+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: GENERAL (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-100.html)
+--- Forum: For the Novice (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-2.html)
+--- Thread: need some knowledge about wines (/thread-16403.html)
- magicstar - 06-11-2001
Hello, i'd really apreciate if u could tell me what does it mean by these terms:-
1) full bodied
2) half bodied
3) bouquet
4) sweet
5) dry
6) why the years r important
and 7) the difference between sparkling wine and champange.
as u can see i'm totally clueless.
thank u for ur help.
- Innkeeper - 06-11-2001
Hi Magicstar, and welcome to the Wine Board. Body refers to the feel of the wine in your mouth. An analogy is to think of how skim milk, whole milk, and heavy cream feel in your mouth. There is also a correlation with the amount of alcohol in the wine. Less than 10.5% is light bodied, 10.5 - 12.5 is medium bodied, and over 12.5 is full bodied.
Bouquet is how a wine smells. It is important as it contributes to the over all taste and impact of the wine. Sweet means that the wine is off dry. Sweetness can range from slightly off dry to cloyingly melifluous. Dry means that all the sugar in the wine has been fermented into alcohol with no "residual sugar."
Years are important for many reasons, but here are two. Since grapes are a crop they are subject to the vagaries of all crops. This is why one "vintage" will be superior to another. The second reason is that with experiance or a good reference you can know how long a given wine will last or needs to "age" to reach it's potential.
Champagne is sparkling wine made in Champagne in the Champagne method, in accordance with the Champagne appelation guidelines. Any other sparkling wine is a sparkling wine.