Does this term mean the wine is 100% organic? Does it mean it\u2019s \u201cplain and simple in style\u201d, or \u201cplain in taste\u201d as Merriam-Webster defines? No, no, and no. While a wine that is organic CAN be earthy, an earthy wine is not necessarily organic, and an earthy wine is often the opposite of plain \u2014 though, a plain wine can have an earthy character. Sufficiently confused? Read on.<\/p>\n
If you have been drinking wine for a long time, you might already know the term \u201cearthy\u201d, and likely have experienced this characteristic. Wines described as \u201cearthy\u201d will have aromas and flavors of soil, minerals, vegetation, and\/or wet leaves. Yes, I said soil, and yes I mean as in dirt. Believe it or not, many people find dirt \u2014 er, earthiness \u2014 to be a positive element in a wine (myself included), as it adds to a wine\u2019s complexity.<\/p>\n
Typically \u201cearthy\u201d wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Aglianico, and Tempranillo, among others \u2014 though just about any red wine can pick up an \u201cearthy\u201d element. As you might guess, it\u2019s believed that the earthiness comes from the soil in which the vines are planted. Generally speaking, white wines are rarely described as \u201cearthy\u201d, although I\u2019ve had some wines with a component in the flavor or aroma that could be described as \u201cmushroom\u201d \u2014 and mushrooms come from the earth, so go figure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Does this term mean the wine is 100% organic? Does it mean it\u2019s \u201cplain and simple in style\u201d, or \u201cplain in taste\u201d as Merriam-Webster defines? No, no, and no. While a wine that is organic CAN be earthy, an earthy wine is not necessarily organic, and an earthy wine is often the opposite of plain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,51,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-2457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wine-basics","8":"tag-terroir","9":"tag-wine-basics","10":"tag-wine-terms"},"yoast_head":"\n