The minerality of the wine… What does that mean ? What do we mean by the minerality of a wine ? Beaux-Vins explains everything about this thorny wine subject…
When we start the wine tastings, there are aromas that are assimilated quickly and that we recognize even more quickly. It is easy to agree around a table on aromas like red fruits or citrus fruits because they are anchored in our memory, our memories. But there are much stranger aromas. Minerality is one of them. I still wonder who was the first to recognize this aroma. Has he licked pebbles all his life ? Did he become a geologist or oenologist ? So many questions that will certainly remain unanswered. But we can still look at the ambiguous and often pronounced term of "minerality".
The aromas of wine between standard and fashion
Some aromas are used much more than others in wine tasting and have almost become a norm - almost, master key —. Red fruits are aromas that can be found in most red wines that are not too mature. White flowers or citrus are aromas that describe most white wines quite well..
Other aromas are more fashionable. This was the case with the salinity of wine not so long ago. Today minerality is more and more present in tasting speeches. Wine Spectator magazine has used this term in nearly 26’000 tasting notes, going beyond the terms of fruity or floral.
What does the term minerality mean
To explain this notion of minerality, we will start by trying to define it.
Minerality (wine) : family of aromas evoking rock and stone (silex, gun flint, or others…) that we can find in wines whose terroir is expressed. The iodized aromas in some white wines are the expression of predominantly limestone terroirs.
It makes you a nice leg, no ? Now that you can shine in society with this definition, we will see how to recognize it.
Recognize the minerality of a wine
As we mentioned, minerality is a very personal term on which it is difficult to agree. Minerality can be found in two phases of the tasting : the nose to the mouth.
Minerality on the nose
There are mineral odors that are easier to recognize than others. The smell of gun flint which is often used to describe a wine can be understood by rubbing two flints. Very particular smells emerge with hints of smoke.
Stone can also be found in the mineral family., the chalk, flint or oyster shell… And yes almost all minerals can pass through it as there are no very precise markers.
Minerality in the mouth
As for the nose, there are aromas that will make you think of minerality more than others.
As for olfactory analysis, the odors mentioned can be found in the mouth. In addition to these, certain aromas are often found for particular grape varieties. This is the case with the petroleum aroma that can be found in Riesling quite regularly - don't go for a glass of Lead Free to compare, Okay ? —.
But the minerality in the mouth is also due to two factors:
- acidity : the acidity of the wine will amplify the sensation of minerality you perceive.
- salinity : it's that little salty sensation that one has in the mouth when tasting a glass of wine - it is not for nothing that I mentioned it above —. To do the salinity test, try to drink Saint Yorre water before and then after Evian water and you will understand.
Minerality is expressed mainly at the end of the mouth, — that is to say, these are the last aromas that we perceive during tasting, some feel it earlier, mid-palate —. The finish is often the very expression of the terroir.
Minerality born from relationship(s)
The relationship between terroir and minerality
We remember the definition I gave you above. The terroir plays an important role in the notion of minerality. To keep it simple, depending on the composition of the rock, elements will be more or less assimilated by the roots of the vine.
The relationship between grape and minerality
Soil chemistry is not the only explanation for the minerality of wine. Certain compounds in the grape can develop olfactory molecules reminiscent of minerality. These odorless elements of the grape will give aromas during the alcoholic fermentation of the grape juice.. Within these aroma precursors, we know one that responds to the sweet name of thiol and that gives - hold on to your chair - minerality in wine. This compound developing a smell of sulfur is particularly present in the Sauvignon Blanc grape., that we find a lot in the Loire center.
Minerality is good or bad ?
Minerality is not a defect in wine. While some characteristics of wine can take on a negative aspect when they are too present, like acidity, minerality is a positive character and I have never heard anyone say that the wine has an excess of minerality. It implies a complexity you wine, where the minerality is in harmony with the other aromas of the wine. As I explained above, she is also there aromatic signature of a terroir and an expression of purity and righteousness. Two elements that I really appreciate in wine.
In which wine to discover the minerality?
We find this aromatic note mainly in white wines. It is quite difficult to find it in a red wine, although it can be mentioned when it presents an acidity that is difficult to define. Minerality being more easily identifiable in acidic wines, the northern half of France is doing better in exercise. As mentioned above, the white wines of the Loire Valley are in a way school cases to find this aroma. You can also find it in white Alsace wines from the Riesling variety - hydrocarbon flavors —, Chablis de Bourgogne and its chalk notes, Pouilly-Fumé from Center Loire and its aromas of flint or in champagnes not dosed.
It is important to have a finish
As a conclusion, many people consider minerality to be just a catch-all when you don't know what to say, the notion is so vague. Wine tasting is not an exact science and everyone feels what they want. If you lick pebbles to relax on the weekends then you have a good chance of feeling the minerality more easily..
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