Taste, Texture & Everything In Between

Ever find yourself wondering what you’re actually tasting when you drink wine? Here is a little break down of the science behind it.

There are five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. But wine has a few other important characteristics that influence how it tastes and feels in your mouth.

🍯 SWEETNESS
Comes from residual sugar in the wine. Residual sugar is the sugar left over in the wine after fermentation is complete. Dry wines tend to have under 4g/L of residual sugar left over. A higher residual sugar in wine can make the wine appear more smooth or round.

Sugar in wine is naturally occurring in the grape. In Australia it is illegal to add sugar to table wines also known as Chaptalisation. However, the use of grape fruit concentrate can be used as an alternative.

🍋 SOURNESS
One of the five basic tastes, caused by acids primarily tartaric and malic. In wine, it can taste sharp or tart, like biting into a lemon. Sourness in a wine can be influenced by higher acid wines, residual sugar, ethanol concentration and the composition of the wine.

Whilst sourness and acidity are closely related they aren't quite the same thing. Sourness is the taste you perceive, while acidity refers to the acids present in the wine and their contribution to its overall characteristics.

A little sourness can make a wine feel fresh, crisp and refreshing. Too much, however, can make it seem sharp or unbalanced.

Next time you taste wine, notice how your mouth responds. Does it make your mouth water? Is the sensation pleasantly refreshing, or does it feel aggressively tart? Learning to recognise these differences is a great way to develop your palate.

🧂 SALTINESS
The taste associated with salt. Salinity is sometimes used to describe a subtle salty or sea-spray-like impression in wine, although its causes are complex. The causes can span from vineyard location, winemaking technique and even variety.

☕ BITTERNESS
A basic taste that can be detected in some wines, often towards the back of the tongue.

In wine, bitterness can come from various compounds, including certain phenolic compounds extracted from grape skins, seeds and stems during winemaking. However, not all phenolic compounds are bitter.

Bitterness and tannin are often confused, but they are different. Bitterness is a taste, whereas tannin creates a tactile sensation that makes your mouth feel dry and grippy, similar to drinking strong black tea.

A little bitterness can contribute complexity to a wine, particularly in some red wines, while excessive bitterness can make a wine seem harsh or unbalanced.

🍄 UMAMI
A savoury taste often associated with foods such as mushrooms, aged cheeses and soy sauce. It is less commonly discussed in wine but can be relevant when considering wine alongside food. Like saltiness this is influenced by different aspects like winemaking techniques and variety.

Now for two important wine characteristics that aren't basic tastes!

🍋 ACIDITY

Acidity is one of the most important characteristics in wine. It contributes freshness, balance and structure, and is responsible for that mouth-watering sensation you experience when you take a sip.

Wine naturally contains several acids, primarily tartaric and malic acid, with lactic acid also present in wines that have undergone malolactic fermentation.

Although acidity is often described as sourness, they aren't exactly the same thing. Sourness is one of the five basic tastes, while acidity describes the acids present in wine and their influence on its overall character.

Think of the difference between a crisp, refreshing glass of Trebbiano and a wine that tastes sharp and aggressively tart. Both may have acidity, but the way you perceive it depends on the wine's composition and balance.

Acidity helps balance sweetness, complements fruit flavours and contributes to a wine's ageing potential. Without enough acidity, a wine can taste flat or dull. With too much, it can seem sharp or unbalanced.

🍷 TANNIN

Tannins are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds found in grape skins, seeds and stems. They are particularly important in red wine because the winemaking process typically involves extended contact with grape skins.

Unlike sweetness, sourness or bitterness, tannin isn't a basic taste. It creates a tactile sensation in your mouth, often described as drying, gripping or astringent.

Think about drinking strong black tea. That dry, slightly rough feeling on your gums and tongue are the tannins in the tea!

Tannins interact with proteins in your saliva, reducing the lubrication in your mouth and creating that drying sensation. The amount and character of tannin depend on factors such as grape variety, grape ripeness, winemaking techniques such as maturation and the use of oak.

Tannin contributes structure and can help some red wines age well.

A wine with high tannin may feel firm and grippy, while a wine with softer tannins can feel smoother and more approachable.

The next time you taste a red wine, pay attention to whether your mouth feels dry after swallowing. That's tannin at work.