The Wine Pair Podcast

Minisode #20: WTF Does Body in Wine Mean?

• The Wine Pair

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Body can feel like a wine nerd term, but it is a super important aspect of wine that has a huge impact on the wine drinking experience. If you are not sure why you should care or what it matters, we’ll tell you why. For instance, while the body of a wine does not impact the actual flavor of the wine, it can significantly impact your perception of flavor. We also help you to understand what influences body so that you can make better decisions when you are standing in the wine aisle feeling a little lost. 

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Show Notes

Minisode #20: WTF Does Body in Wine Mean?

Hi everyone, and welcome to this special mini-episode of The Wine Pair Podcast! I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair.

If you are new to The Wine Pair Podcast, these minisodes are just shorter versions of the regular podcast that we put on weeks where we might be traveling or handling other life stuff, and instead of tasting and reviewing two to three wines under $25 that are easy to find, which is what we usually do in our longer episodes, in these minisodes, we focus more on things like wine etiquette, wine education, and wine tips. And, we try to make it fun and understandable to regular, everyday people like us! And our podcast is recommended by Decanter magazine. Which is pretty fun.

So, Carmela, you’ve heard people talking about body in wine before, right? And we talk about it, too, but just what the heck is it?

Well, the easiest way to describe body is that it is the sensation of weight or fullness of wine in your mouth, and often wines are described as being big, or medium bodied or light-bodied. Think of body like the difference between whole milk, 2%, and skim. Whole milk feels heavier and creamier, while skim milk feels lighter and more watery. Wine works in a similar way.

So, body is not about flavor - it is about mouthfeel or what some people often call texture. Some wines feel very light - almost water-like in their lightness. Other wines feel thick, heavy, even oily or unctuous. And some are sort of in-between. 

The question you may ask next is - who cares? What difference does body make? Well, even though body has nothing to do with flavor, it does impact the perception of flavor in a wine. A heavier bodied wine feels heavy and intense, like it is filling your mouth with flavor. We often say that a big bodied wine feels like it is coating your mouth.  Some people say that the richness of a wine or the strength of a wine is impacted by body. It’s kind of like a milkshake - the flavor doesn’t change if it is thick or thin, but your experience of drinking it will change, and how it feels in your mouth, will definitely be different. 

So, what impacts body? There are lots of things, some of which are interconnected:

  • Alcohol matters the most - it is the main driver of body, and gives wine viscosity and weight. Remember, alcohol is heavier than water, so Higher alcohol = fuller body. Lower alcohol = lighter body. In general
  • Grape varieties can also impact body. Some grapes, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tannat, and Syrah are red wines that have bigger body, and white wines like oaked Chardonnay and Viognier are bigger bodied whites, while reds like Pinot Noir and Gamay are lighter bodied, as are whites like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, and Grüner Veltliner
  • The amount of residual sugar, or sugar left after fermentation, matters, too. More residual sugar will make a wine feel richer and thicker.
  • Oak aging and malolactic fermentation - which is a process that converts malic acid into lactic acid and reduces the sensation of acidity in a wine - as well as aging a wine on the lees - which is the dead yeast and remains of the grapes left behind in the wine making process - all can increase body in wine.
  • Finally, climate matters - and this is linked to sugar levels, which is linked to alcohol level. Warmer climates create grapes that have higher sugar content, which means more alcohol, which means more body. 


So, the final question is - how do you feel about body in wine, and what kind of body do you prefer. Carmela and I tend to prefer lighter to medium bodied wines in general. That is not a hard rule, but it is our tendency. Some people, on the other hand, prefer bigger, richer, and bolder wines. It is a matter of preference. One reason I think we tend to prefer relatively lighter wines, too, is that a heavier wine is going to impact a meal more. Lighter bodied wines are going to get in the way of the food less, unless you are eating a big, heavy meal. 

So that’s it. Now you know more about body in wine, why it matters, how you can start to tell if a wine is going to be bigger bodied or not, and most importantly, you can start to really pinpoint what it is about body in a wine that you prefer. And you can wow your friends with your amazing new knowledge. 

If you want to see the sources for our content today and get the links to learn more, come to our website, look for this minisode, and open up the show notes. 


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