There are different terms used to describe various elements in the wine. From body, weight, texture, complexity to length, tannin, and acidity, the list is seemingly endless. The body is arguably one of the most important factors and indicates something specific about how the wine was produced.
Essentially, the wine’s body refers to the mouth-feel of the wine. With light-bodied wines, think about how water feels in your mouth. On the other hand, full-bodied wines would feel more like mango juice. The thickness of the wine’s feel in your mouth can be described as the body.
Factors That Affect the Wines’ Body
The most significant factor that affects the body of a wine is the amount of alcohol in the wine. Alcohol adds to the body and creates viscosity in the wine, making a feeling of thickness and weight. So the higher the alcohol in wine, the greater the sense of density and body of the wine.
Light-bodied wines have almost no viscosity and tend to be more delicate and refreshing. There tends to be a crispness in light-bodied white wines, whereas light-bodied red wines are fresh and easy drinking.
Another contributing factor is the addition of oak-aging. Wines that have spent some time in oak barrels tend to have more body and weight. So for wines that have spent several months in barrels, you can expect more body than those that were not aged in oak.
The Importance Of Sustainability
We’ve established that alcohol influences the body of wine; the higher the alcohol, the fuller the wine. But what affects the alcohol levels in wine?
When looking at wine, it is the sugar in the grapes that gets converted to alcohol. So the higher the sugar in the grapes, the higher the alcohol can be. And the amount of sugar in the grapes is affected by several factors. Warmer countries, for instance, naturally have grapes with higher sugar since the sun allows for better ripening and sugar development. On the other hand, some grapes ripen faster than others, so they naturally develop more sugar.
In short, the sugar in grapes (which develop during their ripening stage) directly impacts the alcohol levels in wine. The warmer the growing conditions, the more sugar creates within the grapes.
The regulation of these conditions is essential for forming healthy grapes that ripen well but don’t develop too much sugar and alcohol. Growing conditions that are too warm will overripe these grapes and cause a complete imbalance in the wine with tremendous amounts of alcohol with little fruit or complexity. And this is a severe problem we are facing due to climate change.
As climate change affects everything in our natural environment, we must not neglect the wine industry and how these rising temperatures affect our vines.
The rising temperatures will affect the quality of the wines we are currently making since most grapes were explicitly selected to grow in those ideal temperatures, and not only will the alcohol and body of these wines be imbalanced, but the acidity significantly decreases, diminishing the freshness and crispness of the wine. It will also cause a host of other issues in the vineyard, like the susceptibility to pests and diseases in the vineyards.
It is more important than ever that the wineries actively reduce climate change and seek sustainable routes. Since our changing climate directly impacts vineyards, wineries should lead the industry toward sustainable practices that can slow down the impact of climate change and save our wines.
Key Takeaways
Body is a crucial element in wine that is directly impacted by a wine’s alcohol levels.
Since alcohol and sugar are directly linked, the ripening of grapes impacts the alcohol levels.
If we don’t slow down climate change and lean toward sustainability, the wine industry will change dramatically.
Climate change can severely impact this balance and affect the quality of our wines worldwide.
There are different terms used to describe various elements in the wine. From body, weight, texture, complexity to length, tannin, and acidity, the list is seemingly endless. The body is arguably one of the most important factors and indicates something specific about how the wine was produced.
Essentially, the wine’s body refers to the mouth-feel of the wine. With light-bodied wines, think about how water feels in your mouth. On the other hand, full-bodied wines would feel more like mango juice. The thickness of the wine’s feel in your mouth can be described as the body.
Factors That Affect the Wines’ Body
The most significant factor that affects the body of a wine is the amount of alcohol in the wine. Alcohol adds to the body and creates viscosity in the wine, making a feeling of thickness and weight. So the higher the alcohol in wine, the greater the sense of density and body of the wine.
Light-bodied wines have almost no viscosity and tend to be more delicate and refreshing. There tends to be a crispness in light-bodied white wines, whereas light-bodied red wines are fresh and easy drinking.
Another contributing factor is the addition of oak-aging. Wines that have spent some time in oak barrels tend to have more body and weight. So for wines that have spent several months in barrels, you can expect more body than those that were not aged in oak.
The Importance of Sustainability
We’ve established that alcohol influences the body of wine; the higher the alcohol, the fuller the wine. But what affects the alcohol levels in wine?
When looking at wine, it is the sugar in the grapes that gets converted to alcohol. So the higher the sugar in the grapes, the higher the alcohol can be. And the amount of sugar in the grapes is affected by several factors. Warmer countries, for instance, naturally have grapes with higher sugar since the sun allows for better ripening and sugar development. On the other hand, some grapes ripen faster than others, so they naturally develop more sugar.
In short, the sugar in grapes (which develop during their ripening stage) directly impacts the alcohol levels in wine. The warmer the growing conditions, the more sugar creates within the grapes.
The regulation of these conditions is essential for forming healthy grapes that ripen well but don’t develop too much sugar and alcohol. Growing conditions that are too warm will overripe these grapes and cause a complete imbalance in the wine with tremendous amounts of alcohol with little fruit or complexity. And this is a severe problem we are facing due to climate change.
As climate change affects everything in our natural environment, we must not neglect the wine industry and how these rising temperatures affect our vines.
The rising temperatures will affect the quality of the wines we are currently making since most grapes were explicitly selected to grow in those ideal temperatures, and not only will the alcohol and body of these wines be imbalanced, but the acidity significantly decreases, diminishing the freshness and crispness of the wine. It will also cause a host of other issues in the vineyard, like the susceptibility to pests and diseases in the vineyards.
It is more important than ever that the wineries actively reduce climate change and seek sustainable routes. Since our changing climate directly impacts vineyards, wineries should lead the industry toward sustainable practices that can slow down the impact of climate change and save our wines.
If we don’t slow down climate change and lean toward sustainability, the wine industry will change dramatically.
Your Takeaways
1. Body is a crucial element in wine that is directly impacted by a wine’s alcohol levels.
2. Since alcohol and sugar are directly linked, the ripening of grapes impacts the alcohol levels.
3. If we don’t slow down climate change and lean toward sustainability, the wine industry will change dramatically.
