Sibylline phrases, hermetic words, secret agent abbreviations... the vocabulary of wine can be quite disconcerting, for the uninitiated. Speak like a pro with these few expressions for true connoisseurs!
It's persistent
To measure the persistence of a wine, it is necessary to chew empty at the rate of one chewing per second and continue until the moment in which the aromatic intensity begins to disappear. The number of chewings performed in this period of time gives the measure of the PAI ( Intense Aromatic Persistence ). When it exceeds 10 seconds we are faced with a bottle of great pedigree. However, a simple wine, even if it lacks some persistence, can also bring a lot of pleasure. It all depends on the context.
It is reduced
We speak of reduced wine when a wine has not been in sufficient contact with the air thus developing unpleasant odors, such as a strong smell of eggs or sulphur , garbage or gas.
Is closed
The aromas seem absent, the nose is dull, in short, your wine doesn't smell much. It is still closed, but a passage in the carafe or a good ventilation in a large glass should be enough to give it all its perfumes.
It is patented
Yeasts are necessary to transform sugar into alcohol, but some are more insidious, causing aromatic deviations, especially in red wines. These brettanomyces develop due to lack of hygiene in the finished wines. Animal smell, dry finish on the finish, the brett 'is there and you realize it...
It tastes like bread crust
It is a smell similar to that of bread, due to the microorganisms responsible for alcoholic fermentation , which can be appreciated in many good quality sparkling wines, especially in those vinified with the classic method of refermentation in the bottle (e.g. Champagne or Francicorta). but also in some Prosecco wines “with the bottom”.