The Chemistry of Wine Loving

Human taste has four components: sweetness, saltiness, acidity and bitterness. When we drink wine, our taste buds are stimulated in a unique way and the alcohol has a calming effect on the brain.  The acidity and sweetness in wine are the two factors that balance together to produce a pleasant sensation on our sense of taste. We taste the acidity with the middle of the tongue and sweetness with the tip of the tongue.

Wines with excessive acidity taste harsh, those with insufficient acidity taste are uninteresting and their flavors do not linger in the mouth long enough. Tannins is the dry bitterness derived from grape seeds, contribute to the relationship of bitterness on the tongue. Wine with too much tannin is unpleasantly bitter. The right level of tannin has an effect of bringing all the flavors together with a good "grip" in the mouth. Our other senses are involved as well such as our sight enjoys the color and our sense of smell enjoys the fragrances. Much of a wine's character is revealed only through the aroma it exudes. This adds richly to the dimensions found in wine.