🍷 Minerality

Minerality is a disputed word for "stony", slightly salty sensations in wine. It is used when a wine shows shades of wet stone, flint, chalk or sea breeze. Most often it describes white wines with high acidity.

Many like to think the taste comes from minerals in the soil that the vine took up with its roots. But scientists have found no direct link. Plants absorb minerals, yet their taste cannot simply be passed on to wine. Most likely the sensation comes from acidity, salts and certain aroma compounds. So the word remains a subject of debate.

Minerality is linked to flinty, chalky and limestone terroir. It is often mentioned for wines of Chablis, the Loire or the Mosel. It is part of the general language for describing wine aroma, but not a precise scientific term. If you hear the word, remember it describes an impression, not a composition.