Body

The comprehensive, flavourful and visual impression of the substance of a wine is called body

Every wine basically has 'body', only some have more and some have far less. The weighting of the substance of the body is primarily inferred from the impression on the palate. Secondarily, a visual examination is also used.

The interplay between certain components, in particular the extract and the various alcohols, creates a more or less weighty impression of this substance on the palate. Connoisseurs recognise this impression of 'body' and consequently describe it with apt words from the German-speaking wine language, such as full, full-bodied, powerful, full-bodied, massive, heavy, thin or low-bodied. In French wine-speak, we also encounter 'body terms' such as charnu (full-bodied, lots of substance, almost 'fleshy') or charpenté (rich in alcohol, very flavourful and at the same time well-balanced).

Contrary to common opinion, 'full-bodied' does not mean that the wine merely has a lot of (ethyl) alcohol or that 'a lot of body' in a wine must necessarily be a positive quality characteristic (also a common opinion), but rather endeavours to qualify the impression of 'substance' or 'weight' of a certain wine relative to a certain type of wine.

A certain 'lightness' and 'finesse' is therefore just right for champagnes as well as many other white wines. A full-bodied, great Burgundy or Châteauneuf-du-Pape is of course also just right. A ChampagneHowever, a Riesling or Chablis must not be reminiscent of a Burgundy or Cabernet in terms of body. Even if the wine 'tastes' marvellous, too much body could indicate a lack of balance in the tested example of a particular wine variety. The wine then appears atypical and strange because it does not have the typical characteristics of this wine variety.

A marvellous champagne, for example, can have 'a lot of body' compared to other champagnes. A fantastic Burgundy can also convince with 'a lot of body'. Enjoyed one after the other, the Burgundy may suggest 'more body' than the Champagne. However, the conclusion that a Burgundy therefore has 'more body' than a Champagne may seem as wrong to many connoisseurs as, for example, claiming that a comfortable, large Mercedes represents 'more car' than, say, an elegant, sporty Porsche.

As long as a perceived richness of body does not go beyond the basic framework of the character of a particular type of wine, 'plenty of body' is to be understood as a positive evaluation.

ImageSecondarily, the visual impression also plays a role. Visually, some wines can appear somewhat 'thicker' when swirled in the glass compared to examples of the same type of wine. This is generally regarded as a visual indication of 'body'.

Another reference for 'body' is the observation of 'church windows'. The behaviour of the pearls is also observed in champagnes. For example, while the bubbles of one champagne burst quickly on the surface, the bubbles of another champagne may behave more leisurely and 'creamier'. The latter champagne should therefore have comparatively more 'body'. The colour intensity of the wine can also play a part in the overall weighting of the body.

 

 

 

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