3 Terms Every Sommelier Should Know

By Jennifer Marie Anderson


To say that a sommelier knows much about wine is like saying that an architect knows much about constructing buildings. There are so many topics that wine entails, from flavors to brands, that the ability to cover each of them takes an education. For this reason, many men and women attend culinary school. It's one of the best ways to ensure that they know as much about wine as possible. Along the way, they will become familiar with different terms.

Not only is this school able to cover the details of wine but topics like hospitality management and the culinary arts, in general, can be learned about. For this piece, though, I'd like to focus on sommeliers and the types of terms they should know about. Suffice it to say, there are several terms that should be seen in any sommelier's glossary. However, these are 3 of the most important that will, ultimately, help you gain a better understanding of wine as a whole.

Full-Bodied - If you want to talk about why a wine is "full-bodied," you're most likely going to draw attention to its flavor. Essentially, a full-bodied wine is one that has a higher level of alcohol content. What this means, in turn, is that its flavor is more prominent, which makes it a more satisfying beverage overall. This may be one of the most familiar terms that a sommelier uses. Nonetheless, it's an important one that deserves to be covered.

Acidity - If you're a fan of fruit and the like, you may already be familiar with this term as well. However, in terms of wine, acidity refers to how crisp or "alive" the flavor of a particular wine is. For example, if you taste wine and you detect several bubbles on the surface of the beverage, chances are that it has a high acidity level attached to it. For those who may be tasked with suggesting the best wine to someone, whether it's for their meal or what have you, high acidity matters.

Balance - Arguably the most vital component of any wine, as you'll come to learn, will be its balance. This is especially true when you consider how many elements a particular type of wine can have. When the elements in question - this includes sugar content, alcohol level, and the like - come together and work in harmony, it creates the perfect balance. As a result, the best wine is created, before being presented by a sommelier with an extensive degree of knowledge.




About the Author:



No comments :

Post a Comment