The Meaning of Headlines: 'tapping into'

The Meaning of Headlines: 'tapping into' - wine

The International New York Times, in its Food section, on June 11, 2015, included the headline, ‘Tapping Into the Potential of Falanghina.’ What does ‘tapping into’ mean?

Falanghina is a grape variety from the Campania region of southern Italy, with two genetically distinct varieties: falanghina beneventana and falanghina flegrea. The article continues to describe these varieties and a wine panel tasting session.

MacMillion Dictionary online defines ‘tap into’ as ‘to understand and express something such as people’s beliefs or attitudes.’ The Free Dictionary online defines ‘tapping’ as ‘the act of a person or thing that taps or strikes lightly’ but the idiom (a phrase or expression) ‘tapping into’ is ‘to gain access to some resource.’

In the wine industry, wine kegs (barrels) are also known as wine taps. This is where the phrase, ‘wine on tap’ or ‘beer on tap’ comes from – bar tenders pour the beverage from a tap (a faucet) from a stainless steel (metal) keg instead of from a bottle. In the metal kegs, the aging process does not occur. To age wine (to improve the quality by enhancing flavour and texture) it is stored in oak barrels. A barrel maker is called a cooper. The barrels have a cork plug, or a tap, to access the wine. For example, falanghina is fermented in wooden barrels.

Lord Horatio Nelson of the British navy died during the Battle of Trafalgar in Spain in 1805. To preserve the admiral’s body so that it could be transported back to England on the ship, Victory, it was immersed in a barrel of alcohol (brandy). When the barrel was opened, there was less than half the amount of brandy remaining, leading some to say that the sailors drank it (despite the dead body in the barrel). This resulted in the phrase ‘tapping the admiral’ to mean getting unauthorized drink from a container (such as siphoning off the alcohol).

The article is about wine and understanding more about the varieties of falanghina.

Scorecard for the International New York Times headline is 95% - it is a relevant headline that is true to its meaning – gaining understanding about something – as well as being related to the wine industry. However, it is an exceptionally common phrase, even if the wine being reviewed is not.

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