What does ‘cut’ mean when referring to wine?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
Sometimes I see the word “cut” in tasting notes—as in, “Enough cut on the finish to match its heft.” What does it mean when a tasting note refers to the cut of a wine?
—Donna, Bozeman, Mont.
Dear Donna,
Think of how the word “cut” is used as a descriptor outside of wine. Diamonds are described by their cut. Some athletes might be described as cut if they have visibly chiseled, defined muscles. It depends on the context in a tasting note, but I’d say the word is usually a positive descriptor.
Wine doesn’t have muscles, but it does have structure, which is the way all of the liquid’s elements work together to create a particular mouthfeel. One way I like to think about structure is to imagine the way coffee feels in my mouth compared to milk or lemonade. The differences in mouthfeel may be less dramatic between different types of wine—a glass of Pinot Noir vs. Cabernet Sauvignon vs. Riesling—but the more you pay attention to how different liquids feel, the better you’ll understand subtle differences in texture and structure.
If a wine feels defined, chiseled and sculpted, the word “cut” might be useful to a taster trying to describe it (you may also occasionally come across a related descriptor, “well-cut”). In wine, cut probably comes from the interplay of tannins and acidity, in particular, which combine to give the wine a sense of linearity, focus, energy and poise, especially on the finish. The opposite of a cut wine would be a wine that’s soft and plush (on the positive end—you might encounter these adjectives used to describe aged wine) or tired and flabby (on the negative side).
—Dr. Vinny
