Astringent

Astringent describes the dry, raspy MOUTHFEEL of a wine with a considerable amount of unripe TANNIN. Astringency can also be provoked by certain foods, such as unripe walnuts or unripe persimmons. Excess astringency is unpleasant and causes the mouth to pucker.

What is liliorila?

A. A popular cocktail first invented in Shanghai (and purported to have health benefits) combining Prosecco and an extract from lily flowers

B. An ancient type of wine once made from sun-dried grapes in Sicily

C. A rare cross of chardonnay and another French grape, soon to be used in some white Bordeaux

D. A newly discovered Vitis labrusca (American) grape variety that grows on the Eastern seaboard and is related to concord

Liliorila (li-lee-OR-i-la) is a cross between chardonnay and the southwestern French variety baroque. It was developed in France in 1956, and makes low acid, powerfully aromatic wines. Until recently, liliorila was virtually extinct. But its fortunes are changing thanks to climate change. It is now one of the varieties awaiting approval as an officially permitted grape variety for basic white blends in the appellations Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superiéur.

The Nose Knows

The smell of a wine is often referred to as its aroma, bouquet, or nose (an old British-ism that combines the two). Technically, however, aroma and bouquet are completely different. Aroma is used to describe… Continue reading

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