1. Production, Quality and the Consumer Flashcards
Which order should a wine be assessed when tasting wine?
Appearence
Nose
Palate
Conclusion
What is the ideal temperature to serve a bottle of Cava?
Well chilled 6-10 grader
What is the ideal temperature to serve a bottle of White Burgundy and Fumé Blanc?
Lightly chilled 10-13 grader
What is the ideal temperature to serve a medium/full-bodied, oaked white?
Lightly chilled 10-13 grader
What is the ideal temperature to serve a light/medium-bodied white?
Muscatel, Pinot Grigio, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Fino Sherry.
Chilled 7-10 grader
What is the ideal temperature to serve sweet wines, like Sauternes and Sweet Muscats?
Well chilled 6-8 grader
What is the ideal temperature to serve a light-bodied red, like Beaujolais and Valpolicella?
Lightly chilled 13 grader
What is the ideal temperature to serve a medium/full-bodied red?
Room temperature 15-18 grader
Give an example of medium/full-bodied red?
Red Bordeaux, Red Burgundy, Rioja, Australian Shiraz, Châteauneuf-de-Pape, Barolo, Amarone della Valpolicella, Vintage Port
If you pair a high tannin wine with salty food, the wine would seem?
Softer, smoother and less tannin
If you pair wine with acidic food, the wine would seem
Less bitter and acidic - More fruitier, sweeter and richer. High acid wine is perfect match to acid food.
Avoid wines with low level of acid, makes it flat.
If you pair wine with sweet food, the wine would seem?
More drying and bitter, more acid. Less body, sweet and fruity.
Preferable to use a wine that has higher level of sweetness and avoid wine with tannins
If you pair a wine with umami, the wine would seem?
More drying and bitter, more acid. Less body, sweet and fruity.
Avoid wines with too high level of tannins or oak character
Food that is fatty or oily match with…
Wine seems less acid and should be paired with wines with high levels of acidity
Food that is hot, the wine would seem?
More drying and bitter, less sweet and less fruity. Increase heat from chili.
Pair with wines light in alcohol, fruity and maybe some sweetness
Food that is high flavoured, the wine would seem?
Overwhelmed by the food flavours.
Pair with wines with similair intensity of flavours
What can happen to a wine that is left for long periods in a fridge?
The cork can harden and fail, leading to oxidation
A wine looks fine, but has a musty aroma. What is the most likely reason for this?
The wine is affected by cork taint
What can happen if vine is exposed for too much heat?
Too much heat (or cold) can stop the vine from producing sugar
Compared with red wines, white wines are generally fermented at…
Lower temperature
White wines are generally fermented at lower temperatures than red wines. The lower temperatures help preserve the fruit aromas in white wine fermentations.
Why are there few vinyards lying closer to equator than 30 degrees?
It is generally to hot
Describe the production of STILL RED wines
Crush - ferment (20-32 grader) 5 days- 2 weeks - free run wine or press for “press wine”
What do a vine need to produce a crop of ripe, healthy grapes?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) - Sunlight - water - warmth - nutrients
The environment factor, sunlight is needed because…
Sunlight is the sourse of the energy that allows the grape to combine carbon dioxide and water into sugar.
No sunlight, carbon dioxide and water - no grape sugars - no wine.
What is the two main factors that affect the quality and style of raw grapes?
Degrees of care in the vineyard and the control of yield.
What can help the grapes to ripen fully, at the same time?
- careful pruning
- controlling the number of bunches of grapes on each vine
- careful positioning of the leaves to increase or lower the temperature
- degrees of exposore to sunlight
Mention important climate factors for wine production?
Hot; moderate; cold - latitude (how close it is to the Equator. Altitude - ocean
In what way, will hot climate affect the flavour and style of wines?
More alcohol, fuller body, more tannin and less acidity
In what way, will cold climate affect the flavour and style of wines?
Less alcohol, lighter body, less tannin and more acidity
Describe the production of WHITE wines
Crush - pressed (skin are removed) - fermentation (wooden vats/nbarrels or stainless steel tanks) at low temp. 12-22 degrees for 2-4 weeks
Describe the production of ROSÉ wines
Crush - ferment (at low temp. 12-22 degrees) 12-36 hours contact with grapeskin
Which one of the following provides ideal cellar conditions for the storage of wine sealed with a cork?
The wine should be stored horizontally so the cork is in contact with the wine and does not dry out.
Which one of the following provides ideal cellar conditions for the storage of wine sealed with a cork?
The wine should be stored horizontally so the cork is in contact with the wine and does not dry out and the temperature should be cool and constant
Which vineyard activity is NOT used to aid the ripening of grapes?
Using irrigation to swell the grapes with water This technique can be used to increase the weight and yield of the crop but it does not aid the ripening of grapes.
Which vineyard activity is used to aid the ripening of grapes?
Controlling the number of bunches of grapes on each vine
Careful pruning
Careful positioning of the leaves to maximise or minimise the grapes exposure to the sun
When opening a bottle of sparkling wines, what can be done to make the process easier and safer?
Chill the wine
Hold the cork securely from the moment the wire cage is loosened
Twist the bottle gently whilst holding the cork
If oxygen is NOT wanted during the maturation of wine which vessel material type would be deemed unsuitable?
Oak is porous and allows small amounts of oxygen to dissolve in the wine over time. Please see page 11 of your textbook for more details.
Which latitudes north and south of the Equator mark the temperate zone where most vineyards are found?
30 and 50 degrees This is the ideal location for growing grapes as regions that are too close to the equator, summer and winter seasons are poorly defined so the vine lacks clear signals for dormant periods of growth cycles. Further away from the equator, the summers are generally too cold to ripen a crop.
A wine looks fine, but has a musty aroma. What is the most likely reason for this?
The wine is affected by cork taint
Which is considered the correct procedure to decant a wine that has a heavy deposit?
Remove the wine from the rack and keep it horizontal, being careful not to disturb the deposit. With the aid of light, pour into a decanter until the deposit can be seen near the neck. At this point stop pouring
Which of the following techniques is used to give most red wines their colour?
Fermentation in contact with the skins The flesh of almost all wine grape varieties is white and the colour is obtained by soaking the coloured skins in the fermenting juice.
Why are there very few vineyards lying closer to the equator than 30 degrees?
It is generally too hot.
The reason why there are few vineyards lying closer to the equator than 30 degrees is because it is generally too hot. Grapes grown too close to the equator may become overripe and loose some of the finesse and characteristics of that grape variety.
What wine would you expect to have deliberate oxidation during production?
Oloroso Sherry
When comparing French or European oak with American oak, which of the following is TRUE?
French or European oak is more expensive than American oak. American oak tends to give sweet coconut and vanilla flavours but harsher tannins
Old oak vats…
Allow oxygen to dissolve in the wine and the tannins in red wine to soften
What effect does oxygen have on red wine as it is matured in oak vats?
The tannins soften making the wine smoother.
Sweet dishes…
Sweet dishes, which are high in sugar will make a wine taste more bitter and acidic, but less sweet and fruity
This means you need to take care pairing sweet foods with wines with less sweetness or with tannins. In general, it’s normally a good idea to pair sweet foods with wines with at least as much sugar.
Savoury dish…
A savoury dish, high in umami will make a wine taste more bitter and acidic, but less sweet and fruity
The umami in the food emphasises the bitterness in the tannins, so care should be taken to choose a wine that is more fruity than tannic.
Salty dishes…
A dish high in salt will make a wine taste more full-bodied, but less bitter and acidic
Dishes high in salt are generally low-risk for wine pairing. Salt can be helpful to make tannic wines more palatable.
Acidic dishes…
Foods high in acid can make a wine taste more fruity, sweet and full-bodied, but less acidic
Acidity in food is generally a low risk when pairing with wines. However, care must be taken when pairing high acid foods with wines with lower acidity as they can make the wines taste too soft and flabby.
What can be an issue when pairing a wine with a highly flavoured food?
If the wine is light in flavour it could be overpowered by the food
In general it is a good idea to match the flavour intensities of the food and the wine, so that one does not overpower the other.
What could be useful when pairing a wine with fatty or oily foods?
High acidity in the wine
Most people find pairing acidic wines with fatty or oily foods gives a pleasant sensation of the acidity cutting through the richness of the food.
Chili/hot dishes…
Dishes high in Chilli heat can make a wine seem more bitter with warming alcohol, but less fruity and sweet
It’s normally best to pair dishes high in chilli heat with white wines or low-tannin reds, both with low alcohol and maybe some sweetness and/or fruitiness.
If you pair a dry wine with sweet food, the wine would seem?
More acidic
If you pair a high tannin wine with salty food, the wine would seem?
Softer, smoother and less tannic
If you pair a high acid wine with acidic food, the wine would seem?
More balanced and enhance the fruitiness of the wine.
