A sommelier explains what it means when a wine has a 'personality'

• Sommelier Sara Lehman says that a good wine has "personality," or a quality that's more than the expected.
• She determines wine personality by looking at the wine-making techniques and overall finish.
• Watch the video above to learn how to determine personality in wine.
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Following is a transcript of the video.

In order for a wine to just be more than just itself, it has to have a personality. When I look for a personality in a wine, I look for something that's big and bold. I look for a wine that not only expresses the grape varietal that it's being made from.

So if it's, say, this pinot grigio, I look for all the qualities that I would expect in a pinot grigio, but in order for a wine to be more than just itself, it has to have a personality.

So I look for minerality. I look for different wine making techniques. Did they use oak? Did they use stainless steel? I also look for pairability. Does it have enough acidity to age? Does it have enough acidity to pair well with foods that I think in the season would be well with it? Overall, I look for the finish. If it doesn't really have a strong finish, it can fall flat, and I find that those wines tend to be not as much fun to drink. Sure I'll have a glass, but if it doesn't finish right, and if it doesn't finish out strong, I find that that's not a glass I'm going back to afterwards.

Obviously, whatever it is that you like to drink, so always drink what you love, but when you're looking for new wines and exciting things to try, I think that having a wine with a little bit more personality and something that really speaks to you is what I look for.