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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
In evaluating the acidity of a wine that has an essence of pepper—such as Zinfandel—how do you avoid mistaking the bite of the pepper for the zing of acidity?
—Maria B., Kansas City, Mo.
Dear Maria,
For most people, the terms "pepper" and "acidity" are used to describe very different characteristics in wine. When I come across pepper in a wine, it's either in the aromatics, the flavor, or both. It can be white pepper, black pepper or chile peppers. It can sometimes be so fresh, spicy and fragrant that it seems freshly crushed, as if someone were grinding a peppermill under my nose. On the other hand, acidity is something I feel more than I taste. Acid gives a wine structure—and while it might amplify flavor, acidity itself is not a flavor. Acidity is a mouthwatering tingle, the sensation of a squirt of lemon, juiciness in your mouth.
—Dr. Vinny
Do you have a question for me? Fire away!
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