Excuse my forwardness

One of the great things about teaching, is how much you learn. While this term was not new to me, I was surprised to find how universal the concept was for my students. They immediately understood the distinction between Fruit Forward and Structure Forward wines.

A wine that is balanced on the side of the fruit is fruit forward. Wines that emphasize acidity and tannin over fruit, are structure forward. Most wines tend to fall into one of these two classes, and as often as not, it is a geographical distinction.

Wines of the New World tend to be fruitier. The wines of Europe tend to be more structured. Some may equate this with the outgoing nature of the New World, but I think it has less to do with taste and more to do with application, and climate.

Europe can be grey and dingy compared to some wine making regions in the New World (with California being the notable example). Sunshine translates to higher sugar potential, and since sugar and acidity are in inverse proportion in the ripening grape, these sun soaked wines will almost always lean towards the fruitier side.

In the US in particular, wine is often served as and almost considered, a cocktail. In Europe people are brought up with wine at the table. They are used to having it served with most meals, and so they almost always have food with their wines.

Structured wines tend to be less delightful when they are just consumed on their own, as opposed to with a meal. The acidity in particular is tempered by the addition of food, and occasionally the food is that much better for the accompaniment.

This does not mean that fruit forward wines do poorly with food, but the emphasis on fruit over acidity does make them easier to enjoy on their own.

This emphasis on fruit reaches its apex in the wines made from the Zinfandel grape. While almost all Zins are fruit forward, some like Turley and Biale can be so intensely fruity as to have detractors. Personally I love these types of wines, so I will not join in with the nay sayers.

Taste comes into play when you select a wine. The winemakers have already made their choice and have emphasized fruit or structure (or in same scenarios found a perfect balance between the two). Now you have to choose.

Do you want a wine that is easy to enjoy before a bite of food has passed your lips, or do you want a wine that will create a synergistic food pairing (the whole being greater than the sum of the parts)?

It is harder to make a fruit forward wine in the Old World than it is to make a structure forward wine in the New. Wine making techniques are leveling the playing field, but for fruit lovers, the wines of the Americas, and Australasia will always have an edge.

For those that prefer their wines to be a bit more austere, with the hopes for a greater food affinity, Europe will almost always be your first choice.

I am well known for preferring a nice Zin to an Italian wine, especially of comparable cost. Now I have an easy way to explain my inclination. Fruit vs. structure. It is all a matter of taste, both yours, and the wine's.

Oh, and for those of you keeping track, this posting could be considered the second anniversary of this blog.