The Wine Bible

A wine’s texture is the tactile impression it has in your mouth. This impression is the result of stimulation of the trigeminal nerve. (The largest of the cranial nerves, the trigeminal nerve is responsible for sensations in the face and mouth.)

The color of a given wine comes from a group of pigments in grape skins called anthocyanins.

closed oak barrels first came into use during the Roman Empire.

Aromatically and in terms of flavor, the best pinots can exude not only fruit flavors—warm baked cherries, plums, rhubarb, pomegranate, strawberry jam—but also the sense of damp earth and rotting leaves (the French call this sous bois, or forest floor), plus mushrooms, worn leather, and what’s sometimes in Europe called animali—a highly attractive

Albariño is floral and citrusy, but not quite as aromatic as, say, riesling or gewürztraminer.

Scientists disagree on the taste (if any) of kokumi, but report that kokumi enhances taste by triggering calcium receptors in the tongue. Kokumi is thought to be behind the fact that meat slow-roasted for five hours tastes better than meat cooked for one, for example, or why aged Gouda tastes better than new, young Gouda.

GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Tempranillo is usually well structured and well balanced. Its significant amount of tannin allows it to age for long periods, although the wine is generally not as firm on the palate as cabernet sauvignon.

Riesling’s refined structure is complemented by the mouthwateringly delicate flavors of fresh ripe peaches, apricots, and melons, often pierced with a vibrant mineral quality, like the taste of water running over stones in a mountain stream.