Have you ever heard a wine being explained as grassy? It seems like a weird thing to find in your wine glass, and not something that would be particularly pleasant. Well, unless you like eating grass! But what is a grassy wine? And can it be a good thing?
In this Wine Terms Explained, we dive into what a grassy wine is, where you’ll find it and ultimately whether it is something you want to find in your glass or not.
What is a grassy wine?
Have you ever smelt a wine and been reminded of a freshly cut front lawn? It may surprise you to know that this is definitely something you can find in your wine glass! Grassy aromas are actually quite common, so if you haven’t come across them before it’s only a matter of time!
Grassy is a tasting term usually linked to wines that are aromatic with distinct smells of freshly mown grass. They are usually accompanied by high acidity. The grassy notes don’t come from putting fresh grass in the wine. It actually comes from aldehydes which is a compound that can be found in some wines and is also found in grass.
Some wines might have an overpowering grassy note, but when balanced out by fruit-forward tasting notes these green aromas can really balance the wine out and make it an enjoyable drop. It also makes these wines much easier to pair with salads and crunchy vegetables, and with high acidity, they are perfect for hot summer days.
Where you’ll find it
So now you know what it is, what wine varieties are you likely to find it? Well, first it is important to understand the conditions that go into a grassy wine. To achieve grassy flavours, the grapes cannot be overripe. As a result, often the grapes are plucked mid-season. Grassy wines also cannot grow in warm temperatures, and so you’ll normally find more grassy wine from cooler climates. You also won’t often find grassy as a note in red wines as this would suggest the grapes are actually underripe!
The hero grape of grassy wines is Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is very diverse in flavour depending on region and winemaking, and New Zealand is renowned worldwide for its grassy Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has distinct grassy notes balanced out by fruit flavours. However, the wines of the Loire Valley can also have this note as well such as Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume.
Semillon is also well known for having this aroma when it is young. As Semillon is aged it takes on richer flavours, but when made into a bone-dry white wine, it often has citrus and grassy aromas.
Is it a good thing?
So is grassy wine a good thing? As with most of these weird wine terms, it all comes down to personal preference. I find Sauvignon Blanc to be more polarising than Chardonnay in terms of what people enjoy. If you don’t like them, you often don’t drink them. But others love the crisp acidity and balanced fruit that often comes with these wines.
It’s definitely worth trying to see how much difference you can taste. I find this tasting note very prominent and easy to detect when I’m trying a wine. So next time you pick up a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, see if you can smell that freshly cut grass!