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JoaquinDinero's avatar

Is your concept of "frequency" in flavor roughly an expression of acidity / sugar ratio?

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Eveline Chartier's avatar

Thanks for your interest Joaquin. This has nothing to do with the wine's structure (sweetnesss/dryness, acidity, tannin and alcohol levels). The frquency concept is only about aromas and flavours. Does that make sense?

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JoaquinDinero's avatar

What about with respect to the other fruits that are used as flavor comparisons? Like, do the benchmark red fruits tend towards more zingy acidity and black fruits more sugar? And that aspect contributes to those different flavor profiles? That's really where I was going with my question, just didn't explain it very well 🤷‍♂️

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Eveline Chartier's avatar

I understood where you were coming from and the logic behind it. 99% of wines I deal with are dry. So the sweetness/dryness level variable is eliminated. Acidity will vary but the frequency concept still holds. Flavour and aroma is mainly determined by variety and its grape growing and winemaking. Happy to continue to discuss. It is helpful to test this concept. 🙏🙏

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Eveline Chartier's avatar

Cab Sauv from Bordeaux will typically be high acidity and be lower frequency as it is black fruit as an example.

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Eveline Chartier's avatar

Perhaps there is more perception of acidity in red fruit flavoured wines due to a mental association. Just like when a wine is fruit dominant we can sometimes perceive them as sweeter despite it being bone dry, particularly with aromatic whites.

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JoaquinDinero's avatar

Yea, I think there's something to that. It's perceptively similar.

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Eveline Chartier's avatar

Just like how cinnamon seems sweet. You have me thinking in case you cannot tell. 😄

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JoaquinDinero's avatar

Likewise. 😆

I feel like there's got to be some kind of biochemical basis for this. Like some flavor compounds in cinnamon, or fruity dry wine, or blackberries, trigger the sweet receptors on your tongue in a similar way as sugar ?

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Mark Spivak's avatar

Excellent post. I think it's worth mentioning that the monasteries became centers of winemaking because they were one of the few places that had the time and the capital to do so.

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Eveline Chartier's avatar

Thanks so much Mark! So true about the time and capital. Unlike the rest of the population who were struggling to survive. It was, so to speak, their hay day!

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Robbie Staves's avatar

Your "frequency" method was so helpful, and continues to shine a light on fruit aroma/flavor descriptors for me. It is a game changer when learning to taste wine! I loved this article. The fun thing about wine is that it is not just the wine in the glass, but the history and geography behind it. So cool.

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Eveline Chartier's avatar

I love how much buzz this "frequency" concept is creating! You may have noticed the discussion above! This is giving me the opportunity to test the concept! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment Robbie!

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