also depends on how the oak has been treated (whether it’s been toasted or steamed).

F. Yeast: In many wines, yeasts are the principle cause of certain flavors. After a wine ferments, it is cloudy until the wine is clarified (getting rid of the dead yeast cells). The yeast, though, might give a “bakery” aroma to the bouquet of the wine.

G. Flavor: It’s clear the flavor of the wine will be directly related to the kind of grapes used. In Spain, alone, there are over 100 grape varieties and many wines are made mixing the different varieties. But what about the grapes? Let’s learn a little more about the most common grape varieties found in Spain.

 

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