After considering the characteristics taken into account by those who purchase or taste wine, including tannicity, color (link to article “The Devil Wears Ruby Red”) and alcohol content (link to article “Alcohol Content: Definition, Meaning, and Examples”), let’s now analyze the flavors of wine.
The taste of wine: definition
Taste is the combination of sensations perceived on the palate, related both to the flavor of the wine and to olfactory or thermal stimuli. The sensations closely related to flavor are: sweetness or smoothness, bitterness, savoriness, and acidity or freshness. Since they are perceived in different areas of the tongue and not all at the same time, it often happens that contrasting flavors coexist in a wine.
Sweetness comes from the presence of sugars, polyols, and ethyl alcohol. Sugars transform into alcohol during fermentation, and when a certain amount of alcohol has formed, fermentation naturally stops. That’s why for some wines made from grapes with a high sugar content, we talk about total alcohol content, indicating the alcohol content plus the sugars.
Bitterness is the sensation perceived at much lower concentrations compared to others, and it is mainly found in red wines as it comes from the presence of tannins.
Savoriness, as the name suggests, is due to the presence of mineral salts, including sodium chloride (table salt), phosphates, and tartrates (derivatives of tartaric acid). It depends on the characteristics of the soil and climate where the grapes are grown and the winemaking practices: sodium chloride is present in wines made from vines grown in soils near the sea. Phosphates are mainly present in red wines and wines from grapes grown in warm areas.
Acidity is related to the acids that wine naturally contains and, if not excessive, contributes to its harmony and balance, giving it a fresh and young character.
The taste of wine in the quintessential Rosso di Puglia
Let’s now see in concrete terms how the taste of the number one Rosso di Puglia, the Nero di Troia, presents itself.
Medium-bodied, full, fruity, with pleasant and smooth tannins: highly recommended for its freshness that perfectly embodies the balance and character of this wine with a long and persistent finish, on delicately balsamic notes. Absolutely capture its fruity and intense aroma, with hints of spices, berries, and cherry.
It typically has a residual sugar of 14 g/l and a total acidity of 5.3 g/l: this red wine from Puglia is usually served at a temperature of 18° and boasts a legendary origin that adds a tone of prestige to the wineries that produce it.
The taste of wine in the number one red of Veneto, Bardolino
Let’s now move to the opposite end of the boot for a comparison of flavors, all worth trying.
Bardolino, the characteristic red wine from the eastern shore of Lake Garda, is pleasant on the palate, with medium tannicity and structure, smooth and with good acidity and savoriness. Fragrant, with those fruity notes reminiscent of cherries, pomegranate, and wild strawberries, it is a lean wine, usually not aged in wood, served at a temperature of 16-18°.
Elegant and with good persistence, Bardolino has an average alcohol content of 13%, a total acidity of 5.65 g/l, and a residual sugar of 3.8 g/l.
All that’s left is to try these two high-level reds, embarking on a journey through the taste of wine that spans all of Italy, rediscovering the good flavors that the Bel Paese can offer.
