The taste we perceive when enjoying wine is influenced by 3 factors. Variations in these factors are responsible for the wide range of flavors and smells you will encounter.
1 ~ Grape Varietal
The type of grape is the most obvious difference that changes a wine's taste. From Riesling to Roussane there are hundreds of varietals in Vitis vinifera. Certain grape varietals have more tannins than others thus making the final wine dryer on the palate. Cabernet Sauvignon is thick skinned and makes a wine that has more tanins than the thin skinned Pinot Noir.
Red & White Grapes
The type of grape is the most obvious difference that changes a wine's taste. From Riesling to Roussane there are hundreds of varietals in Vitis vinifera. Certain grape varietals have more tannins than others thus making the final wine dryer on the palate. Cabernet Sauvignon is thick skinned and makes a wine that has more tanins than the thin skinned Pinot Noir.
What are Tannins?
Tannins simply have a drying effect in your mouth. Some people percieve tannins as bitter or sweet. Tanins come from grape skins and from barrel aging.
2 ~ Winemaking
One of the choices when it comes to winemaking is barrel aging. Wine can be aged in new oak or used oak. New oak obviously imparts more tanin and oaky flavors into the wine. Oak barrels are "toasted" to different levels when they are ordered by winemakers. Toasting is when an oak barrel is set over a fire and the inside surface is burned thus toasting the barrel.
3 ~ Terroir
What makes wine unique as compared to many distilled alcoholic beverages is the incredible reflection of regionality in a wine. As an agricultural product, soil is of utmost importance but the irony in most high quality winemaking is that winemakers and vineyard managers want a grape vine to struggle and produce a low yield of intensely flavored fruit as opposed to a bountiful crop of large watered down grapes. The type of of soil is also reflected in the wine. Chalky soils give wines minerality. Finally the weather in a particular wine growing region makes it mark on a wine. Cooler regions tend to produce a wine with higher acidity while warmer regions produce fruit forward wines with higher alcohol. The French encapsulate this “sense of place” in the term terroir.
How to Enjoy Wine
When consuming wine the perception in your mind is composed of 85% smell and 15% taste. Think about it. Our noses can smell 10,000 different aromas while our tongues can taste five, sweet, salt, sour, bitter, umami. So the first step in enjoying wine is not to drink it but to concentrate on smelling it.
New World vs Old World
New World wines tend to be produced in warmer growing regions thus making wines that are fruit forward with higher alcohol and body. New World wine regions include United States, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa. Old world wines tend to be produced in cooler growing regions which make wines that are higher in acidity, lower in alcohol and show more non-fruit character in the wine. Old World regions include Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
The Importance of Vintage
As with any agriculatoral product, the weather has a direct influence. Certain wine growing regions are more consistent and deviate from the norm less whereas others have wider vartions in yearly weather conditions and the resulting wines can be quite different from vintage to vintage.
Choose Your Glasses Wisely
Glassware can have a marked influence on your experience of wine. Glass shape deter. A high quality glass is also made of materials that allow the wine to coat the glass as it is swirled to increase surface area and release volitial compounds. This coating or sheeting of the wine also allows us to evaluate the alcohol content of the wine. As the wine returns to the bottom of the glass it will gather in tears. Very pronounce tears indicate a wine that is higher in alcohol. Tears that also stain the glass also indicate thick skinned grapes and darkly colored wine. Try swirling your wine in an inexpensive glass or one that has been washed many times with hard water build up. Instead of sheeting across the surface of the glass, the wine will just fall back into the bowl.
Higher quality glasses also have a thin delicate rim. Lesser glasses that are more durable have a rim that is heat treated with a rolled edge. As the wine travels across this rolled lip, it is like hitting a speed bump in your car. The wine slows down and plops into your mouth. When drinking with a thin rimmed glass, the wine will continue out of the glass in its intended direction.