Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made from fermentation of grapes. Technically, wines can be made from many different fruits such as plums and apples. However, if the bottle mentioned wine only, then it’s made from grapes. There’s an entire subculture to wine and how people are fascinated by it. If you’re new to the world of wine, then understanding the wine body is your first step!
What is wine body?
One of the terms used very frequently in wine related discussions is the wine body. This term does not refer to the shape of the wine bottle but instead is the analysis of how the wine feels in the mouth. This analysis is based on the weight and the texture of the wine which varies depending on the quantity of alcohol present in the drink. While the amount of alcohol in the wine affects the viscosity of the drink and determines its texture, the extracts used in a wine are the dominating factor for the weight of the drink. The three main categories of different wine bodies are Light, medium and full bodied which have different viscosity and weight.
Weight of a wine:
The difference between a light bodied wine and a heavy bodied wine would be related to how easily the drink slips down the drinker’s mouth. The light bodied wine would flow down the throat immediately while a full-bodied wine would stay in the mouth for much longer. These differences are caused by the weight of the wine. The weight of a wine is dependent on the amount of tannin, grape and alcohol present in the drink.
- Tannin:
Tannin is a phenolic compound which is found in the skins and seeds of the wine grapes and is responsible for adding bitterness to the wine. It also provides the user with a drying sensation. The greater the amount of tannin present in the drink, the fuller bodied the wine is.
- Grape:
Certain types of grapes tend to affect the texture and the wine body greatly. The grapes contain sugar which determines the amount of alcohol produced when they are turned into wine. The greater the amount of sugar present in the grapes, greater is the amount of alcohol produced and hence more full-bodied the wine is. Furthermore, the skin of the grapes also effects the extract and the sugar content present in it. The thicker the skin of the grape is, greater the sugar content is. Higher the sugar content, greater the alcohol and heavier the wine will be.
- Alcohol:
Alcohol is a major part of the wine and adds bitter, sweet and spicy tastes to the drink. It is the most important part of the weight of the wine and the greater the amount of alcohol present in the drink, the fuller the wine body will be. The amount of alcohol impacts the viscosity of the wine and the texture of the wine.
Difference between Light, Medium and Full-bodied wines:
The types of the wine body are due to the viscosity of the wine and its texture. The full-bodied wines tend to have the highest amount of alcohol and are more tannic as compared to the light and medium bodied. As a rule, the high bodied wines have 13.5% alcohol, medium bodied wines alcohol content lies between 12.5 and 13.5% while the light bodied wines have less than 12.5% of alcohol. Some common examples of the different types of wines are:
- Light Bodied Wine : Cool-climate Pinot Noir
- Medium Bodied Wine : Cool-climate Shiraz, Coastal Cabs and South Aussie Grenache
- Heavy Bodied Wine : Sunshine-soaked Shiraz and Coonawarra Cabernet
How are full bodied wines made?
In order to make full bodied wines, thick skinned red grapes are selected and fermented, which is followed by an additional step of fermentation to increase the amount of lactic acid present. This provides it with a creamier and a rich texture, which is coupled with the rich aroma when they are stored in oak barrels. During the production phase, warmer climates are preferred as they tend to increase the sugar content present in the grapes. In order to add greater fullness to the wine, winemakers tend to leave residual sugar in the mixture by stopping the fermentation process earlier. The aroma along with the rich, thick skinned grapes and the amount of alcohol produced, tend to result in full body wine which has a rich and creamy texture.
The different types of wine bodies available different in regard to the viscosity and the texture, which is controlled by the sugar content of the grapes , amount of tannin and the alcohol present in the drink.