If you are a wine geek, the above title will most likely elicit an enthusiastic response such as “totally.” But, if you’re a regular human being (even a wine-lover) you will undoubtedly think, “Huh---wine tastes like rocks?” The answer is yes…and no. Let me explain.
Yes, wine professionals are now using “mineral” terms to describe a wine. You may see it in descriptor words such as “flinty,” “gun metal,” “pencil lead,” "steely," or even “wet stone.” While wine does not, of course, taste like rocks some wines have a kind of stoniness. Which begs the question: who in the world ever tastes a rock? The answer is, "I do!" Years ago I was in a vineyard at the foot of the Andes in Argentina when the winemaker said to our group, “Find a rock, pick it up, and lick it.” He wasn’t kidding so I did. He then proceeded with an impromptu discussion on the mineral tastes in wine. That was nearly 20 years in the past and I’ll never forget it. (By the way, I tasted saltiness in my rock.)
Think of minerality as the umami of the wine world. Umami is the term for savoriness (mushrooms, miso, soy sauce, parmigiano-reggiano). The fifth basic taste, it is not sweet, sour, salty nor bitter. Try to describe umami. It’s hard to describe, right? Furthermore, some people experience the umami minerality in the nose of a wine. Others, experience the umami minerality in the taste.
The million-dollar
question is how does this mineral mystery taste get into wine? We know emphatically that it is not from the
minerals in the vineyard soil being absorbed by the vine. (Just as we know that
other flavors found in wine….such as strawberries & grassiness, are not from
the soil but are a by-product of fermentation). Researchers are trying to unlock the
minerality issue. In the meanwhile, why
not taste a rock to see what you think? Or, simply purchase a dry Riesling or a French Chablis and have a go at it. These two types of wine offer compelling minerality.
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