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Wine is usually described through aroma and flavor, but some of its most important qualities are physical. This episode of The Wine Lab examines wine texture and mouthfeel: body, viscosity, acidity, tannin, astringency, alcohol warmth, residual sugar, carbon dioxide, lees aging, malolactic fermentation, serving temperature, and aeration.

Andreea explains why two wines with similar flavors can feel completely different, how winemaking choices shape texture, and why service conditions such as temperature and decanting can change the way a wine is perceived. From crisp whites to structured reds and sparkling wines, this episode offers a practical and scientific guide to what the palate feels.

Glossary

Mouthfeel
The tactile sensations a wine creates in the mouth, including body, heat, grip, smoothness, roughness, creaminess, and astringency.

Texture
The overall physical impression of a wine on the palate. Texture includes how heavy, sharp, soft, drying, prickly, or smooth the wine feels.

Body
The perceived weight or fullness of a wine in the mouth. Body is influenced by alcohol, sugar, acidity, extract, flavor intensity, and other wine components.

Viscosity
A liquid’s resistance to flow. In wine, viscosity can contribute to impressions of body or richness, although it is only one part of mouthfeel.

Ethanol
The main alcohol in wine. Ethanol contributes to body, warmth, aroma release, and the perception of fullness.

Glycerol
A fermentation byproduct that can contribute slightly to viscosity, though its sensory impact at typical wine concentrations is often smaller than commonly assumed.

Acidity
The sourness and freshness in wine, mainly shaped by organic acids such as tartaric, malic, and lactic acid. Acidity also influences the physical impression of sharpness, brightness, and refreshment.

pH
A measure of how acidic or basic a solution is. In wine, pH influences microbial stability, color, sulfur dioxide effectiveness, and sensory perception.

Phenolic compounds
A broad group of grape- and oak-derived compounds that includes tannins, color pigments, and some compounds linked to bitterness, flavor, and structure.

Tannins
Phenolic compounds from grape skins, seeds, stems, and oak. Tannins contribute bitterness, structure, and especially astringency in wine.

Astringency
The drying, puckering, rough, or grippy tactile sensation caused largely by tannins interacting with saliva and oral surfaces.

Bitterness
A taste sensation detected by taste receptors. Bitterness can occur alongside astringency, but the two are not the same.

Maceration
The period when grape juice or wine remains in contact with grape skins, seeds, and sometimes stems. Maceration affects color, flavor, tannin, and texture.

Mannoproteins
Polysaccharides released from yeast cell walls during fermentation and lees aging. They can contribute to roundness, softness, and stability in some wines.

Lees
Spent yeast cells and other particles that settle after fermentation. Aging wine on lees can influence aroma, texture, and stability.

Malolactic fermentation
A microbial conversion of malic acid into lactic acid, usually carried out by lactic acid bacteria. It can soften acidity and contribute to a rounder mouthfeel.

Diacetyl
A compound associated with buttery aromas in wine. It can be produced during malolactic fermenta

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A glass of rosé often feels effortless - light catching a pale pink hue, a hint of summer in the air - but its story runs deeper. In this episode, we trace how rosé is shaped, from fleeting skin contact to the saignée method and the precise art of blending in sparkling wines. Along the way, we place rosé within a longer human narrative, from early winemaking to Mediterranean tables where it accompanies food, heat, and conversation. What emerges is a style that carries both intention and ease - one that moves gracefully between technique and pleasure, and reveals more the closer you pay attention.

Glossary:

• Anthocyanins: Pigments in grape skins responsible for red and pink color in wine
• Skin contact (maceration): Time during which grape juice remains in contact with skins, extracting color and compounds
• Saignée: Method where juice is removed early from a red wine fermentation to produce rosé
• Blending: Mixing red and white wines to create rosé (common in sparkling wine production)
• Terroir: The combined effect of soil, climate, and environment on wine characteristics

Famous Rosé Examples:

• Provence Rosé (France): Typically pale, dry, and driven by Grenache and Cinsault; known for freshness and elegance
• Tavel (Rhône Valley, France): A deeper-colored, more structured rosé with notable body and aging potential
• Bandol Rosé (France): Often Mourvèdre-based, with more weight, spice, and complexity
• Rosé Champagne (France): Produced by blending or short maceration; combines freshness with autolytic complexity
• White Zinfandel (USA): A sweeter, fruit-forward rosé style that played a major role in popularizing pink wines in the U.S.

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Episode description

Wine seems like one of the most plant-based products imaginable, so why are some wines not considered vegan? In this episode of The Wine Lab, we look at the cellar practices behind that question. From egg whites, milk proteins, gelatin, and isinglass to bentonite, PVPP, and plant-based alternatives, this is a closer look at fining, clarification, labeling, and the ethics of process. Along the way, the episode traces the long history of these practices in winemaking and considers why vegan wine has become an important question for modern consumers. If you have ever wondered how a wine made from grapes can still raise vegan concerns, this episode offers the science, the history, and the consumer perspective.

Glossary

Vegan wine: Wine made without the use of animal-derived processing aids or additives.

Fining: A winemaking step in which a substance is added to bind unwanted particles or compounds so they can be removed.

Fining agent: The material used during fining to clarify or refine the wine.

Isinglass: A fining agent derived from fish collagen, traditionally used for clarification.

Egg white fining: The use of egg albumen, especially in red wines, to help soften tannins and clarify the wine.

Casein: A milk protein used in some wines for clarification and correction of certain defects.

Gelatin: An animal-derived protein used as a fining agent.

Bentonite: A clay-based fining agent commonly used as a vegan-friendly alternative.

PVPP: A synthetic fining material used to remove certain phenolic compounds and help stabilize wine.

Processing aid: A material used during production that is not intended to remain in the final product.

Clarification: The process of making wine clearer by removing suspended particles.

Certification mark: A label or symbol indicating that a product has been verified against a particular standard, such as vegan certification.

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What happens when wildfire smoke becomes part of the story of a wine?

In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores smoke taint through the eyes of the consumer. Why do wildfires in places like California and Australia matter so much for wine? How can smoke travel far from the flames and still affect grapes? And why can a wine seem perfectly normal at first, only to finish with notes of ash, char, or cold fireplace?

This episode looks at the chemistry behind smoke taint, the growing role of climate change in shaping fire-prone wine regions, and the sensory clues that help explain why smoke-affected wines can be so disappointing. Along the way, it reflects on wine as one of the most place-driven products we make, and what it means when that sense of place carries the mark of fire.

Glossary

Smoke taint
An undesirable set of aromas and flavors that can develop in wine when grapes are exposed to wildfire or bushfire smoke.

Wildfire smoke exposure
Contact between vineyard fruit and smoke from nearby or distant fires. The vineyard does not need to be next to the flames to be affected.

Volatile phenols
A group of compounds formed when wood burns. They are strongly associated with smoky, burnt, ashy, and medicinal characters in smoke-affected wines.

Glycosides
Bound forms created when smoke-related compounds attach to sugars inside the grape. These forms may not smell strongly smoky at first, but they can later contribute to flavor and aroma.

Ashy finish
The lingering ash, char, or burnt sensation that can remain in the mouth after swallowing. This is one of the most recognizable signs of smoke taint.

Free-run wine
Wine that flows from grapes before pressing. It is often handled separately from press fractions, especially when smoke exposure is a concern.

Press fraction
Wine obtained during pressing. It can contain higher levels of extracted compounds from the skins and may intensify smoke-related characters.

Skin contact
The time grape juice spends in contact with the skins during winemaking. More skin contact can increase extraction of smoke-related compounds.

Bushfire
The term commonly used in Australia for large vegetation fires, similar to what is often called a wildfire in the United States.

Climate pressure
A broad way of describing how rising temperatures, drought, heat extremes, and severe fire weather increasingly affect agricultural systems, including vineyards.

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What does it mean when a wine smells like rotten egg, burnt rubber, cabbage, garlic, or canned corn? In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores sulfur and reductive faults in wine, explaining what wine professionals mean by “reduction,” why these aromas appear, and how they can evolve over time. Along the way, she looks at hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, thiols, disulfides, and even the old copper penny trick, all through the lens of clear, consumer-friendly wine science. If you have ever opened a bottle and wondered whether something had gone wrong, this episode will help you understand what your glass may be telling you.

Glossary

Reduction / Reduced wine
A practical wine term used for sulfur-related off-aromas that can make a wine smell closed, sulfurous, or unpleasant.

Volatile sulfur compounds
A family of sulfur-containing aroma compounds that can strongly affect how a wine smells.

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)
A sulfur compound associated with a rotten egg smell. It is often the easiest sulfur fault to recognize.

Mercaptans
An older cellar term for certain sulfur compounds linked to aromas such as garlic, onion, cabbage, rubber, or skunky notes.

Thiols
The more modern chemical term for the same family of compounds often called mercaptans. Some thiols are desirable in wine, while others are faults.

Disulfides
Compounds that can form when mercaptans react with oxygen. They often have higher sensory thresholds, which can make a sulfur problem seem to fade even though it has not fully disappeared.

Detection threshold
The concentration at which a compound becomes noticeable by smell or taste.

Redox
Short for reduction-oxidation chemistry. In wine, it relates to the balance of oxidative and reductive reactions that influence aroma and stability.

Bench trial
A small-scale test carried out before making a treatment decision on a whole tank or lot of wine.

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This episode of The Wine Lab explores the long and layered history of women in wine. We move through ancient cultures, literature, religious life, art, Champagne history, and modern wine science to look at the many ways women have influenced how wine is made, understood, and experienced. Some of these stories are well known, others are easier to miss, but together they reveal a much fuller picture of wine culture. It is a conversation about memory, knowledge, perception, and the people whose work has always been part of the story.

Glossary

• Symposia — Formal drinking gatherings in ancient Greece where wine, conversation, poetry, and philosophy were central. These spaces were largely reserved for men.
• Maenads — Female followers of Dionysus in Greek mythology, often associated with wine, ritual, ecstasy, and freedom from ordinary social order.
• Libation — The ritual pouring of wine or another liquid as an offering to a god, spirit, or sacred purpose.
• Hildegard of Bingen — Twelfth-century abbess, writer, composer, and natural thinker whose writings connected food, health, and balance.
• Riddling rack — A device used in sparkling wine production to gradually turn bottles so yeast sediment collects in the neck before removal.
• Brut — A dry style of sparkling wine, especially Champagne, containing far less residual sugar than the sweeter styles common in earlier centuries.
• Wine Aroma Wheel — A sensory tool developed to help tasters identify and organize wine aroma descriptors in a systematic way.
• Volatile compounds — Molecules that readily evaporate and contribute to the aromas we smell in wine.
• Sensory science — The scientific study of perception, including aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and how people evaluate products like wine.
• Viticulture and enology — Viticulture refers to grape growing; enology refers to winemaking and the science of wine.
• Odor threshold — The lowest concentration of an aroma compound that can be detected by the human nose.
• Lead winemaker — The primary person responsible for wine production decisions at a winery.
• Pompeii frescoes — Wall paintings preserved in Pompeii that offer visual evidence of Roman daily life, including dining and drinking scenes.
• The Bacchanal of the Andrians — A Renaissance painting by Titian depicting a festive mythological celebration centered on wine, music, and movement.

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Mousiness is one of the most elusive and unsettling faults in wine. Unlike many defects, it doesn’t appear in the aroma. Instead, it emerges after the sip, lingering on the finish in a way that can surprise even experienced tasters.

In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores the chemistry, microbiology, and sensory science behind mousiness. From the role of lactic acid bacteria and high pH conditions to the formation of compounds such as 2-acetyltetrahydropyridine (PHEW!), the discussion explains why this fault develops and why it is so difficult to eliminate once present.

The episode also addresses the sensory dimension of mousiness, including the fact that a significant portion of individuals may not perceive it at all, and how retronasal perception influences its detection. Practical implications for winemaking are considered, particularly in relation to microbial stability and malolactic fermentation in higher pH wines.

Whether you are a winemaker, student, or curious wine drinker, this episode offers a clearer understanding of what happens after the sip.

Try a few wines, share them with others, and compare your impressions. If you’ve encountered mousiness - or think you might have - feel free to reach out. The contact email is available on the podcast website page.

Mousiness
A wine fault characterized by delayed off-flavors resembling cereal, popcorn, or rodent cage aromas, perceived primarily after swallowing.

Retronasal perception
The movement of aroma compounds from the mouth to the nasal cavity during and after swallowing, allowing flavors to be perceived after tasting.

2-Acetyltetrahydropyridine (ATHP)
One of the key compounds responsible for mousiness, formed through microbial metabolism of amino acids.

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)
Microorganisms such as Oenococcus oeni and Lactobacillus involved in malolactic fermentation and sometimes implicated in fault formation.

Malolactic Fermentation (MLF)
A secondary fermentation where malic acid is converted into lactic acid, often used to soften acidity but potentially increasing risk of spoilage under certain conditions.

pH
A measure of acidity; higher pH wines are more microbiologically vulnerable and can enhance perception of certain off-flavors, including mousiness.

Anosmia
The inability to perceive certain odors; in this context, some individuals cannot detect mousiness compounds.

Wine Matrix
The complex chemical environment of wine, including ethanol, acids, phenolics, and other compounds that influence aroma and flavor behavior.

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Sometimes a glass of wine smells like dark fruit and spice. Other times, something unexpected appears — leather, earth, even a hint of barnyard. For some wine lovers, those aromas add intrigue. For others, they signal a flaw.

In this episode of The Wine Lab, Dr. Andreea Botezatu explores one of the most debated microorganisms in wine: Brettanomyces.

Why do some wines develop these distinctive aromas? Why have certain traditional European wines historically embraced them while many modern wineries work hard to avoid them? And what is actually happening inside the wine at the chemical and microbiological level?

From cellar history in France to volatile phenols and modern detection methods, this episode unpacks the science and culture behind the yeast that continues to divide the wine world.

Open a bottle, take a careful smell, and join the conversation.

Glossary

Brettanomyces
A genus of yeast considered a spoilage organism in wine. The species most associated with wine is Brettanomyces bruxellensis, which produces aromatic compounds known as volatile phenols.

Volatile Phenols
Aromatic compounds responsible for Brett-related aromas in wine, often described as leather, barnyard, smoke, or spice.

4-Ethylphenol (4-EP)
One of the primary volatile phenols produced by Brettanomyces. Commonly associated with aromas described as stable, leather, or medicinal.

4-Ethylguaiacol (4-EG)
Another volatile phenol produced by Brett. Often contributes smoky, clove-like, or spicy notes.

Hydroxycinnamic Acids
Naturally occurring phenolic compounds in grapes, including p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. These act as precursors that Brett converts into volatile phenols.

Terroir
A concept in wine describing how a wine reflects its place of origin, including climate, soil, vineyard practices, and sometimes traditional cellar environments.

Spoilage Yeast
A microorganism that can negatively affect wine quality by producing undesirable compounds.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
A molecular technique used to detect specific microorganisms, including Brettanomyces, by identifying their DNA.

GC-MS (Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry)
An analytical technique used to identify and quantify volatile compounds in wine, including Brett-related phenols.

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