Typicity

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.^[1]

In some countries, such as

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,[1] opening the door to elitism with what has been criticized by some, such as Sean Thackrey, as viticultural racism.^[3]

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