OK, I’m seeing this word being used to describe wines, and I just don’t get it. Are these people freezing their wines? Were the seeds included in the bottle? Somebody please help an old man understand.
Crunchy from all the minerals.
Yeah, tannins would be chewy.
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I feel like it started with crunchy red fruits and just got shortened but effectively means the same thing. Fresh red acidic fruits. Tangy. Not sure. Could definitely be wrong but I associate it with that.
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Drink a Beaujolais from Chiroubles in preferably a “normal” solar year.
…or Pais from Chile
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I also read the word as meaning not quite fully ripe. When it comes to wine critic shorthand, who really knows?
In a recent set of WS reviews, the word salt, or salty, was used for half a dozen wines. One review even specified Himalayan sea salt. Can anyone tell me what that translates to?
This. From my perspective.
Think, some 2021 Chinons.
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I might use electric, because of slight tartness, thus acidity. Think light cherry/pomegranate leaning into sweet cranberry.
Could be any dark berry though you pick that’s just a little too early
The wine might also feel rustic because of tannin on a light wine but definitely not barnyard rustic imo.
It has some degree of vibrancy or snappiness.
The problem I see is reviews use the term just in relation to other wines, which are heavier, even though the individual wine might never be described that way on its own.
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I find crunchy is usually used to describe the youthful tannins on carbonic/nouveau styled reds. So these would be skin and seed tannins, not from oak. I think its a useful word to describe texture.
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I’m drinking a cote-rotie today that I got from Garagiste. Sold mystery as “singular”. It’s anything but. Crunchy red fruit, nose of Viognier. Almost devoid of typical Syrah characteristics. I think often times crunchy does mean underripe and underdeveloped. Honestly, it can taste great. But it isn’t a varietal description. Seems to me to be hand of winemaker and a nod to style…otherwise it’s reminiscent of a very cold vintage. 2023 picked way too early I’m guessing.
Fresh, slightly tart fruit flavors.
Think the difference between really firm table grapes and table grapes that have been in the crisper for a week and have gone a bit soft.
Or a nice crisp apple vs one that has gone a touch mealy.
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My use refers to fresh, younger fruit. It’s.a texture description, similar to bitting into stone fruit that’s not quite ripe.
It shouldn’t imo. There are plenty of grapes that lean that way in a normal fitting environment and process.
You can do whatever one wants with any grape in the modern world.
Oh boy … I’m not going down the manipulation or natural wine rabbit hole. 
Do folks only use this to describe taste/flavor/texture or also to describe aromatics?
Cheers
Please do so my friend!
Cheers
It’s too early….but we all know it’s coming 
(The initial question has been fairly well answered by many.)
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I use the term crunchy as in “crunchy red fruit” to mean tart & fresh red fruits, where its noticeable enough to be called out. There is an implied idea of pure fruited as well (as you wouldn’t notice the crunchiness if it was dramatically overoaked etc.).
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Why crunchy, rather than tart, fresh, sharp etc. crunchy is a texture , per the Cambridge dictionary
If something is crunchy, it is firm and makes a shortloud noise when it is eaten, pressed, etc. :
eg toast
I’d never use the word crunchy to describe fruit, possibly a Granny Smith Apple, but for texture not flavour. Most examples of crunchy - toast, potato chips etc are in quite a different flavour segment.
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Guess you’ve never had pre-cut honeydew from the grocery store that someone brought to a tailgate.
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