Graph is useful but only a guideline. For example Cru Beaujolais like Morgon can often be “bigger” than Pinot Noir.
PissdInUrBtleOCaymus
Very general. Not absolute.
Mercurius-Wings
Yeah , I typical read these things as tendency, not absolute as you’ve said. I typically go to Cabs and note lot of variation
strelitzaz
Mourvèdre is bolder than cab sauv? Cab franc and Carmenere are that much lighter than merlot? Is wine folly okay?
UTMico
Where’s a Barolo or Amarone?
donpelota
I was searching for my friend Tannat and there they were at the top of the scale!
DerDoppelganger
The more I look at this the more harmful it becomes. What are they using to define boldness and body? So many are not lining up.
jflip13
This seems fairly accurate. We make a Sagrantino and I wouldn’t put it after a Cab but I live in California so . . .
jacob62497
Sagrantino is accurate. Montefalco Sagrantino can be like liquid sandpaper, tannins are insane
Hambonelouis
You thought wrong…mwuhahaha…
fddfgs
This seems to be more about how tannic each variety can potentially be.
posternutbag423
Why they gotta do corvina like that?? 🤷🏼♂️
dlsmith93
It’s okay for a beginners learning aide, but I’d be much happier if this was labeled generally as a tannin level chart rather than “boldness”
xxLOPEZxx
Carmenere fucks
Mysterious-Candle-54
Wine folly tends to paint in black and white in a medium without absolutes. It’s useful at the start of your wine journey but quickly fades away into the background.
chadparkhill
I think the problem with this graph—beyond the fair complaint that what to expect from any given variety varies significantly by producer, viticulture, and terroir—is that there’s not really a clear idea of what “boldness” actually is.
Is it body? In that case you’d want to move Nebbiolo up, because it is famously light-bodied and high in acid—just with tannins that can rip your face off.
Is it fruit weight? In that case you’d definitely want to move Negroamaro down, and you could make pretty compelling cases to move Grenache and Merlot down too.
Is it unusual and easily identifiable varietal characteristics? In that case Carménère and Aglianico have been done dirty, but Pinotage is sitting pretty.
Is it tannin? Tannat’s position as the “boldest” seems to indicate as much, but then Cabernet Sauvignon should at least swap places with Syrah, and Pinotage should get the hell out of dodge.
Is it potential alcohol content/physiological ripeness? Move Mourvèdre up and Zinfandel down.
Is it a combination of all of the above? As far as the general consumer uses the term, probably. But those contradictions are also why it’s next to useless as a wine descriptor.
16 Comments
Graph is useful but only a guideline. For example Cru Beaujolais like Morgon can often be “bigger” than Pinot Noir.
Very general. Not absolute.
Yeah , I typical read these things as tendency, not absolute as you’ve said. I typically go to Cabs and note lot of variation
Mourvèdre is bolder than cab sauv? Cab franc and Carmenere are that much lighter than merlot? Is wine folly okay?
Where’s a Barolo or Amarone?
I was searching for my friend Tannat and there they were at the top of the scale!
The more I look at this the more harmful it becomes. What are they using to define boldness and body? So many are not lining up.
This seems fairly accurate. We make a Sagrantino and I wouldn’t put it after a Cab but I live in California so . . .
Sagrantino is accurate. Montefalco Sagrantino can be like liquid sandpaper, tannins are insane
You thought wrong…mwuhahaha…
This seems to be more about how tannic each variety can potentially be.
Why they gotta do corvina like that?? 🤷🏼♂️
It’s okay for a beginners learning aide, but I’d be much happier if this was labeled generally as a tannin level chart rather than “boldness”
Carmenere fucks
Wine folly tends to paint in black and white in a medium without absolutes. It’s useful at the start of your wine journey but quickly fades away into the background.
I think the problem with this graph—beyond the fair complaint that what to expect from any given variety varies significantly by producer, viticulture, and terroir—is that there’s not really a clear idea of what “boldness” actually is.
Is it body? In that case you’d want to move Nebbiolo up, because it is famously light-bodied and high in acid—just with tannins that can rip your face off.
Is it fruit weight? In that case you’d definitely want to move Negroamaro down, and you could make pretty compelling cases to move Grenache and Merlot down too.
Is it unusual and easily identifiable varietal characteristics? In that case Carménère and Aglianico have been done dirty, but Pinotage is sitting pretty.
Is it tannin? Tannat’s position as the “boldest” seems to indicate as much, but then Cabernet Sauvignon should at least swap places with Syrah, and Pinotage should get the hell out of dodge.
Is it potential alcohol content/physiological ripeness? Move Mourvèdre up and Zinfandel down.
Is it a combination of all of the above? As far as the general consumer uses the term, probably. But those contradictions are also why it’s next to useless as a wine descriptor.