Factors That Influence the Taste of Wine

Many factors can shape the taste of wine.  I chose five broad categories.  This is a Reader’s Digest version, but if the subject interests you, you can have great fun researching the possibilities.
​

1. The Grape Varietal – Here in the USA we place great value on the base grape being pressed into our juice.  There are thousands of different grapes and they do not all taste the same.  After the grape has been turned into wine, the basic identity of the grape can be recognized.
2. Terroir – Terroir is a French word.  There is not a really good translation in English.  The best way I can describe it is how a particular region’s climate, soil, and terrain affect the taste of wine.  The French place great value on terroir and will label their wines by the region.  In the USA we prefer to label by the grape varietal.  In most of France the terroir is considered crucial to the taste of the wine.  Wine Folly has a nice simple definition of terroir for those of you that want to go a little deeper without earning a PHD!
3. Wine Makers Choices – The decisions made by the wine makers can impact the taste.  The wine maker can choose to blend multiple grapes and can choose whether to use oak barrels to age the wine.  Indeed, oak barrels are often called the wine makers spice rack.  When the grapes are picked matters in the final taste, as well as how the grapes are processed, and how long the wine is aged.  I could go on and on.  The important thing to remember is that the human interaction of the wine maker matters too.
4. Storage and Handling – Once the juice is made, how we treat it can affect the taste.  How did the wine maker store it?  What did he store it in?  How was it transported?  How have the bottles been stored at the shop and in your home?  Storage and handling can influence the taste slightly or greatly.
5. You – I think our individual taste profiles matter.  Does your tongue seek out acidity, does it highlight sugar?  The makeup of your palate colors wine taste.  The occasion the wine is being used for matters.  Your attitude, are you happy or sad?  What temperature do you drink wine at?  How long do you let it set open before you drink it?  These are just a few of the decisions you make to influence the taste of wine.

In the end a bottle of wine is not rigid.  The juice in the bottle is flexible.  The taste has been evolving from the time the grape was planted until we finally consume it.  One of my favorite quotes from the 2004 movie Sideways goes as follows:
​
Maya: No, I- I like to think about the life of wine. 
Miles Raymond: Yeah. 
Maya: How it's a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I'd opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks, like your '61. And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline. 
Miles Raymond: Hmm. 
Maya: And it tastes so _______ good. (Sorry, took the liberty to edit the last line so as not to offend.)
 
I have heard it said that no two bottles from the same case will taste exactly alike.  I think I will buy a case and try and find out!

Cheers!
Hoosier Wine Guy