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WSET Level 3 Wine > 1: Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine > Flashcards

1: Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the purpose of the SAT?

A

To describe a wine accurately and formulate a reasonable conclusion

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2
Q

What is the ideal tasting environment?

A

•Good natural lighting
•Odor free
•Sufficient space for notes/glassware/spittoons

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3
Q

How should one be prepared to taste?

A

•Clean palate
•Well hydrated
•Notebook or other form of note taking
•Suitable glassware

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4
Q

Why is it important to stay hydrated while tasting?

A

Nasal aroma passages can dry up due to dehydration and dehydration can occur due to loss of saliva when spitting out wine.

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5
Q

What is described as suitable glassware of the SAT?

A

An odorless and colorless ISO glass free of any residue

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6
Q

Why is the ISO glass an ideal glassware for tasting?

A

It has a rounded bowl to aid swirling to capture aromas and is small enough to use with a tasting sample.

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7
Q

What is a sufficient amount to be poured as a tasting sample?

A

5cl (50ml)

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8
Q

Most wines are considered clear..Why might a wine be considered “hazy?”

A

Particles suspended in the wine could indicate a fault.

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9
Q

What is intensity

A

How much color the wine has

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10
Q

How is the level of color intensity assessed in a wine?

A

By holding the glass at a 45 degree angle and looking from above to see how far the color extends from the core to the tim

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11
Q

When is a white wine considered pale or deep

A

•Pale = broad watery rim
•Deep = Pigment almost reaches the rim

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12
Q

When is a red wine considered pale or deep?

A

-pale= Lightly pigmented from rim to the core (visible stem)
-deep= Intensely pigmented up to the rim (non-visible stem)

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13
Q

What is color?

A

Red, blue, yellow, green, or brown balanced pigments found in a wine (separate of intensity)

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14
Q

White and rose’ wines are best assessed for color at the rim or at the core?

A

At the core due to the paleness of the wine.

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15
Q

Red wines are best assessed for color at the rim or at the core?

A

The color is best assessed at the rim due to the opaqueness of the core.

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16
Q

What is the most common color used when describing white wine?

A

Lemon

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17
Q

What is the color scale for white wines?

A

•Lemon
•Lemon green
•Gold (hint of orange/brown)
•Amber
•Brown

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18
Q

Assessing an amber , tawny or brown color in a white wine typically means what?

A

Either very old or deliberately oxidized

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19
Q

What is the color scale when assessing red wines?

A

•Purple
•Ruby
•Garnet
•Tawny
•Brown

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20
Q

What is the most common color when assessing a red wine?

A

Ruby

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21
Q

What is the color scale for rose’ wines?

A

•Pink
•Salmon (pink with hint of orange)
•Orange

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22
Q

What does TCA do to a wine?

A

Trichloroanisole
can impart a taint from the cork on the wine that smells of damp cardboard “corked”

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23
Q

What does reduction do to a wine?

A

Makes wine stink of rotting eggs, boiled cabbage or onions, or blocked drains.
It can add complexity and characters in small levels but is considered a fault

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24
Q

What does high levels of sulfur dioxide do to a wine?

A

Can make the wine smell of recently extinguished matches and is considered a fault

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25
Q

What is the opposite of reduction?

A

Oxidation.

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26
Q

Oxidation can be a fault due to?

A

Unwanted oxygen interacting with the wine in a failure of closure.

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27
Q

What does VA (volatile acidity) do to a wine at high levels?

A

Can give aromas of vinegar or nail polish

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28
Q

What type of yeast can give wine a plastic or animal aroma and is considered a fault in high levels?

A

Brettanomyces (Brett)

29
Q

What is the scale of Intensity on the nose

A

•light (struggle to smell in glass with swirl)
•medium
•pronounced (smelt away from glass)

30
Q

What are the 3 types of aromas and how are they produced?

A

•Primary (from grapes or fermentation)
•Secondary (oak, lees, or malolactic conversion)
•Tertiary (Bottle aging or oxidation)

31
Q

When is a wine youthful?

A

Dominated by primary and secondary aromas.

32
Q

When is a wine considered to be developing

A

Most aromas are primary and secondary but tertiary aromas are detected.

33
Q

A Fully developed wine will have?

A

Predominant tertiary aromas/flavors even with some primary and secondary aromas/flavors still present

34
Q

When does a wine become Tired/past it’s best?

A

When attractive aromas fade and unpleasant ones develop

35
Q

What is the aim of a trained taster?

A

To assess the levels of individual components by reference to objective criteria.

36
Q

When is a wine considered Dry?

A

When there are no sugar levels or that they are so low that they are not noticeable.

37
Q

What is sweetness when tasting wine?

A

“The taste of sugars present in the wine.”

38
Q

What is considered an off-dry wine?

A

A tiny amount of residual sugar

39
Q

Medium-dry and Medium-sweet wines have?

A

A distinct amount of sugar but not typically sweet enough to pair with a dessert.

40
Q

When a wine has sugar as a prominent feature it is considered?

A

Sweet

41
Q

Luscious wines are?

A

Viscous and sticky sweet with the high levels of sugar in them.

42
Q

What are the main acids in wine?

A

•Tartaric
•Malic (from grape juice)
•Lactic (converted from malic acid)

43
Q

Where is acidity detected for most people and what sensation does it give?

A

The sides of the tongue and sharp tingling sensation that makes mouth water

44
Q

Grapes ripened in cool conditions can tend to make a wine have higher?

A

Acidity

45
Q

What are the 2 things to remember the most when it comes to acid and sugar in wine?

A

1.) High levels of sweetness and acid can mask one another
2.) Acidity serves as a balance to high sugar levels making it less obvious

46
Q

What can create a sensation close to alcohol when tasting wine and how do you tell the difference?

A

•Acid
•The mouth watering feel

47
Q

How do tannins make your mouth feel?

A

They cause the mouth to dry up and feel rough, especially on the gums of the front teeth

48
Q

What is the difference between Ripe and Unripe tannins

A

•Ripe tannins contribute to textural richness while
•Unripe tannins tend to be more astringent

49
Q

If the tannins are astringent ask?

A

“Does the body feel thin?”
If so, it is probably low in tannin

50
Q

If the tannins are astringent ask?

A

“Does the body feel thin?”
If so, it is probably low in tannin

51
Q

If the astringency is low in a wine ask?

A

“Is wine full bodied and mouth filling?” If so there is probably high tannins

52
Q

What does alcohol contribute to a wine?

A

Body and texture

53
Q

What do high and low alcohol levels feel like in a wine?

A

•High: Hot burning sensation
•Low: Watery unless high inSugar

54
Q

What are the specific alcohol %s in wine?

A

•Low: Below 11% ABV
•Medium: 11-13.9% ABV
•High: 14%ABV and above

55
Q

What are the alcohol levels for fortified wine?

A

Low: 15-16.4% ABV
Medium: 16.5-18.4%ABV
High: ** 18.5 and above**

56
Q

What is Body?

A

The overall textural impression of a wine’s components working together “mouthfeel”

57
Q

What is the main contributor to body?

A

Alcohol

58
Q

__Is a set of scales with fruit and sugar on one side and acidity and tannins in the other?

A

Balance

59
Q

Another word for intensity is?

A

Concentration

60
Q

What is the first thing that needs to be considered when assessing readiness to drink?

A

If the wine is made in a style that may benefit from aging.

61
Q

Drink now, not suitable for aging is given to a wine that?

A

Mainly shows primary and secondary aromas/flavors with light acid/tannin structur.

62
Q

Drink now, not suitable for aging is given to a wine that?

A

Mainly shows primary and secondary aromas/flavors with light acid/tannin structur.

63
Q

A too old wine will have

A

•Light tannin/acid
•Lost its freshness
•Should have been fruity

64
Q

What components should a wine have to potentially benefit from aging?

A

•Firm acid/tannin structure
•Sufficient level of flavor concentration

65
Q

What happens to a wine that benefits from aging?

A

•Move towards tertiary characteristics
•Tannins soften
•Alcohol level stays the same
•Acid and sugar change very little

66
Q

When should you choose Can drink now, but has potential for aging?

A

Drinking pleasurably now, but will make positive improvements in a few years.

67
Q

When should Too young be used?

A

It would be a waste to drink it now and taste much better with age (tannins ect)

68
Q

If a wine has undergone an aging process but is close to its drinkable life span, it should be qualified as?

A

Drink now: not suitable for aging or further aging

WSET Level 3 Wine (6 decks)

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