Vibrating Tongue

[user 51267]

Hopefully that title got some attention.

So here's my first question to the forum.
What is it that makes a wine "vibrate" my tongue?

At a restaurant in Cali many years ago, they served a wine that made my tongue feel like it was vibrating. And I liked it!
But I have never found out what causes it and never experienced it again.

I think the most common answer I've gotten is "tannins". But I have never heard a description of tannins like that. Tannins are usually described as "dry" or "pucker".

Sorry, I don't know what the wine was other than it was a red. This was a long time ago.

Anybody else experience this?

 

[Boatboy24]

It wasn't a sparkling wine, was it?

 

[user 51267]

No it wasn't.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

It was the spiders from when they crushed the grapes - the were happy to be out and did a little dance

 

[user 51267]

Haha! Well, there were plenty of spiders in the grape batch I made last year and it doesn't make me tingle.

 

[Rice_Guy]

This is an interesting description.
Normal sensation with red grape wine is a drying of the tongue and roof of the mouth. This is called astringent, if you don’t identify astringent it is a feeling of loss of saliva/ moisture. A common reference source of astringent is the flavor of green banana peels.

 

[user 51267]

Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with that one. That's why this one is so interesting.
Maybe it was just some physiological reaction that only I have to that particular wine.
I don't know.

 

[wood1954]

What were you smoking?

 

[cmason1957]

Is it possible that it was a Lambrusco style Red Wine? Lambrusco is a slightly sparkling (frizzante) red wine produced in Italy. It might be low enough in sparkling to describe it as a still wine, but still give your tongue a tingly flavor.

 

[user 51267]

What were you smoking?

Lol, in a Cali restaurant? Nothing.

 

[user 51267]

Is it possible that it was a Lambrusco style Red Wine? Lambrusco is a slightly sparkling (frizzante) red wine produced in Italy. It might be low enough in sparkling to describe it as a still wine, but still give your tongue a tingly flavor.

I'm pretty sure there was no sparkle. This wasn't a tingle. This was far more than that and like nothing I've experienced since. It felt like my tongue was vibrating.

 

[wineview]

The first thing I thought of when I read your post was “allergic reaction”. I’m not a real doctor but Ive played one on TV more than once.

 

[user 51267]

Yepp, that's a possibility. But I drink a lot of wine, a lot.
And I've never had an even somewhat similar reaction.

Anyway, I guess there just isn't a real answer.

 

[user 51267]

I was just reminiscing a bit about that night and I came up with a better description. I think.

Have you ever put a 9v battery to the tip of your tongue? It was kind of like that.
Not as powerful, not as fast, and it covered a fair portion of the tongue since that's where the wine went.

 

[wineview]

I was just reminiscing a bit about that night and I came up with a better description. I think.

Have you ever put a 9v battery to the tip of your tongue? It was kind of like that.
Not as powerful, not as fast, and it covered a fair portion of the tongue since that's where the wine went.

Of course. We did that as kids all the time. I do it as an adult to check the smoke alarm batteries. That is quite a buzz I must say.

 

[user 51267]

But not that powerful.
Just similar in sensation.

 

[stickman]

You may have experienced a wine with "minerality", some wine makers describe this as an energetic buzz in the finish, almost like a tiny electrical current running through the throat. There are some speculations related to soil and growing conditions, acid, sulfur compounds etc., but no real scientific determinations about what causes minerality.

 

[wineview]

You may have experienced a wine with "minerality", some wine makers describe this as an energetic buzz in the finish, almost like a tiny electrical current running through the throat. There are some speculations related to soil and growing conditions, acid, sulfur compounds etc., but no real scientific determinations about what causes minerality.

Having never heard the word before, I had to look it up.

Minerality is a tricky one to explain, but it refers to a group of non-fruit, non-herb, non-spice notes. Mineral notes can describe aroma or taste or both. Think of the taste of the sea that you get from crunchy sea salt or oysters. The smell of a sidewalk after it rains.

 

[user 51267]

Ok, well that's new. Thanks. I will be on the lookout for "minerality".

 

[sour_grapes]

The smell of a sidewalk after it rains.

Word of the day: Petrichor.