Is it possible to visualize wine in terms of shapes, rather than words?
Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, but you can call me Vinny. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the fine points of etiquette to the science of winemaking. And don't worry, I'm no wine snob—you can also ask me those "dumb questions" you're too embarrased to ask your wine geek friends! I hope you find my answers educational, empowering and even amusing. And don't forget to check out my most asked questions and my full archives for all my Q&A classics.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
I saw a wine tasting instructor explain a method for visualizing the structure of a wine using shapes to represent tannins and acidity. Have you heard of this method?
—Paul, San Francisco
Dear Paul,
I’ve seen some graphic representations of wine structure. Many wine lovers describe wines in terms of shape, using words like “round,” “angular,” etc.
I know of at least two winemakers who express their wines in shapes rather than words. In Oregon, Patrick Reuter of Dominio Wines has features his visual tasting notes on the Imagination Series labels. And Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch Wines in Paso Robles draws “Vinpressions,” which are drawings that represent her experience of tasting a wine.
Hopefully these are a good place for you to start coming up with your own system, and readers, let me know if you can think of any others!
—Dr. Vinny
