Art Chowder September | October, Issue 23 | Page 45

P
roust employs the aromas around
his aunt’s estate to illuminate the
difference from those to which we are
accustomed, to those which elevate
us.  In wine, natural acidity does the
same trick; it elevates our ability to
differentiate depth in the flavor of our
meal, identifying the “pious smells,”
and raising them to poetry when they
deserve.

All wine has bright acidity; some
wines have more — as in the visual
arts, some colors are brighter, some
more comfortable, some louder, some
sharper.  New tasters usually prefer
sweeter, easier smells; experience
teaches us that “sweet” obscures fla-
vor.  Wine’s acidity works the same as
lemon’s acidity to evoke more flavor
from food.
Reviews of wines in magazines de-
scribe higher acid wines as “bright,”
“zingy” or “crisp.”  We read these
components as balance to the rich-
ness of wine, as fruit sweetness alone
would seem “heavy.”  We prefer
balance over extremity.

Here’s the overlooked fact of how
wine gets its flavor.  The grape variety
used to make a wine is the single best
determiner of that wine’s taste.  
Identify a favorite grape variety and
the road to finding more delicious
wine lays out plainly.  Simple geogra-
phy identifies the European versions;
European wines are labelled with the
geography in which they grew, their
own Proustian gardens elevated by
culture and tradition and storerooms.

Within this favorite variety, the biggest influence on its character is temperature. 
From vineyard to glass, temperature of the climate and the growing season determine
the parameters for how that grape expresses wine.  Is it bold and strong?  Is it light
and sharper?  For wine, these factors are determined by aspect, latitude and altitude. 

As average temperature decreases moving away from the Equator, so wines from
latitudes further north, or south, are subject to cooler growing conditions.  Grapes
from cooler climes more likely make higher acid wines.
Exploring a favorite grape variety from different conditions of latitude or altitude is a
sommelier’s best trick to really knowing that grape — and using its native acidity.

Acidity supports the star on the stage of the plate.  Mustard’s piquancy delivers
balance to hamburgers as easily as to Steak Diane; blue-veined cheeses and Granny
Smith apples carry brighter acidity to their dishes.  Squeeze a lemon over your shell-
fish or sprinkle malt vinegar over your fish and chips to the same effect as wine’s
bright acidity on a meal.  The 3D glasses of cinema provide a rich metaphor to the
depth possible in food.

Many aspects of temperature control in the winery and cellar maintain or convey the
climate’s influence on the grape variety; here are a few examples off the beaten path
that use their cooler climate to good effect on our autumnal bounty and diversity of
food.
September | October 2019
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