Wine on the Radio - April 3, 2003   Listen

Body 

What's all the talk about "body"?   We hear wine described as full-bodied, light -bodied, you-name-it.   But what exactly does body mean and does it matter?"

 

Well, body is one of the basic tasting terms for wine.   Usually it refers to the sense of fullness you can taste when you take a sip.   Some wines are thicker, more viscous tasting than others.

 

Several components contribute to the body of a wine, but the alcohol in the wine is denser so it contributes the most.   More alcohol and your likely to hear the wine described as full bodied . . . down the spectrum to less alcohol and light bodied.  

 

Body matters for two reasons:

 

First, it indicates the relative amount of alcohol so you can drink responsibly and, second, it's helpful to understand body when you are pairing wine with foods to get the best match ups.

 

It's one of the first things that comes to mind when you . . .

 

Pop the cork.