Bitterness in Wines

Video Transcript

"Bitterness might not sound like something that tastes good, but actually, a little bit of bitterness is a good thing. Bittersweet chocolate is not as sweet without the bitter; by the way. It's part of an overall flavor profile, and something that you shouldn't be afraid of in your wine. An interesting thing about bitterness is it takes a little while for your perception of bitterness to evolve on your palate; it will not be the first thing that you notice. You might not even notice it until after you swallow and exhale on the aftertaste, or maybe after the wine's been in your mouth a while, or you've been drinking a while. You can get bitterness in some white wines, especially those that are high in alcohol, or those that have been aged in oak. You might look for a little nice bit of bitterness in a Sauvignon Blanc, a Fume` Blanc, or a Chardonnay; however, almost all red wines will have a little bit of bitterness in their overall flavor profile. To look for the bitterness, take a nice sip of red wine. Draw your attention to the back of your tongue; you have two little specialized areas of taste receptors on the middle of the back of your tongue. Swallow and exhale, and you'll notice a little bit of bitterness is coming through . It will also last a while, because bitterness on your palate takes a while to evolve, and then it doesn't go away too quickly, so don't be turned off by a little bit of bitterness. It's a good thing in a nice balance of a red wine, or even a hardy white wine."