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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

I thought that vegetal tastes/aromas in wine have always been considered flaws, but it seems like a lot of the wines you have been lauding lately are described as vegetal. What gives?

—W.C., Nashville, Tenn.

Dear W.C.,

"Vegetal" is considered a negative characteristic in wine when it's the predominant note, or when it is accompanied by unripe fruit flavors. Same thing with similar terms like "green" and "herbal." But there are some grapes—Cabernet Franc, for one—in which a vegetal note is part of the typical flavor profile. When in balance with other flavors and aromas, it can be a very agreeable note.

—Dr. Vinny

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