Can We Taste Minerality In Wine?

When taking the first nip of a new glass of wine one almost instantly tries to figure out which flavors and aromas we are tasting. It is often almost impossible not to do so. It just happens. It looks as if our senses and brain are programmed that way. So when for example we sip our glass of Gruner Veltliner from Wachau, we can hardly avoid the idea that we are tasting the mineral quality of the slate or wet stone in the soil. Now the question is: do we actually taste the mineral components from the soil itself where the vines were growing? To answer this we have to go a little deeper into the process of grape growing and tasting.

Minerality in wine is the exhilarating taste
where the crispness of wet stones and the electric charge of flint
ignite a bracing, elemental dance on the palate.

Starting with the soil composition and its influence on grape growing we can state that the minerals in the soil – like calcium, magnesium, potassium and trace minerals – can affect the way grapevines grow and develop. For example, soil can influence the water availability to the vines, the root structure, and the overall health of the grapevines. We can also state that some of the minerals in the soil are actually absorbed by the plant. Only their function is one of support regarding the growth of the plant, like the construction of the cell structure, photosynthesis and energy transfer. The minerals themselves however are not traceable in the final grapes. So the impact of the minerals in the soil does not have a direct link with the wine. This means the minerals in the soil can only indirectly affect the wine’s sensory characteristics. More specifically, the minerals present in the soil can only influence the chemical composition of the grapes like their acidity, flavor compounds and overall balance. It is these consequential factors which can contribute to the perception of minerality in the wine.

Tasting is a form of sensory alchemy
creating a deeply personal and inexplicable experience
which merely transcends biology, chemistry and psychology

So now we know how things technically work we come to the tasting side: the sensory perception. In that respect, the ‘minerality’ in wine refers to the sensation of freshness, crispness or a certain flintiness that can be reminiscent of minerals. Unlike primary tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami – minerality does not result from a specific ‘mineral particle’. This means it also doesn’t correspond with one of the specific taste receptors. It is rather an overall effect in terms of the mouthfeel and flavor complexity. A perception which is created by the overall balance of the wine, including its acidity, texture and flavor complexity, and the specific way how it interacts with the olfactory and tactile senses.

I come from the vine but not from the earth
A whisper of stone in a sip of wine
Not salt, not sweet, yet there I dwell
Can you name the taste I tell?

Ergo, it’s the complex interaction of the wine’s acidity, structure and aromatic profile which creates a sensory impression of minerality, without any presence of specific mineral particles out of the soil in which the vines are grown. So if there is no direct trace in the wine itself, this sensation of tasting minerality is just a mentally constructed idea, based on the recognition of previously experienced similar tastes. Meaning we do experience minerality, although it’s not caused by minerals from the terroir.

Good vibes!

Corné van Nijhuis
World’s first self-declared Vinosopher