Wine Word of the Day #2: “Riparian”

Today’s wine word comes to you by way of Matt (pictured here with me), the national sales manager at Larkmead Vineyards, who, during a recent visit to the tasting room, described one of Larkmead’s reds as having “riparian” earth notes. The adjective describes the green belt next to a river or stream, so we’re guessing that Matt was describing a wet earth, even mossy note in the wine, a 2003 cabernet-based blend called “Salon.” It may sound weird, but so-called secondary characteristics like this, in measure, are very prized among some tasters and some winemakers, especially if they’re going for Bordeaux dead ringers.