Puzzling over with Minerality

" We often hear about Minerality - Mineral in wine descriptions, sounds fascinating and complicate.What is really Minerality were is coming from ? There are a lot of studies, scientific researches and theories about it.But lets put all that on the side lets not complicate thinks. Minerality is beautiful and vital, is one of the elements for a Sommeliers to identify wines during blind tastings "

"Minerality can be noticed as aromas ,taste or both.It has a sense of a specific soil, element ,it’s like a rock type lime stones, gravel.It can be like Chalk or even in form of Saline and flint.

A sense of chalkboard,sea salt , oysters shells,wet stones or a rainy soil."

"Tasting those elements by itself ( yes it is awkward i know but it want kill you, try lick it..that sounds even more awkward,boil it first to remove all microorganism.) its a bit unpleasant (sour, salty,bitter) This is were the rest components of wine come in, especially the acidity helps to reveal the beautiful sense of minerality in wine."

Some Mineral wines to try

Chablis expressing a distinctive character of the region lime stones, chalk and seashells.

Assyrtiko from Santorini reveals clay and volcanic minerality.

Chenin Blanc give us a plot of stone minerality .

Xynisteri few of them , mostly from Paphos reveals hints of Saline or from Krasochoria area volcanic and stone minerals.

Pinot Noir from Chile shows lime stone minerality .

"So it is possible that minerality comes from the soil (terroir) and micro climate into vines "

Marios Constantinides sommelier

click here to find out about Tannin click here to find out about acidity