Wine Basics

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know about Body in Wine

Do you prefer wines that are big and powerful? Or light, delicate, refined?

Maybe somewhere right in the middle?

Everyone has a preference. It may be something you always gravitate towards, or it may depend on the social situation or what food you are pairing it with.

But overall, this is one of the easiest things to recognize about your preferences when first starting to drink wine. We call it the wine’s “body”.

So, what is Body?

When talking about the body of a wine, what we are referring to is the overall mouth-feel of the wine. As you swirl it around your palate, does it feel light and refreshing, or thicker and mouth-filling?

To give you a reference point, a light bodied wine would be comparable to lemonade, whereas a fully bodied wine may be more similar to whole milk. Ranges in the middle then could be compared to skim, 1%, and 2% milk.

Bear in mind, however, that it would be difficult to compare white and red wines on the exact same scale, as red wines do tend to sit on the fuller end of the scale, and whites on the lighter end. As you taste more and more wines, you will be able to create your own sense of where each wine falls compared to other similar wines.

An easy starting point would be this: unoaked Chardonnay (Chablis-style) will be light in body for a white, whereas a powerfully-oaked California Chardonnay would be a full body white. Pinot Noir would be a classic example of a light bodied red wine, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon.

So we know how to recognize body based on the overall feel, but that’s just the end result. What you are actually tasting is the combination of several different factors, all of which you will need to be familiar with independently as well.

These factors are acidity, tannins, sweetness and alcohol.

Much of this is going to be predetermined by the characteristics of the grape being used, but there is some wiggle room that the winemakers can play with as well.

Here we will break down each of these aspects affect on the body of the wine. If you want more information, we also have an article dedicated to everything you need to know about each one.

Body and Acidity

All wines are acidic to some degree. How much acidity is determined by the grape varietal and the time of harvest. As grapes ripen, they slowly drop in acidity as they increase in sugar. Some grape varietals are quick to ripen, and need to be picked early in the harvest so that they don’t lose too much acidity, and some retain high levels of acidity well into a later harvest, which make them ideal for sweeter wines.

Wines that are higher in acid tend to feel lighter in body.

Acidity is what makes the wine taste crisp and refreshing, just like lemonade. It makes your mouth-water, and your thirst is quenched.

Because of this, we often think first of white wines as prime examples: Chablis and Riesling. But there are also plenty of high acid reds, like Pinot Noir and Grenache. These are light bodied examples because of how the rest of the features combine, but full bodied reds can have high acidity as well. In fact, having high enough acidity is a key feature required for a wine to be able to age well.

Another key note is that acidity can help balance out sweetness levels in wine. If a sweet wine doesn’t have enough acidity, it will taste cloying. Acidity is what keeps it from becoming syrup.

A great example is champagne!

To learn more about acidity, click here.

Body and Tannin

Wines that are higher in tannin tend to feel higher in body. The tannins have a slightly grippy texture that fills up your mouth, and also causes a drying sensation.

This really only applies to red wines, however. Tannins come from the skin of the grape. Because white wines are pressed off of their skins very quickly, tannins aren’t a factor. Red wines, on the other hand, are fermented with their skins, and can be left together for quite a long time, resulting in the extraction of both tannin and colour.

Lower tannin reds include Gamay (Beaujolais), Pinot Noir, and Grenache.

Examples of higher tannin reds are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Nebbiolo (Barolo and Barbaresco).

Barolo Nebbiolo in particular spends quite a long period of time with it’s skins, over 50 days! But that’s because these wines are designed to age for decades, and that extra tannin provides the structure it needs.

To learn more about tannins, click here.

Body and Sweetness

Wines that are sweeter have fuller bodies than those that have been fermented dry.

High levels of residual sugar left over after fermentation increase the viscosity of the wine. This is particularly apparent in full sweet wines, which can start to look so thick they resemble syrup.

Sugar levels in the grape are determined by the varietal and how long it has been left to hang on the vine. As grapes ripen, they increase in sweetness and decrease in acidity. Some grapes are purposefully harvested later in the year to ensure these sugars are high enough, or are even left to freeze on the vine in order to create icewines.

Winemakers can also manipulate the amount of residual sugar left in a wine by stopping fermentation early. This is a great technique for wines that are a bit too high in acid, as the tiny amount of sweetness can act as camouflage.

In fact, this is quite common in mass-market wines designed for popular appeal – the almost undetectable amounts of residual sugar help to smooth everything out and make it more appealing to the general consumer.

To learn more about sweetness in wine, click here.

Body and Alcohol

Finally, alcohol has a significant impact on body as well. The higher the alcohol, the fuller in body the wine will taste.

It adds that powerful punch of heat that’s hard to ignore.

When yeast eats the sugar from the grapes, it creates alcohol, CO2, and heat. Therefore, grapes that have a higher sugar content will end up with a higher alcohol content if fermented fully dry.

Alcohol can also be added in the form of grape spirit to fortify wines.

If you want a drastic comparison, test out a Moscato against a port or sherry. Now that’s a big difference in alcohol!

When each of these components come together in balance, the resulting wine truly is greater than the sum of it’s parts. And now that you know what they all are, you can start to refine your taste even further. You knew you liked big reds, but now you can determine if that’s because of the alcohol or the tannins, and look for new wines to try with similar characteristics. Maybe you never liked sweet wines before, but that’s because you prefer wines with more refreshing acidity. Now you know! Use this knowledge to become a happier and more adventurous wine drinker.

Do you prefer wines that are big and bold, or light and refreshing? Let me know in the comments!