You don't need to be a sommelier to talk about wine . A few clear concepts and a pinch of curiosity are enough.

Wine is defined as the "product obtained exclusively from the alcoholic fermentation, total or partial, of fresh grapes, whether pressed or not, or of grape musts."
This is the regulatory description according to Italian law. But wine is much more.

It is a solution made up of over 600 substances , derived from grapes , fermentation , maturation and refinement .

Wine is therefore a fascinating and complex thing, but if you analyse it in detail, there are 5 key components which define its taste and personality: sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol and body.

Whether you're sipping a crisp white or a full-bodied red, understanding these elements will help you appreciate wine more deeply and discover what you enjoy best. We explore these components in a simple, fun way that will leave you feeling confident at your next tasting.

The 5 Main Components You Need to Know

1. BODY: The weight of the wine

What is it:
A wine's "body" (also called structure) refers to the sensation of fullness in the mouth. In other words, how much and how it envelops your palate.

It is certainly one of the most complex characteristics of wine because it cannot be measured (unlike sweetness and acidity, which can be measured with simple laboratory analyses).

It is mainly influenced by three components – alcohol, glycerin and sugar – which combine to create the specific texture and sensation of body.

A wine's body can be classified as full, medium, or light. During a tasting, if a wine completely envelops the palate and is rich and creamy, it is considered full-bodied. Conversely, if the wine is lighter and more watery, it is considered light. If the wine falls somewhere in between, it is classified as medium-bodied.

Milk for a better understanding:

This analogy is one of the most effective and common ways to explain the A wine's structure is a key aspect for those who are just starting to taste it. Just like milk, "body" isn't about flavor, but rather the tactile sensation and weight the liquid conveys to the palate.

🥛 Skimmed milk = Light body : The wine appears fluid, almost like water, flows quickly in the mouth and does not leave a sensation of "thickness".

🥛 Semi-skimmed milk = Medium body : A rounder, richer consistency is perceived, with a feeling of greater adherence to the tongue.

🥛 Whole milk/liquid cream = Full body : The wine is dense and enveloping (almost ''pasty'') and leaves a "patina" sensation in the mouth.

2. SWEETNESS: From dry to sweet

Try placing a teaspoon of ordinary sugar—the kind you typically add to coffee—on the tip of your tongue. You'll feel a velvety sensation throughout your mouth, very similar, though amplified, to the sensation you experience when tasting a sweet (dessert) wine.

The sweetness of the wine comes from the residual sugar left after alcoholic fermentation. Don't confuse it with the terms "fruity" or, even worse, "aromatic": many dry wines are rich in fruit flavor without being sweet.

Another distinction: a wine's sweetness is different from its smoothness. A good red wine like our Thesan is soft and rounded, enveloping your palate, but it's a dry wine! 

Softness is influenced by residual sugar (a sweet wine like passito will likely be soft), but it depends almost exclusively on the amount of glycerol in the wine. That's a whole different story than residual sugar!

3. TANNIN: Consistency and structure

Tannins are natural polyphenolic compounds produced by vines as a defense against pathogens, parasites, and environmental stress, and are therefore naturally present in grapes and, consequently, in wine. They have a high antioxidant effect, which is of considerable interest in winemaking because it limits and slows the interactions between wine and oxygen, ensuring a slow and gentle evolution over the years.

The wood of the barrels used for winemaking and/or aging also contains tannins and releases them into the wine.

In general, all red wines contain tannins, their level depends on the grape variety, winemaking, aging and type of wine (you will hardly hear of a tannic white wine unless it has been fermented or aged in wooden barrels or has been produced with long maceration on the skins, for example).

But how do tannins work in the mouth?

Have you ever brewed a cup of tea and forgotten to remove the tea bag? When you try to drink that cold cup of tea, you'll notice that it's incredibly strong, has a bitter taste, and your mouth feels slightly full (this sensation is called astringency).

Have you ever tasted an unripe persimmon or banana? The fruit is not only sour, but also "pasty": a strange sensation, as if your mouth suddenly went dry, or your tongue felt like paper.

This is the influence of tannins in wine too.

Depending on their level of hardness we will have: aggressive tannins, when the wine is harsh and completely dries the palate, delicate or smooth tannins, when the tannin is present but we have a sensation of "softness" on the palate.

Tannins therefore change over time: from green and pungent in young red wines to soft, dense and silky in older reds.

Tannins therefore contribute to the structure and body of the wine and also to its longevity.

If well ripe and present at an adequate concentration, they can give a sensation of fullness and consistency in the mouth when tasting .

 

4. ACIDITY: The spark of freshness

In our tastings, when we talk about acidity we always make a comparison.

Acidity is to wine what the backbone is to a man. Without acidity, a wine cannot stand upright, it cannot sustain itself.

After water and alcohols, acids are among the most important substances in wine. Tartaric acid, malic acid, and citric acid (from grapes) and other acids from fermentation (think malolactic fermentation, which transforms malic acid—which is more bitter and pungent—into lactic acid, which is smoother and more balanced) are responsible for that sensation in the mouth known as freshness .

At the first sip of wine, when you immediately feel a tingling on the sides of your tongue, a pleasant sensation of cleanliness and clarity throughout the oral cavity... it's the acidity speaking to you!!

But like all other components, acidity is also about moderation and balance. Of particular importance is the balance of acidity with the wine's sweetness (the remaining residual sugar) and the more bitter components (especially tannins, but also other phenols). A wine with too much acidity will taste excessively sour and spicy, acerbic, and sharp. A wine with too little acidity will taste dull and flat, with less defined flavors.

5. ALCOHOL: The heat you feel

Alcohol is the second most noticeable component in wine: it's responsible for that warm, sometimes slightly burning, sensation after swallowing. Alcohol also contributes to a wine's body and overall texture. Generally, the higher the alcohol content, the fuller the wine's body.

Alcohol content is measured as a percentage (ABV, or alcohol by volume) and is always listed on the back label. Most wines range between 11% and 15%, with fortified wines (such as Port) reaching up to 20%.

Alcohol affects flavor : Alcohol adds weight and warmth to a wine. Higher-alcohol wines tend to be richer and fuller-bodied, while lower-alcohol wines are lighter and more refreshing. It also enhances the perception of sweetness, so wines with high alcohol and sugar content (such as some late-harvest or fortified wines) can have a delicious, dessert-like flavor.

Although alcohol only acts when you have wine in your mouth (and even more so when you have swallowed it), its presence can also be suggested by visual examination: the famous phenomenon of tears and bows .

When you observe a glass of wine being swirled, your gaze is drawn to the drips that continue to fall down the glass. A colorless liquid film rises up the wall, several centimeters above the surface, and begins to form droplets, which fall in irregular columns. These drips are called tears; in fact, it is said that the wine is crying. The distance between two tears, or the curvature between one drip and the next, is called the arc.

In general, the rule is that if the arches and tears are thicker, more numerous, and denser, with the drops falling more slowly, the wine is likely to have a high alcohol content, above 13% vol., while if they are few, thin, and with tears falling quickly, then it is a lighter wine.

This phenomenon is known as the “ Marangoni Effect ”, named after the Italian scientist who explained the movement of liquids and their surface tension.

 

The importance of balance

A great wine isn't one with the most tannins or acidity. A great wine doesn't necessarily have to have a high alcohol content.

A great wine is one in which each component is in balance . Wine chemistry is therefore a question of proportions, interactions, and finesse, rather than absolute quantities.

Cheers!!