There are aspects of wine that are difficult to explain, but are relatively simple to understand with your sense of taste. The subject of "balance" in a wine is one such thing. Although it is difficult to describe, it is critical to identifying a good wine and one that is lacking.
The balance of a wine is such a shifty concept that it is actually called different things. Some people will refer to it as a wine being in "harmony" or "equilibrium". Many people just make up words to describe it! Given this thrashing around, the balance of a wine must be a very complex issue, right? Well, not really. The balance of a wine refers to the harmony of the competing tastes, textures and aromas such that you want to achieve equilibrium. How's that for getting all the phrases in?
What balance really means is a wine that provides a sensory experience that hints at its various characteristics. A Chianti is an Italian wine that is very dry. It has hints of fruity flavor depending on the efforts of the vineyard. A Chianti in balance is dry with soft hints of these flavors. A Chianti out of balance would be somewhat dry, but have a strong apple taste to it. This is obviously an over the top example, but highlights the basic idea of balance.
Balance is a tricky issue with most wines. Why? Well, it tends to be a moving target. Let's say you serve a red at a temperature below the accepted range. This is going to diminish the flavors and make the red seem dull. Is it? Maybe, maybe not. You can't really say because the wine is out of balance given the temperature problem. The same can happen with whites as well when it comes to temperature issues.
Balance is usually a more subtle issue. A wine will more often be slightly out of balance than completely off the charts. A red might be overcome by too much acidity. The wine might hint at great things, but the acidity simply overwhelms the taste buds as it passes over them. This is an indication that there is a balance problem because one aspect dominates others when it should not.
As I've probably proved in this article, describing wine balance is a difficult task. That being said, the issue is much clearer when you are actually trying various vintages.
The balance of a wine is such a shifty concept that it is actually called different things. Some people will refer to it as a wine being in "harmony" or "equilibrium". Many people just make up words to describe it! Given this thrashing around, the balance of a wine must be a very complex issue, right? Well, not really. The balance of a wine refers to the harmony of the competing tastes, textures and aromas such that you want to achieve equilibrium. How's that for getting all the phrases in?
What balance really means is a wine that provides a sensory experience that hints at its various characteristics. A Chianti is an Italian wine that is very dry. It has hints of fruity flavor depending on the efforts of the vineyard. A Chianti in balance is dry with soft hints of these flavors. A Chianti out of balance would be somewhat dry, but have a strong apple taste to it. This is obviously an over the top example, but highlights the basic idea of balance.
Balance is a tricky issue with most wines. Why? Well, it tends to be a moving target. Let's say you serve a red at a temperature below the accepted range. This is going to diminish the flavors and make the red seem dull. Is it? Maybe, maybe not. You can't really say because the wine is out of balance given the temperature problem. The same can happen with whites as well when it comes to temperature issues.
Balance is usually a more subtle issue. A wine will more often be slightly out of balance than completely off the charts. A red might be overcome by too much acidity. The wine might hint at great things, but the acidity simply overwhelms the taste buds as it passes over them. This is an indication that there is a balance problem because one aspect dominates others when it should not.
As I've probably proved in this article, describing wine balance is a difficult task. That being said, the issue is much clearer when you are actually trying various vintages.
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