March 18th, 2024Wine notes
with Clive Hartley
Looking for wine quality
In wine education circles we have a standardised acronym that covers the questions of determining quality in wine – it’s call BLIC and stands for balance, length, intensity and complexity.
These four headings are a neatly packaged way of tackling the thorny topic of how to judge wine quality. If you are reading this column it is what you are interested in. Finding a good quality wine that also represents value for money is the best of both worlds.
When we look at balance, it is referring to the skeleton or structural components of a wine. Where applicable, it should have great balance. The word well-balanced is often thrown around, it means the wine’s constituents – sugar, acid, alcohol, flavours and tannins should all be there but in balance with each other.
Also, an aroma or flavour should not dominate in a negative way. Wine, both red and white, shouldn’t have too much acidity nor too little. Red wine should not be too tannic but just the right amount, depending on the style of wine. The same applies to alcohol.
Next comes length and finish, which are vital. A great wine should travel across your palate (length) and have a long aftertaste (finish) after you have consumed it.
Short palate with no finish will never be a good quality wine. Intensity is related to the aromas and flavours as well as the overall concentration of the wine. The aromas of a sauvignon blanc can be intense. It’s better to have intense flavours than none at all.
A young full-bodied shiraz has great intensity, often too much, and requires ageing to soften it. Alcohol can add to the intensity or power of the wine. Mouth filling or textured are other key words relating to intensity.
Finally, a great wine should display a complex array of aromas and flavours and make you burst into a poetic sonnet as you express them all. Young wines should have primary aromas that are commonly fruit based or vegetal, herbal or floral in nature.
Young wines could also display secondary aromas and flavours, coming from time in oak barrels and other winemaking techniques. Primary and secondary characteristics are what notch up the complexity rating.
If the wine has been aged then you might encounter tertiary aromas and flavours such as dried fruits, honey or toast in white wines and undergrowth, leafy, meat or leathery nuances in red wines. Occasionally you get all three – primary, secondary and tertiary in a single glass.
Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. His Australian Wine Guide (7th ed) is available for purchase from Paradise Books in Daylesford or via his website – www.australianwineguide.com.au
