You often hear enthusiasts discuss a wine’s complexity, or lack of it. The term is seldom defined or even explained. Until the other day I assumed this was because its meaning was completely obvious. Now I am not so sure.

My understanding is this: a wine is complex when it possesses not one flavour but many. The more complex a wine is, the greater the range of tastes or “notes” you will perceive as it rolls about your mouth. The humblest wines offer only one or two notes, while the greatest are positively symphonic. Read the rest of this entry »