...it's all about the minerals...?
Who the heck IS this guy - and who let him post this drivel?
(Mind you I'm not disputing his right to appreciate 'minerality' in wine, or his elevation of that aspect to such lofty heights...but could we get a little accuracy on the mechanics, PLEASE?)
The beauty of wine: It’s all about the minerals
"...depending on the variety,(?) there are suggestions of spices and herbs as well as vanilla (in some whites) and chocolate (in some reds). Oak aging contributes to these tastes and also gives American chardonnay, for example, its typical buttery quality, whether you like it or not. "
No, butter notes (diacetyl) is from the ML you dweeb! Vanilla comes from the oak!
...
"When young, some distinguished red wines, such as cabernet sauvignon and nebbiolo (the great Italian grape of Barolo), show varying amounts of tannin, the remnants of the solids of the grapes that give red wines "structure" and make them "chewy" and sometimes harsh before they soften with age, a process that can take from a few years to more than a decade, as with great Bordeaux."
Ha! Really, has he never heard of racking & filtration? Tannins are NOT sediment...
...
"For me, one of the more subtle and interesting components of wine, especially whites, is minerality, which, as the word suggests, is the presence of minerals. They come from deep in the soil as the vines suck up water that carries nutrients and minerals to the grapes. But how do you detect them? There are a few clues."
No, actually that's not how it happens...
(see these previous posts [Minerality mythos] [Dan Berger on minerality])
"When you breathe in certain white wines, you may notice a smell, separate from the fruit, that will remind you of wet rock, like slate or granite or limestone. In the mouth there's a bit of texture — again, a slightly "chewy" quality."
I don't think so...Dino's comment on the other post leaves that very much in doubt.
And minerality providing "chewiness"? That's not the case...
"Now, it's important to realize that not all wines have this distinction. You're less likely to find it in cheaper, mass-produced wines than in smaller-production wines from choice vineyard areas whose soil is rich in minerals. But price itself isn't always a barometer. It's not hard to find excellent, mineral-laden wines for $10 to $20, such as muscadets and many sauvignon blancs and chenin blancs from France's Loire Valley; rieslings from Germany; pinot grigios and other whites from northern Italy and chardonnays from the Mâcon area of Burgundy, among others."
Dear God, that's sooooo pretentious...
Read the article, it's almost funny - but ultimately just depressing with it's inaccuracies.
(Mind you I'm not disputing his right to appreciate 'minerality' in wine, or his elevation of that aspect to such lofty heights...but could we get a little accuracy on the mechanics, PLEASE?)
The beauty of wine: It’s all about the minerals
"...depending on the variety,(?) there are suggestions of spices and herbs as well as vanilla (in some whites) and chocolate (in some reds). Oak aging contributes to these tastes and also gives American chardonnay, for example, its typical buttery quality, whether you like it or not. "
No, butter notes (diacetyl) is from the ML you dweeb! Vanilla comes from the oak!
...
"When young, some distinguished red wines, such as cabernet sauvignon and nebbiolo (the great Italian grape of Barolo), show varying amounts of tannin, the remnants of the solids of the grapes that give red wines "structure" and make them "chewy" and sometimes harsh before they soften with age, a process that can take from a few years to more than a decade, as with great Bordeaux."
Ha! Really, has he never heard of racking & filtration? Tannins are NOT sediment...
...
"For me, one of the more subtle and interesting components of wine, especially whites, is minerality, which, as the word suggests, is the presence of minerals. They come from deep in the soil as the vines suck up water that carries nutrients and minerals to the grapes. But how do you detect them? There are a few clues."
No, actually that's not how it happens...
(see these previous posts [Minerality mythos] [Dan Berger on minerality])
"When you breathe in certain white wines, you may notice a smell, separate from the fruit, that will remind you of wet rock, like slate or granite or limestone. In the mouth there's a bit of texture — again, a slightly "chewy" quality."
I don't think so...Dino's comment on the other post leaves that very much in doubt.
And minerality providing "chewiness"? That's not the case...
"Now, it's important to realize that not all wines have this distinction. You're less likely to find it in cheaper, mass-produced wines than in smaller-production wines from choice vineyard areas whose soil is rich in minerals. But price itself isn't always a barometer. It's not hard to find excellent, mineral-laden wines for $10 to $20, such as muscadets and many sauvignon blancs and chenin blancs from France's Loire Valley; rieslings from Germany; pinot grigios and other whites from northern Italy and chardonnays from the Mâcon area of Burgundy, among others."
Dear God, that's sooooo pretentious...
Read the article, it's almost funny - but ultimately just depressing with it's inaccuracies.
Labels: terroir
posted by St. Vini at 7:33 AM
2 Comments:
And he didn't even mention Chablis... I was surprised he wasn't a Fox correspondant.
I'll say again. If you want to taste the earth, drink mineral water. Its much cheaper, and you will also learn what minerals taste like.
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