I have recently seen the term "open-knit" as a description of wine for the
first time. It was explained to me as ".......the wine is soft and
approachable and may not have very much structure and tannins present and
likely doesn't have the potential to improve measurably with time." The
explanation went on to include: "made for near-term consumption with lots of
fruit and a bit less backbone. They're fleshy and loose and very tasty but
perhaps, to some, not elegant or sophisticated." That helped a lot.

I "Googled" the term and found it used in several wine reviews but it
didnn't come up in any of the 20+ wine glossaries I looked at. One review
described an "open-knit" wine as tasting like it was "newly bottled". That
sounded fairly consistent, but didn't suggest that the wine would not
cellar.

The term "TIGHTLY knit" did come up, however (@ Parker's site's glossary,
IIRC). ...... described as young, with good acidity & tannins, well
made...... but yet to open up.

Can anyone explain the use of the term "open-knit" any better or differently
than the above? The "tight" implication I get...... the "open" is less
clear. What are some examples of "open-knit" wines that are crafted that
way intentionally? Is (excuse me) White Zinfandel an "open-knit" wine?

Thanks.

I don't know that this will be of much help because I don't remember
specifically hearing that term "open-knit," but it surely makes sense.
People have talked of "tightly knit" things, including wines, for many
decades. Part of the quest for language for experience not occurring
naturally in words. (Such idiom can float around among wine people for many
years before someone bothers to catalog it in print or online --
insightfully, if you're lucky -- and it is unlikely ever to have precise,
universally agreed meaning.) Do not expect too much of online wine
glossaries.

After a tasting that I reported here in a recent TN I was driving back with
a wine merchant who told me he would need to translate his personal tasting
notes -- the kind I posted here -- to professional tasting notes, as
meaningful as possible to other readers. A challenge that some people have
a knack for. Some words heard often from specialists in tastings may be
unhelpful to a large readership -- grip, "reduced" sulfur, oxidation,
minerality, Brett [topic of certain notorious, laborious argument threads on
HTML sites], alcohol ["don't ALL wines have alcohol?"], extract. (To say
nothing of those noses who will correctly identify where the barrel wood was
cut from, after sniffing the wine. Seeing this for real is very cool.)

As to "open knit," not knowing that term specifically, I'd infer it a
response to the established "tightly knit." Which does seem apt for some
wines. Like a tightly knit fabric, they are closed, impenetrable. Maybe
the parts work together to give the wine structure to age well in the long
run. In contrast there is much demand for wines of a different kind, wines
made for today rather than tomorrow.

-- Max

I don't know that this will be of much help because I don't remember
specifically hearing that term "open-knit," but it surely makes sense.
People have talked of "tightly knit" things, including wines, for many
decades. Part of the quest for language for experience not occurring
naturally in words. (Such idiom can float around among wine people for many
years before someone bothers to catalog it in print or online --
insightfully, if you're lucky -- and it is unlikely ever to have precise,
universally agreed meaning.) Do not expect too much of online wine
glossaries.

After a tasting that I reported here in a recent TN I was driving back with
a wine merchant who told me he would need to translate his personal tasting
notes -- the kind I posted here -- to professional tasting notes, as
meaningful as possible to other readers. A challenge that some people have
a knack for. Some words heard often from specialists in tastings may be
unhelpful to a large readership -- grip, "reduced" sulfur, oxidation,
minerality, Brett [topic of certain notorious, laborious argument threads on
HTML sites], alcohol ["don't ALL wines have alcohol?"], extract. (To say
nothing of those noses who will correctly identify where the barrel wood was
cut from, after sniffing the wine. Seeing this for real is very cool.)

As to "open knit," not knowing that term specifically, I'd infer it a
response to the established "tightly knit." Which does seem apt for some
wines. Like a tightly knit fabric, they are closed, impenetrable. Maybe
the parts work together to give the wine structure to age well in the long
run. In contrast there is much demand for wines of a different kind, wines
made for today rather than tomorrow.

-- Max