I think the notion that mineral materials in soil don't correlate to the flavor/texture of wine is more an issue of vocabulary than science. Anyone who's worked in a customer-facing wine position knows that the public's grasp on terms like "sweet," "fruity," "smoky," "mineral," etc. are varied and not well defined. That being said, when wine professionals use words like "mineral" to describe a Loire Muscadet or Etna Rosso, I see it more as a term preferable to "rocky" or "stony" than refering to organic matter in the soil.
There is a good amount of research on the sensory perception of "mineral" in wines found in papers that I don't get into. Suffice to say, it's complicated, and outside the bounds of my upcoming book, which is meant to be a guide for restaurant wine professionals. I touch upon the subject, however, because there are professionals who still correlate mineral perceptions in wine with mineral content in soils, which is incorrect. We don't want people out there teaching the wrong things (to staff and guests). Hence, the reason why I point out a few obvious terroir-related factors associated with wines known for mineral perceptions, just to give readers a more sensible way of looking at things. Thanks for your input!
Hi Randy, again, a lovely blog, great topic! One of the great opportunities we have with selling, educating and enjoying wine is to keep the semantics simple. The dirt, the rock, the history of farm prior to wine, all in simple terms can be actually tasted, and/or exists in the nose... so fun. Much appreciation for your offerings to our industry and readers at large.
I think the notion that mineral materials in soil don't correlate to the flavor/texture of wine is more an issue of vocabulary than science. Anyone who's worked in a customer-facing wine position knows that the public's grasp on terms like "sweet," "fruity," "smoky," "mineral," etc. are varied and not well defined. That being said, when wine professionals use words like "mineral" to describe a Loire Muscadet or Etna Rosso, I see it more as a term preferable to "rocky" or "stony" than refering to organic matter in the soil.
There is a good amount of research on the sensory perception of "mineral" in wines found in papers that I don't get into. Suffice to say, it's complicated, and outside the bounds of my upcoming book, which is meant to be a guide for restaurant wine professionals. I touch upon the subject, however, because there are professionals who still correlate mineral perceptions in wine with mineral content in soils, which is incorrect. We don't want people out there teaching the wrong things (to staff and guests). Hence, the reason why I point out a few obvious terroir-related factors associated with wines known for mineral perceptions, just to give readers a more sensible way of looking at things. Thanks for your input!
Hi Randy, again, a lovely blog, great topic! One of the great opportunities we have with selling, educating and enjoying wine is to keep the semantics simple. The dirt, the rock, the history of farm prior to wine, all in simple terms can be actually tasted, and/or exists in the nose... so fun. Much appreciation for your offerings to our industry and readers at large.
Thanks again, Rudy!