Subtle: Describes delicate wines with finesse, or flavors that are understated rather than full-blown and overt. A positive characteristic.
Subtle: Complex and balanced; implies more participating elements than "delicate," but balance is critical. A wine that's "outrageous" or "in-your-face" may be complex, but it isn't likely to be subtle.
SUBTLE: Delicate wines with finesse and elegance. Understated flavors that are well integrated and inspiring.
SUPPLE: Describes texture, mostly with reds, as it relates to tannin, body and oak. Tends to indicate well balanced.
Subtle, earthy mushrooms. The choice of this pricey fungus as a descriptor strongly implies a favorable intent, as is not necessarily the case with its cousin "mushroom."
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Subtlety is further defined as "elusively thin or tenuous" (Random House Dictionary) and these terms are not a compliment for wine.
Good subtle colour, tannin and acidity.
Body, Dry/Sweet
Lighter bodied than Cabernet Sauvignon and particularly soft when blended.
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Forward, subtle, elegant wines
Weather Conditions
The spring was fine and warm and flowering was early over much of the region. Summer temperatures were lower than average however and this slowed the vineyards down.
Style
Subtle, soft and velvety. Lower in tannic bitterness and higher in alcohol than Cabernet Sauvignon.
Body, Dry/Sweet
Soft, often complex texture.
Intricate
Subtle, complex interplay among of aromas and flavors in a fine wine.
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K ...
Designates the subtle taste of a wine with less than 12% alcohol.
Denatured :
A spirit to which a substance is added to render it unsuitable for consumption, with the aim in mind to avoid the heavy taxes which are imposed.
One of the most subtle of wine grapes and producing some of the most complex and variable wines, Pinot Noir in Burgundy is noteworthy for the way it reflects the character of the soil - "terroir," as the French call it.
Flowery: The subtle taste and aroma of blossoms found in a wine. Not to be confused with sweetness.
Fortified: Wines that are made stronger by adding brandy.
Foxy: The wild taste found in some North American grape varieties.
Quietly fruit and subtle tasting but still grapey smelling member of the muscat family. Delivers good, crisp dry whites with notable aroma.
Also known as, Muskotaly.
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Velvety
Smooth, subtle, rich and harmonious, with no edge of harshness. An imprecise texture description that implies delicious smoothness, typically used to describe red Burgundy and fine Pinot Noir.
barrel-fermentedSome white wines, notably Chardonnay, may be fermented in barrels rather than in stainless steel to impart a subtle oak character. barriqueSmall French oak barrel.
The term usually describes lighter bodied, acidic white wines with subtle flavours. The term usually suggests a red wine with insufficient flavour and high acidity.
autolysis:The decomposition of yeast cells remaining after fermentation.
Intricate, full of subtle, harmonious smells and flavors, delicately bound together.
Legs. The name given to the rivulets that run slowly down the inside of a glass after a wine has been swirled. Legs are generally indicative of a rich wine.
Delicate A term used similar to charm but more often relates to the more subtle notes of a wine.
Depth A term used to denote a wine with several layers of flavor. An aspect of complexity.
Generally refers to a quality wine with subtle layers of flavor that go deep. Opposite of shallow.
Developed: Refers to the maturity of a wine.
Fermenting wines in oak barrels tends to impart a more subtle oak character than simply aging them in oak barrels. Successful barrel fermentation makes the wine rounder, and creamier, with a hint of butter, toast, spice, and vanilla.
Blend ...
Brining makes for a juicier bird and the subtle flavors of the brine soak into the turkey. Kosher salt works well for the brine because it dissolves more easily than table salt.
delicate As this word implies, delicate wines are light, subtle, understated wines that are prized for their shyness rather than for an extroverted, robust character. White wines are usually more delicate than red wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a dry red wine that can age for decades and becomes more complex and subtle as a result. Signature aromas in its youth include blackcurrant, cassis, blackberry, herbs and cedar or oak.
The glass is then again brought to the nose and the taster makes a deeper inhalation absorbing all the related subtler aromas that are a part of the wine. The other technique involves one single deep whiff to soak up all the bouquet of the wine.
In the 1970s, the French enologist Emile Peynaud recommended that Barbera producers use small oak barrels for fermentation and maturation in order to add subtle oak spice flavors and limited levels of oxygenation to soften the wine.
Red wines, at least partly because of their ability to form more complex subtleties, are typically more expensive. Some of the most expensive come from Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Regaleali Bianco teases the nose with subtle aromas of pear, straw, and lemon, but the wine really comes alive in the mouth.
and has become synonymous with a different style of wine to that produced in France - to such an extent that Southern French 'varietals' may now display Shiraz to indicate a rich, ripe, upfront style that the locals might consider lacked subtlety.
While subtle oakiness that integrates well with the other aromas and flavors in wine is often desireable, excessive oakiness can be a flaw.
Broad: A full-bodied, complex wine with plenty of subtleties.
Brunello Montalcino: The Brunello grape is grown in the town of Montaleino in southern Tuscany. It produces a full-bodied, rich, powerful, long-lived wines.
Each muscat produces, with subtle variation, wines with the distinct, intense, aromatic, sweet, and easily-recognized scent of muscat and, unusual for most wine varieties, that actually taste like grapes.
French barrels impart more subtle wood flavors to wine than do American oak barrels.
Fruit character
Characteristics of a wine that are derived from the grape, such as aroma, flavor, tannin, acidity and extract.
Fruity ...
Different varietals have both subtle and obvious differences in taste and character.
In very general, you will likely notice that Old World wines tend to be more subtle in flavor and more reserved in profile than the bolder, expressive counterparts found in the New World wines.
In California, a similarly named grape is used to make a fruity, rather subtle wine similar to the simpler versions of Chardonnay. Used in many of the better champagne style sparkling wines of California because of its acid content and clean flavor.
Undifferentiated nuts, may be present as a subtle flavor element in any wine or as a predominant characteristic in a Sherry, Madeira or Tawny Port ... or, as above, in a "maderized" wine that's over the hill.
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Intricate-Interweaving of subtle complexities of aroma and flavor.
Legs-The viscous rivulets that run down the side of the glass after swirling or sipping, a mingling of glycerin and alcohol.
Length-Lingering aftertaste.
Burgundy wines are of a velvety and subtle red or of a sensual and characteristic white.
Read more about Burgundy Wines with Amazon.com:
- Burgundy: The 90 Greatest Wines
The most basic information on the wine of Burgundy are: ...
Smoky: Describes a subtle wood-smoke aroma.
Spicy: Describes the presence of spice flavours such as anise, cinnamon, cloves, mint and pepper, often present in complex wines.
A relatively full red wine with tannin and a fixed acid content can develop complexity subtlety and smooth mellowness with age.
Herbaceous
A positive term used to describe the subtle aroma of herbs in Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. When such an odor is too pronounced, it is negatively described as vegetal.
Fruitiness: Of course wine is made from grapes, but the magic of fermentation gives most wines subtle aromas of other fruits as well.
Smoky:
Term used to describe
a subtle wood-smoke aroma and
also some wines that seem
to pick up a smoky aroma from
the earth in which they are grown.
Elegant Describes balanced, harmonious, refined wines; subtle rather than a highly-extracted blockbuster.
Fading Describes a wine that is losing color or flavor, usually as a result of age.
Elegante (elegant) Well balanced wine leaving a light, subtle sensation in the bouquet and on the palate.
Equilibrado (well balanced) Wine with well combined and defect-free taste and smell.
COMPLEX: A very subjective term that refers to a wine or beer exhibits a variety of (usually subtle) flavours and/or aromas, consequently these drinks are always very interesting to drink. 'Classic' beers generally seem to contain some complexity.
Graceful: Describes a wine that is harmonious and pleasing in a subtle way.
Graft: A vineyard technique in which the bud-producing part of a grapevine is attached to an existing root.
Further out in the appellation there is a subtle plateau which is dominated by gravel with clay, and it is these soil types that play host to the better vineyards.
Pinot Blanc
A traditional grape of Burgundy, Pinot Blanc is a subtle varietal that should be gently taken through a cool fermentation and then barrel aged.
Caramel
A distinctive odour in heated sweet wines and a subtle component of Champagne.
Cask
A large wooden container used for making or storing wines.
French vermouths are subtler, and rely as much on aroma as taste for their flavor impact. Some specific vermouth formulas are also no longer sold under the name vermouth, but rather under special names, e.g.
Complex: A wine with numerous odors and flavors, each one usually rather subtle.
Corked: A moldy odor and flavor from a fungus-infected cork.
Chardonnay (wide variations; vanilla, tropical fruit, nuts, subtle apples and butter) ...
Pour the wine into small, round wine glasses. These deliver the flavor in a subtle way.
Tips & Warnings ...
Aglianico
noble red wine of Southern Italy. It is very concentrated and impenetrably tannic in youth. Bottle age yields a subtle fruit and nobly balanced flavor ...
Barrel Fermented
Wines (especially white wines) that are fermented in oak barrels. In general the ‘oaky’ character of these wines is more subtle than that of wines that have been merely barrel aged.
Vinous: Literally, "wine-like" in terms of liveliness and sound acidity, but this term is often used to describe the overall impression conveyed by a wine beyond its simple fruitiness, including subtle flavors that come from the soil that ...
(see also LINGERING). Refers to a premium wine that demands more attention, it fills the mouth with a developing flavor, there are subtle layers of flavor that go "deep."
DESSERT WINE ...
2. Swirl the glass around gently, holding your glass by the stem or foot, in order to release the aroma (forward smells that come from the grape) and bouquet (subtle scents that develop as a result maturing and oak aging).
can noticeably contaminate up to about 5% of all wines bottled under cork and produce subtle unpleasant characters in many more. T.C.A.
 See also: Wine, Fruit, Red, Aroma, White
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