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superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s I’ve never really been a “leg man” when it comes
fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the to wine (and let’s just call them “tears” instead of
dimension of imagination. It is an area which…. legs), but the thickness of those somewhat syr-
(Sorry, but I’ve been dying to shove the “Twilight upy-looking trails that slither down the inside of the
Zone” intro into one of my bits.) Actually, it’s the glass point to the presence of glycerol (and alco-
dimension of the tactile and it is the zone where hol). The more glycerol the “oilier” or more viscous
those elements that give wine textures roam. The the wine will feel on the palate.
things that make them “silky” or “furry.” “Gritty” or
“velvety.” “Round” or “sharp.” Anyway, numerous tests concluded that these
fine thingamajigs do, in fact, combine to alter the
A highly extracted Alsace Gewurztraminer can textural nuances of a wine. And efforts have been
come off as almost oily or “creamy” on the palate. made, usually by the pointy-heads, to analyze, cat-
A brisk, unoaked Chablis can be steely. A raw young egorize and compartmentalize tactile variants. The
Cabernet will be puckeringly astringent. These results, for good or for ill, being “texture wheels”
non-flavour components are responsible for what (similar to the oft-cited UC Davis “aroma wheel”).
the cork dorks generally call “mouthfeel.” When a
wine has a particularly noteworthy mouthfeel you So now we know what creates texture in wine.
tend to resist the urge to swallow it right away. But what causes textures to differ? The answer is
Instead, you hold it in your mouth, roll it around, found in both nature and nurture.
maybe even chew on it a bit before sending it on its
way. “But how is this going to impress my dinner
guests/date/boss/Arabinogalactan-in-waiting?”
Some of you, perhaps a very few of you, might you whine annoyingly. To which I answer, “All good
care to know where these textural elements origi- things in time, grasshopper.” But seeing as there’s
nate. Given that I fall into the latter group, and I’m no time like the present, here we go.
writing this, I’ll give it a brief once over then let the
truly curious Google the night away. If you think about it, texture factors largely in how
a wine will tango with a particular morsel of food.
Rumour has it (or maybe it’s actually the truth,
who knows, but I’ve got a deadline pending and The zesty, electric acidity and mild sweetness of
can’t waste too much time researching), that two a kabinett level German Riesling offers the perfect
French dudes named Semichon (which, translated, foil for a creamy/salty dish, while the cleansing
means “half chon” and shouldn’t be confused with sparkle of a fine glass of fizz drums down the oily
Semicornichon, which, translated, means “half little character of smoked salmon. The drying astringen-
pickle”) and Flanzy (whatever) suggested (to whom cy of an austere young Bordeaux can be quelled by
nobody is sure) that substances called pectins pro- the proteins in a rare steak. And like the flavours
duced tactile sensations in the mouth. (Actually, and aromas of a wine, its texture can change with
a fellow named von Follenberg discovered these age.
things in 1914, but it’s harder to riff on his name.)
Some feel that the texture of a wine is the most
Pectins fall into the larger phylum of polysaccha- important aspect of the whole experience. David
rides, and within this party of “Ps” reside a few Ramey of Sonoma’s Ramey Wine Cellars is one
interesting members including Arabinogalactan of those types. How important is texture to him?
proteins (AGP’s - originating in a galaxy far, far “From my perspective, it’s huge. I don’t care if a
away populated - secretly - by those of Arabian wine smells like apples, peaches or whatever, but I
descent), Type II Rhamnogalacturonas (RG-IIs; sung, really care that it feels good in my mouth. Focusing
albeit with difficulty, to the tune of The Knack’s My excessively on a wine’s aroma is like focusing on
Sharona) and Mannoprotiens (MP’s; typically found cologne while making love – it’s not the main
dozing in Canadian parliament but also, apparently, event.” I’ll take his word for it.
found in wine – or into wine, as the case may be.)
By the by, I’m not making this stuff up, at least not Here’s something you can try at home (where else
the names; the descriptors are, however, proudly these days?) with minimal cash, fuss and planning
my own. that will show you how wine and food can both

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