Wine minerality. Strong https://news.wine.co.za
Confusing Terms II - Minerality
If you look up the definition of minerality in any dictionary, you won't find it. There's mineral, but you cannot find minerality. It's a word invented by the wine business. The concept is based on something a bit mysterious and has several definitions, but there is no doubt that it exists. It has been common in the language of wine producers, writers and sellers and even more so in the last twenty-five years or so. It describes what many associate with the minerals of the soil in which the vineyard grows, its geology and terroir. Often we use it to describe a wine that has good acidity. However, it is not exclusive to its flavor, it also refers to its smells and texture. In any of these cases, minerality is essential and speaks of a wine of high quality.
The word has a few applications and can be confusing at times. If you ask ten producers what the meaning is, you'll probably get ten different answers. But to begin to demystify the subject, there are three situations in which minerality of a wine is referred to:
1) The stones that make up the vineyard soil (if it is calcareous, stony, sandy, clay, etc.).
2) The current minerals that make up those soils (calcium, potassium, iron, etc.),
3) To describe the taste or smell of the wine (the wine has a volcanic minerality, or it is a wine with a lot of minerality).
The third is a metaphor because there are no minerals in the wine, just as there is no vanilla, blackberries, or green pepper. All of these terms are descriptors. Some other that are common are: wet stone, salty, iodine, smokey, among others. While there are many geologists and scientists who insist that it would be difficult to perceive the flavor of vineyard stones in a wine because the plants only absorb the water and nutrients within it, there are other scientists who say that it is possible to differentiate the flavors of certain minerals. How far we can differentiate them is somewhat uncertain, but there is logic in that soils with different amounts of any mineral will have different flavors in addition to the other parts of the terroir such as exposure to the sun, the amount of water in the subsoil and the varieties within each microclimate.
According to Randall Graham, winemaker at Bonny Doon winery in California, in 2003 he did a test and infused stones directly into his barrel. The results, he said, was a frightening change in the wine's pH but that it certainly created a noticeable difference in mineral flavors. He says “it doesn't seem to be a mechanism that transfers minerals directly to the wine, but I think there are hidden mechanisms that we still don't understand.” To learn more: Minerality and Wine .
While there are some definitions of minerality that we can agree on, exactly what it is remains a mystery. Is it acidity? Is it terroir? Can it come about in the process of making wine? Could it be all of those things? I think we can a;; agree that it's a bit confusing, and, here in Mexico we are not saved from any of that confusion. So I'm here to clarify it as much as possible.
The Mexican territory in all its diversity has a variety of “mineralities”, from the salty of the coasts, to the volcanic of extreme altitudes. Like those of the rest of the world, all are a fundamental part of the character of the wine and its connection to its terroir. Tastes may vary between people. I like a Bentley and you like a Porche, but we can agree that a Ferrari is well made, right? It doesn't matter our tastes in wine either, minerality is the driving force of wine. Although it is difficult to define, it is important not to forget that minerality is an essential to making good wine.
