KEY POINTS:
Bungy jumping naked through a gooseberry bush was one phrase used to evoke the exhilarating sensory experience of a slug of Marlborough sauvignon blanc.
As well as referencing the wine's obvious fruit, it also suggests something of the too-often overlooked tactile experience of wine.
Pure fruit, and lots of it, is a hallmark of our wines, so it's no surprise this has become such a focal point in appreciation of them. But wines are much more than the list of fruits, flavours and aromas most frequently used to describe them. What isn't talked of so much is texture.
Our tongues are covered with thousands of tastebuds and also contain nerve endings which sense what a wine feels like in the mouth. Saliva also interacts with wine, giving the impression of varying degrees of viscosity; part of a wine's texture often referred to as "mouth-feel".
It's the textural elements that can make a sip of wine such a dynamic experience as it travels across the palate, provoking sensations of silkiness to astringency, lightness to weight. Some wines can ricochet across the mouth in a riot of acid. Others unfurl themselves more slowly with a satin-like sensuousness.
Acidity is the textural component most readily recognised. Our cool climate produces wines that have plenty of this, giving them that zingy hit that makes them so refreshing to drink and easy to describe with terms such as crisp, fresh and zesty.
Beyond acidity, a wine's tactile qualities are less discussed and harder to put into words. In 1990, the wine aroma wheel was developed to enhance tasters' ability to describe the complexities of a wine's flavour. Recently the Australian Wine Research Institute created a similar wheel giving words for "in mouth" sensations.
This mouth-feel wheel runs the gamut of coarse sensations, such as heat from higher alcohols and harsh notes from rough tannins, to smoother attributes conjured up by terms such as creamy, furry and supple. That several of the wheel's terms appear a little off-the-wall highlights the difficulty in finding a universal language with which to converse about texture. A mouthful of plaster anyone?
Texture is derived from a wine's vineyard site. It's added to through tannins obtained from grapes picked at optimum ripeness in red wines, which are also imparted, with added weight, by barrel ageing. Richness can also be augmented by leaving a wine on its yeast cells (its lees).
Great texture is at the heart of great wines. It may be a challenge to convey, but it shouldn't be forgotten that we feel wines just as much as we taste them.
Subtle restraint
Mahi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007
$19.90-$21.90
Not all sauvignon blancs make their statement by bombarding you with upfront fruit, particularly in their French heartland, where texture is often a wine's most valued attribute. This is the beauty of this more restrained sauvignon, which has a zingy mineral tang and a soft silkiness, plus a weight and intensity enhanced by the use of wild yeasts and some barrel fermented portions in its blend.
From Caro's, Glengarry, Primo Vino.
Racy little number
From Marlborough Riesling Spatlese 2006
$27.50
This riesling's light body and alcohol at only 7.5 per cent, belie the intensity of its pure pear and stone fruit palate that is streaked with notes of blossom and mineral. There's a slight prickle of CO2, and despite its obvious sweetness it has a racy acidity at its core, propelling it to its fresh and lingering finish.
From La Barrique, Caro's.
Sensuous experience
Nautilus Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006
$38
Soft, supple and silky are all terms used to describe the sensuous character of the best pinot noirs. These have become a hallmark of Nautilus' expressions of the variety, and the sweetly fruited, juicy and lightly spicy 2006 vintage is no exception.
From Glengarry.
