The art of making wine is difficult and multifaceted. There is always a degree of unpredictable variation within the grapes, the soil and the climate. What a winemaker chooses to do with these elements is what can produce great wine. This is what makes the winemaker a true artist. The art of creating juice from a grape into a finished wine that is not too acidic, sweet, harsh or even too soft can be as challenging as a tightrope walk.
Balance is basically comprised of four components: fruit, sugar, acid and tannin. A wine is balanced if all of these components are present, but not obscured by one component dominating another. Wine high in acid should be balanced with the proper amount of residual sugar. Red wine with loads of fruit should have tannin and other acids to provide balancing structure. The best wines have a seamless sense of harmony and balance between all four components.
