Ambiguous Fruit Descriptors For Wine

I was recently participating in a weekly wine tasting ritual with a colleague of mine where we break down and define various glasses of wine following a sequence consistent with the certified sommelier exam. In this process we found it humorous that we were making references to fruits we’ve never tasted, and to make it even more ridiculous we discovered we were trying to reference fruits we couldn’t even define. Finding this unacceptable, we were prompted to do a little research for the sake of clarity. There are three fruit descriptors that are particularly ambiguous among most wine enthusiasts I’ve come across.

Currant

Among the definitions I found were these: A small seedless raisin, and/or the small, edible, acidic, round fruit or berry of certain wild cultivated shrubs, and/or any various similar fruits or shrubs. A small dried seedless grape of the Mediterranean, a member of the gooseberry family. Currant can be black, red, or white. 

Cassis

Among the definitions I found were these: A black-currant cordial, black currant liquor, a brandy distilled from black currants. In wine tasting, this term should be used over black currant to denote a more concentrated, richer flavor.

Stone Fruit

Among the definitions I found were these: A fruit with a stone (or a pit) or hard endocarp, such as a peach or a plum, the non-technical name for drupe which is defined as any fruit, such as a peach, cherry, plum, nectarine, apricot, etc., consisting of an outer skin, a usually pulpy and succulent middle layer, and a hard and woody inner shell usually enclosing a single seed.

While taste is still very subjective, even for the purpose of fruit descriptive references, this should provide a common ground of understanding and photographic clarity.