What is the "tension" in wine

[Alan_Eden]

Whenever I drink a good red i always get the sensation of what I call tension in the wine. To me its a combo of a lot of things that culminate in a wine having a certain energy and presence that makes it feel exciting in the mouth and if its toying with you.

As im a pretty simple drinker i assume this feeling is common but it does seem to be only there in better quality reds typically $100 and up

Is there a more correct way to express this in wine speak ?

[Charles_Crnic]

I had a Finger Lakes Riesling earlier this year that had 40 g/l residual sugar and a pH of 2.9. That wine was very enjoyable, but tasted like it was balanced on a razor blade. It seemed like one slight deviation in either direction would’ve totally unbalanced the wine and made unpalatable. I don’t think I’ve ever had a red that showed close to as much “tension.”

[john_stimson]

A very good question. To me it seems like the tension between the acid/tannin components of the wine versus the sweet/alcohol/low acid richness of a given wine. A good/great wine needs this tension to justify it’s existence.

[Ian_Sutton]

Not a term I particularly like, for this very reason that it’s not *obvious what it means. It will be interesting to see what people perceive it as.

Regards
Ian

• and that uncertainty promotes a mystique which is very intimidating for people new to wine, especially when someone ‘orates’ about the verve, tension, minerality and poise of a wine, whilst the poor newbie wonders what the heck that all means. I blame the British (and the French)

[Alan_Eden]

@Ian Sutton

Not a term I particularly like, for this very reason that it’s not *obvious what it means. It will be interesting to see what people perceive it as.

Regards
Ian

• and that uncertainty promotes a mystique which is very intimidating for people new to wine, especially when someone ‘orates’ about the verve, tension, minerality and poise of a wine, whilst the poor newbie wonders what the heck that all means. I blame the British (and the French)

I dont blame the British, i blame the English !! but then again im Welsh

[Jim_F]

Good question. I have used that term. I have no idea what it is technically. But I have felt what I called “tension” as I drank it. An example that comes to mind was a 2013 Robert Craig Howell Mtn cabernet. Whay I sensed was this tug of war between the many components- fruit, tannin, and I believe acid- all in balance but causing a cascading sensation across the palate. It was kind of exciting actually. FWIW and IMO, you will not find it in many of the fruit-froward cabs coming out of napa, including the expensive ones. So, I agree that it is an imprecise term. I am not so sure that I agree that it is necessary for a wine to be great, but I am listening.

[Stephen_Faulkner]

I mostly experience this drinking delicious upper-end reds when the last drink in the bottle ends up in my glass rather than my wife’s.

[William_Kelley]

Terms like this can be hard to pin down, and it’s sometimes helpful to think about their opposites. A tense wine is the polar opposite of a flaccid wine, and while we might disagree about which wines are tense and which are flaccid, according to our tastes and tolerances, the concept isn’t too complicated. It’s an analogy, sure, but we already take plenty of analogies for granted in our wine vocabulary.

FWIW, it’s a term I find myself using with reference to wines which are structured around acidity more than—or at least as much as—tannin: so mainly white wines and edgier red Burgundies. The concept of ‘tension’ suggests itself pretty aggressively with a wine such as, say, Roulot’s 2014 Meursault Perrières, which is really built around an almost electric line of acidity which holds everything together, from the attack to the long, penetrating finish. Similarly in red with a bottle of e.g. Irancy or Vosne Les Rouges du Dessus. Not so much with a bottle of Chambertin. But I guess that is just a matter of having a certain way of thinking about structure in wine and trying to remain internally consistent.

[H_Bongiovi]

@William Kelley

Terms like this can be hard to pin down, and it’s sometimes helpful to think about their opposites. A tense wine is the polar opposite of a flaccid wine, and while we might disagree about which wines are tense and which are flaccid, according to our tastes and tolerances, the concept isn’t too complicated. It’s an analogy, sure, but we already take plenty of analogies for granted in our wine vocabulary.

FWIW, it’s a term I find myself using with reference to wines which are structured around acidity more than—or at least as much as—tannin: so mainly white wines and edgier red Burgundies. The concept of ‘tension’ suggests itself pretty aggressively with a wine such as, say, Roulot’s 2014 Meursault Perrières, which is really built around an almost electric line of acidity which holds everything together, from the attack to the long, penetrating finish. Similarly in red with a bottle of e.g. Irancy or Vosne Les Rouges du Dessus. Not so much with a bottle of Chambertin. But I guess that is just a matter of having a certain way of thinking about structure in wine and trying to remain internally consistent.

William,
This is exactly how I use it, but you said it better than I would have

[Victor_Hong]

@Alan Eden

What is the “tension” in wine?

https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

[John_Morris]

@john stimson

A very good question. To me it seems like the tension between the acid/tannin components of the wine versus the sweet/alcohol/low acid richness of a given wine. A good/great wine needs this tension to justify it’s existence.

+1

I think that’s how it’s generally used. Though I think in some cases, the alcohol can provide some of the tension.

@alan eden

As im a pretty simple drinker i assume this feeling is common but it does seem to be only there in better quality reds typically $100 and up.

That part is puzzling. As I think of the concept of “tension,” I often find it in relatively inexpensive wines – crisp whites with high acidity, or high-acid reds like gamay or barbera, or lesser nebbiolos, which have lots of tannin.

You seem to prefer pretty ripe, full-bodied wines, so perhaps you’re experiencing more concentration – and perhaps tannins – in the more expensive wines.

[Kyle_Schlachter]

The force keeping the cork in the bottle??

[Alan_Eden]

@John Morris

@john stimson

A very good question. To me it seems like the tension between the acid/tannin components of the wine versus the sweet/alcohol/low acid richness of a given wine. A good/great wine needs this tension to justify it’s existence.

+1

I think that’s how it’s generally used. Though I think in some cases, the alcohol can provide some of the tension.

@alan eden

As im a pretty simple drinker i assume this feeling is common but it does seem to be only there in better quality reds typically $100 and up.

That part is puzzling. As I think of the concept of “tension,” I often find it in relatively inexpensive wines – crisp whites with high acidity, or high-acid reds like gamay or barbera, or lesser nebbiolos, which have lots of tannin.

You seem to prefer pretty ripe, full-bodied wines, so perhaps you’re experiencing more concentration – and perhaps tannins – in the more expensive wines.

Your right about my tastes but i dont think its tannins or concentration those are more tangible

[Michae1_P0wers]

I think William nailed it. It’s a term I associate much more with white wines the reds, and to the extent I think of this term with reds, it would have more to do with something like Loire reds or, as John mentioned, Nebbiolo. In any case, I think of it as a term related to a wine having a lot of acid, but just enough material to balance that acid. The result creates a driving force for the wine and is one of the key factors for good length in a wine. I don’t know if it’s a term that is particular to English or not, because in a recent episode of IDTT, Dominique Latin described how some sites create wines of more tension. He was speaking of whites.

[Matthew_King]

It’s the push and pull among fruit, acid and tannin — each holding the others in check.

As I just came back from the racetrack, I’ll use another metaphor. It reminds me of three horses racing and straining in homestretch. They are at full extension. One may get a nose in front but then another one gets a head bob in front. All the horses hit the finish line in a glorious finish and you can’t separate them!

[John_Morris]

@Michae1 P0wers

I think William nailed it. It’s a term I associate much more with white wines the reds, and to the extent I think of this term with reds, it would have more to do with something like Loire reds or, as John mentioned, Nebbiolo. In any case, I think of it as a term related to a wine having a lot of acid, but just enough material to balance that acid. The result creates a driving force for the wine and is one of the key factors for good length in a wine. I don’t know if it’s a term that is particular to English or not, because in a recent episode of IDTT, Dominique Latin described how some sites create wines of more tension. He was speaking of whites.

I don’t think it’s an exclusively British term.

Dominique Latin? Lafon, perhaps?

[alan_weinberg]

@William Kelley

Terms like this can be hard to pin down, and it’s sometimes helpful to think about their opposites. A tense wine is the polar opposite of a flaccid wine, and while we might disagree about which wines are tense and which are flaccid, according to our tastes and tolerances, the concept isn’t too complicated. It’s an analogy, sure, but we already take plenty of analogies for granted in our wine vocabulary.

FWIW, it’s a term I find myself using with reference to wines which are structured around acidity more than—or at least as much as—tannin: so mainly white wines and edgier red Burgundies. The concept of ‘tension’ suggests itself pretty aggressively with a wine such as, say, Roulot’s 2014 Meursault Perrières, which is really built around an almost electric line of acidity which holds everything together, from the attack to the long, penetrating finish. Similarly in red with a bottle of e.g. Irancy or Vosne Les Rouges du Dessus. Not so much with a bottle of Chambertin. But I guess that is just a matter of having a certain way of thinking about structure in wine and trying to remain internally consistent.

+1. White wine term for me when the wine structure is coiled like a spring around its acidity, virtually always a young acidic wine like a white burg.

[dteng]

For me, it use to be that very moment when I’m handing my credit card to pay for an expensive bottle and I’m sensing the glare from my (ex) wife.

[John_Morris]

@Matthew King

It’s the push and pull among fruit, acid and tannin — each holding the others in check.

I can’t really picture acidity and tannin being in tension. They are allies. I think of each of them being in tension with the fruit and/or sweetness if the wine has some residual sugar or high alcohol.

[Todd_Hamina]

It’s the same as verve.