Minerality

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Minerality is a term from sensor technology . It is often used in wine language and describes one aspect of the wine's diverse flavors . This attribute can be attributed to white wines - more rarely also red wines. The absence of fruit aromas is primarily interpreted as a minerality, which is a result of extended maceration in the vinifaction .

Minerality plays to the taste - varieties , which from the location, even terroir called, intended to give the vine. Even if minerals are not detectable as flavor carriers, minerality is one of the most important taste characteristics of wine alongside sugar , acid , alcohol and fruit aromas. The influence of the terroir is primarily based on the different water retention power of the deeper soil layers. The drought stress of the deep-rooted vine is a factor here. The vine, on the other hand, absorbs nutrients and thus minerals with the fine roots of the humus layer. The preference of the fruit over the foliage growth on nutrient-poor, poorly fertilized soils has an effect on the taste. Many wines, especially white wines , are expected to have some level of minerality in their taste. Depending on the grape variety , the taste can be reminiscent of chalk, lime, flint , graphite or the like. Even salty notes are subsumed under minerality.

In contrast to mineral water, in which the minerals are dissolved and flushed out, the vine has to absorb the minerals through its own plant sap and thus enrich the grapes. Measurable mineral concentrations cannot be determined in wine, although they are regularly certified in wines, especially those from steep-slope viticulture in Germany , at tastings .

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  1. ↑ Peter Keller: What does minerality mean in wine? , NZZ June 11, 2013