Complex wines!

You have probably heard someone describe a wine as complex. But do you know exactly how to tell if a wine is complex? And if a wine has complexity, it may have several complexity degrees. Can any of us be able to realize that complexity? Or is it a rather complex task?

ers: aromatic, flavour and even texture. But, let's go in parts to understand what kind of aromas a wine may have.

Technically a wine is complex when it has a wide array of layers: aromatic, flavour and even texture. But, let's go in parts to understand what kind of aromas a wine may have.

A wine may develop three types of aromas: primary, secondary and tertiary.   

The primary aromas come from the grapes and can be fruity, floral, vegetal and mineral.

Secondary aromas result from the alcoholic fermentation process and malolactic fermentation and mainly depend on the type of yeast used. Alcoholic fermentation may release wine-scented, apple, tropical fruit, banana, citrus, red fruit, floral, honey and baking aromas such as biscuits and breadcrumbs. Wines that undergo malolactic fermentation (second fermentation) develop creamy lactic aromas, such as butter, yoghurt, cream and aged cheeses.

Tertiary aromas appear with ageing in barrels and bottles. They are named "bouquet" because they are enveloping and assorted. With age, wine can develop countless aromas such as tar, coffee, cigar box, cedar, chocolate, mushroom, jam, spices such as nutmeg and ginger, smoke, walnuts, resin, tobacco, earth, and truffle, among others.

Naturally, identifying each aroma is a task that requires training, but more important than naming each one is to understand what type of aroma a wine has. And, the more ageing aromas it has, the more complex the wine.

While a young wine has a fruity, vegetal, floral and/or mineral character (primary aromas), an aged wine will lose this varietal character and acquire many layers (the so-called bouquet we talk so much about).

Os peritos definem o vinho como "amplo" se puder estimular as papilas gustativas com diferentes sensações e nuances. Estes vinhos são geralmente bem equilibrados, ou seja, a acidez, os taninos, o álcool e o açúcar estão todos em harmonia, e nenhum deles domina os outros componentes.

A complex wine is always so interesting. Its multiple layers fill our palate and, between one sip and another, are constantly changing. The experts define wine as "broad" if it can stimulate the taste buds with different sensations and nuances. These wines are generally well balanced, i.e., the acidity, tannins, alcohol and sugar are all in harmony, and none overpower the other components.

If the wine has several grapes, its complexity tends to be higher. The combined distinctive characteristics of each grape variety will bring out a more complex range of aromas and flavours, harder to identify.

A complex wine is generally a higher quality wine. Only great wines can age well and develop their aromatic bouquet.

Enjoy tasting different degrees of complex wines now that you understand the definition of a complex wine. You will see that it is not such a complex task as it seems!