Many people know that wine is more than an alcoholic drink. It should be relished with full valor. But nobody knows what a wine’s body is. Wine is not just an enjoyable drink. A sommelier can best describe the meaning of wine’s body.
Sipping: You can never find the true flavour of wine if you start gulping it through the mouth instantaneously. Sipping the wine makes it more delicious. All the taste buds of the tongue can sense the taste because of its slower movement through the mouth.
Tongue consists of various types of taste buds. Some are sensitive to the saltiness and some to sweetness. Sour and bitter receptors are also present. Make your wine touch all these receptors so that you can enjoy the full taste of wine.
Acidity: ‘Roundness’ and ‘smoothness’ are some important terms which determine the acidity of wine. Wines with very little acidity are described by these names. Crisps are those wines having small amount of acidity. Dull or flat wines have almost no acidity. As acids are produced during the process of fermentation no wine can be designated as acid free.
Body: Body is actually the sensation you get by drinking wine. It is necessary to be described. Three types of bodies of the wine are described as light, full, and medium. The wines, being thick on tongue, plus providing a rich sensation are called full bodied wines. Some wines glide freely on the tongue e.g. sparkly wines and Champagne are considered light, and red wines are full bodied wines. Exceptions are always there. You better rely on the taste buds while describing the bodies.
Intensity: The taste of wine is usually mistaken for its body. The thing to be remembered is that the alcohol, tannins, and the fruits bring about the body of the wine. Taste is not the body of wine. It is the true feeling and peace that you get from each and every sip of wine. Taste is not given by the above mentioned substances. Taste is sensitized by the receptors of your brain. It is in response to all the constituents of wine. Taste can be designated as the intensity of wine. It can be strong or faint. Any wine which is strong in taste can be light bodied. It depends on the combination of alcohol, tannins, and fruits, present in wines. A faint wine can also possess a full body.
Now, whenever you go to a wine tasting party, you will be able to define all the features in an appropriate manner by keeping the above mentioned points in your mind. Surely, it will be a great fun for you.
