Typicity

 ( Wine Tasting ) 

Typicity (French typicité, Italian tipicità) is a term in wine tasting used to describe the degree to which a wine reflects its varietal origins and thus demonstrates the signature characteristics of the grape from which it was produced, e.g., how much a Merlot wine “tastes like a Merlot”. It is an important component in judging wine competition when wines of the same variety are judged against each other. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 716 Oxford University Press 2006

In some countries, such as Austria, typicity is used as part of a qualitative hierarchy that takes into consideration soil, climate and vintage. A similar concept to the French terroir, though slightly less controversial, Austrian Qualitätswein (literally "quality wine") is tested for typicity with the classification printed on the wine label. J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 54 Oxford University Press 2006

As a concept, typicity relies on both historical precedent and a sentiment of what the present-day majority view how a certain variety should “taste”. This can be considered a subjective and unreliable way to measure wine, opening the door to elitism with what has been criticized by some, such as Sean Thackrey, as viticultural racism. Allan Bree " An Afternoon with Sean Thackrey" Califusa's Archive, Gang of Pour Accessed: October 15th, 2008

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