Relative Sweetness/Score chart

[quijote]

The Quijote finally be at home now....

The book I have is the first edition (1996) of _Jancis Robinson's Wine Course_ published by Abbeville Press.

There are _two_ wine charts in this book, one for whites and one for reds. The horizontal axis of both charts goes from Bone Dry to Dry to Medium Dry to Medium Sweet to Sweet. The vertical axis of both charts gauges alcohol level, which sort of (but not exactly) correlates to body.

All sorts of wine categories, varieties, and brands are written into the charts, to show where they fall according to dryness/sweetness and alcohol/body.

Both charts have a side margin, parallel to the vertical axis, that lists food pairings for the wines listed.

Also in the first section of the book is Robinson's version of an aroma wheel; it lists different kinds of wine in a circle and identifies each wine with a predominant flavor or aroma characteristic. The idea is to show the different wines in a sort of continuum.

I would think that these charts provide a good starting point for understanding of different variables in red and white wines, but keep in mind what others here have said. Right now I'm drinking a Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley-Castle Rock) that has 13.5% alcohol--way more body than what the book would suggest for a Pinot (11-12% alcohol).

In the aroma wheel, Robinson has young Pinot Noir (like the one I'm drinking) linked predominantly to the aroma and flavor of raspberry, though the Pinot I'm drinking has a flavor profile much more akin to a hearty red zinfandel. (A touch of raspberry, perhaps, but lots of "darker" flavors such as plum, cocoa, and espresso. Also, many people tend to link Pinot first and foremost to the aroma and flavor of cherries.)

So get a copy of this book if what I've described interests you, but be skeptical of the overgeneralizations. Otherwise, you may miss out on some really good juice.


[This message has been edited by quijote (edited 12-07-2003).]