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Wine words that buzz with electricity

Catch up with the latest catch phrases
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The wine world is full of buzzwords, some important, some not so useful. But this week we look at a few of the latest ones you can use to further your understanding of wine and, yes, even impress a few people if the mood should strike. Who knows? Maybe some of your wine-drinking friends will mistake you for a knowledgeable wine geek.

One of the most controversial topics in the wine business right now is natural wine or, should I say, its definition. Since there's no firm delineation of the word "natural" you can go to town on its meaning, including suggesting, as some have, that natural wines are fault ridden and taste too funky.

The parameters begin in the vineyard: no herbicides, no pesticides. After that, the conversation wanders to the use of indigenous yeasts versus the commercial variety, or sulphur dioxide, tartaric acid, powdered tannins — well, you get the drill: any additives are suspect.

Diversity and terroir dovetail nicely into the conversation, which eventually leads to the need for certification and more explanation. You could start your conversation with organic or biodynamic growers, and see where it goes from there.

Almost all organic or biodynamic wines refer to the farming methods used in growing grapes not what winemaking method is used, and it is here where they split with natural wines.

Natural wines are almost impossible to locate here in British Columbia but we do have a growing selection of organic and biodynamic wines you can check out. They're well worth looking for, not to mention healthier for you.

Among my favourites is the humble Soleus by MontGras Cabernet Sauvignon Organic 2009 $13. So fresh and fragrant, this savoury red is soft and juicy with a mix of black fruits, vanilla and just a hint of toast. A perfect mid-week red that expresses its Chilean origins and its cabernet sauvignon make-up.

An equally delicious white wine choice is the Bonterra Vineyards Chardonnay 2010 $19 from Mendocino County in Northern California. This is an all-organic chardonnay — including the winemaking — that opens with citrus and red apple aromas and just a touch of lees/bread dough to lift it above the ordinary. The palate is similar with dry buttery, nutty, citrus, fruit flavours and mineral notes in the background. A modern delicious, healthy, food-style white you can serve with fresh halibut and a fruit salsa.

On a more serious note, the M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers 2009 $27 is a biodynamic offering from the Northern Rhone Valley. Ripe, round, smooth and elegant, the palate is juicy and loaded with peppery, smoky, gamey, black raspberry, menthol, tobacco and liquorice flavours. Lamb chops, anyone?

Concrete is another hot topic, as in, lately many producers are moving away from the ease of making wine in stainless steel tanks in favour of old-fashioned concrete containers. Well, maybe not so old-fashioned, but definitely concrete.

Advocates cite concrete's ability to maintain a steady temperature during fermentation as its principal advantage, especially at the end of the process. Clean tasting wine is another positive, and some claim concrete has a degree of permeability allowing some micro-oxygenation that can lead to softer textures in wine.

A local wine fermented in these concrete containers, which look like giant eggs, is the Haywire Pinot Gris Switchback Vineyard Clone 52 2010 $23. It's year two for the single-vineyard, single clone (clone 52) pinot gris made from five-year-old vines. Consulting wine grower/maker Alberto Antonini has his invisible fingerprints all over this wine, whose acidity is the primary focus.

Look for delicate tree fruits and floral notes to entertain the nose. The flavour intensity has been bumped up ever so slightly as the vineyard finds its way. Minimalist and proud of it, "Haywire" is anything but in year two. Think oysters.

Minerality may be the single biggest buzzword of 2013 but what does it mean? Writers in the know can "taste" minerality or should I say feel it since according to scientists you can neither taste, nor smell, minerality.

Some describe minerality as a chalky or, at times, a salty sensation. I would concur and add wet stone and cement to that description.

But minerality is more than aroma or taste for me. It adds electricity to the wine and that makes it taste more alive. High acid wines tend to have more mineral aspects, both red and white. But scientists will say it's all nonsense.

My response is, OK, you explain it. Why do some wines have such verve and vitality? It remains a mystery and perhaps a bit magical, all of which beats the hell out drinking orange juice.

My favourite "mineral" enhanced wines are from Chablis or the riesling from the Mosel, where chalk soils in the former and slate soils in the latter mix with high acidity to ignite a spark of electricity in the wine.

Check out the Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Réserve de Vaudon 2011 $28. It's grown biodynamically and offers pure, elegant, unplugged chardonnay with bright acidity and ripe green apple fruit. Perfect with clams, oysters or a chicken salad.

Cool climate is another term we hear a lot lately. It often implies that marginally cool sites are where the best wines are made. The Chileans and the Californians are both moving to the coast, and or up the mountainsides. The Argentines are already at altitude, and then there is amplitude: the spread between day- and night-time temperatures in a growing region. The bigger the better for many, presumably because it preserves acidity and acidity takes us back toward minerality and freshness.

Our pick is the Rodney Strong Chardonnay Chalk Hill 2010 $27 from Sonoma County. The fruit is a mix of sweet Golden Delicious apple with a touch of citrus-soaked ground hazelnuts. Lobster would be the perfect match, but crab or halibut would be equally fine.

So far we haven't mention appellation or place, two of the biggest buzzwords in the New World. But that's a story for another time when we finally step back from varietal wine and think more about the origin and producer. It's also a natural progression for the curious wine drinker — and what all the buzz is about.

Anthony Gismondi is a West Vancouver-based freelance wine writer who travels the globe in search of terroir-based wine.