1. The Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine Flashcards
What are the two fundamental skills the SAT is intended to develop?
- Describe a wine accurately.
2. Make reasonable conclusions based on description.
What are the three sections of the Descriptive element of the SAT?
Appearance, Nose, Palate
What are the two sections of the Conclusion element of the SAT?
Quality Level, Level of readiness for drinking/potential for aging
When terms in the right-hand column of the SAT are separated by a hyphen, you should select…
one and only one of the terms listed to describe the wine.
When terms in the right-hand column of the SAT are preceded by e.g., you…
are not restricted to the terms in the right-hand column. You are strongly encouraged to use the terms in the Wine-Lexicon.
True or False. In the five-point scale (low, medium(-), medium, medium(+), high) is a scale of five equal parts.
False. Low, Medium, High are three equal parts to the scale. Medium(-), Medium, and Medium(+) are equal within the medium scale. Asses L/M/H first, and then M-/M/M+ if the answer to the first scale is M.
Describe the five ideal room/supply conditions for tasting.
- Good natural lighting
- Odor free
- Sufficient space
- Spittoons available
- Clean glassware
What two personal things should you we aware of before you begin tasting?
- Clean palate (no lingering toothpaste or food)
2. Well-hydrated
Why is dehydration bad for wine tasting?
Dehydration causes your nasal aroma receptors to become dry, loosing their sensitivity to aromas.
Describe three traits of ideal tasting glassware.
- Odorless, colorless, free of residue
- Rounded bowl (for swirling to release aromas)
- Inward sloping walls (to capture aromas)
What are the three main parts of assessing the appearance of a wine? What are the other observations one can make?
- Clarity
- Intensity
- Color
Other: legs (tears) - indicates sugar/alcohol content, deposit - indicates unfixed or unfiltered, petillance - bottled with dissolved CO2, bubbles
What is the scale to measure Clarity?
Clear - Hazy
What causes haziness in wine?
Suspended particles in the wine. Could be a fault, could be unfiltered. Deliberately hazy wines will not be used in Level 3.
What is Intensity and what is the scale to measure Intensity?
“How much color the wine has”
Pale - Deep
How can you tell if a white wine is Pale or Deep in intensity?
Pale: If there is a broad, watery rim.
Deep: If the pigment reaches almost to the rim.
How can you tell if a red wine is Pale or Deep in intensity?
Pale: If the wine is lightly pigmented from the rim to the core. When looking down through an upright glass, it should be easy to clearly see the stem.
Deep: If the wine is intensely pigmented right up to the rim. It should be impossible to see the stem when looking down through an upright glass.
What is Color? How is it best judged in white/rose wines?Red wines?
“the balance of levels of red, blue, yellow, green, or brown found in a wine”
- Independent of Intensity
- White/Rose: best judged at the core.
- Red: best judged near the rim
What is the scale to asses the Color of white wines? Which is the most common?
Lemon-Green - Lemon - Gold - Amber - Brown
Lemon is the most common.
What is the scale to asses the Color of red wines? Which is the most common?
Purple - Ruby - Garnet - Tawny - Brown
Ruby is the most common.
When would a white wine color be described as “Lemon-Green”?
When there is a noticeable greenness
When would a white wine color be described as “Gold”?
When there is a hint of orange or brown
When would a white wine color be described as “Amber” or “Brown”? What types of wines does this describe?
When there is a very noticeable level of browning.
-Older wines, deliberately oxidized wines.
When would a red wine color be described as “Purple”?
When there is a noticeable blue or purple color
When would a red wine color be described as “Garnet”?
When there is a noticeable orange or brown color but the wine is still more red than brown
When would a red wine color be described as “Tawny”?
When the wine is more brown than red
When would a red wine color be described as “Brown”?
When there is no redness in the wine
What is the scale to asses the Color of rose wines?
Pink - Salmon - Orange
When would a rose wine color be described as “Pink”?
When the wine has a very pure pink color
When would a rose wine color be described as “Salmon”?
When a pink-colored wine shows a hint of orange
When would a rose wine color be described as “Orange”?
When orange is the dominant color - rare
What four categories can you assess on the nose of a wine?
- Condition
- Intensity
- Aromas
- Development
What is Trichloroanisole? What is a main cause of Trichloroanisole?
- Also know as TCA
- Smells like: damp cardboard, muted fruit flavors, less fresh
- Main cause: cork taint
What is reduction?
- Gives wine a ‘stinky’ character like rotten eggs, boiled cabbage, boiled onions, blocked drains
- Low levels can be pleasant, add character and complexity
- Sometimes dissipates once bottle is opened
What is sulfur dioxide? What does it smell like at high levels? At low levels? What type of wine has the highest levels?
- Added to almost all wines
- Insufficient SO2 can lead to oxidation
- High levels: acrid smell of recently extinguished matches
- Low levels: masks the fruitiness of wine
- Highest levels: sweet white wines
What is oxidation? What causes it? How does it affect wine?
- Opposite of reduction
- Caused by a failure of the closure, allowing unwanted oxygen to interact with the wine
- Deeper color, more brown
- Aromas of toffee, honey, caramel, coffee
- Lacks freshness, fruitiness
What are ‘out of condition’ wines? What do they taste like?
Wines that are too old or have been stored in bad conditions
- lost vibrancy and freshness
- dull, stale
- elements of oxidation
What is Volatile Acidity? What aromas does it add to wine?
- All wines have VA
- Low levels: adds fragrance, complexity
- High levels: vinegar, nail polish aromas
What is Brettanomyces?
- Also known as Brett
- yeast that can give off plastic or animal aromas (sticking plasters, hot vinyl, smoked meat, leather, sweaty horses)
What is the scale to measure Intensity of Aromas?
Light - Medium* - Pronounced
*Within Medium: Medium(-) - Medium - Medium(+)
What are Primary Aromas? Where do they originate?
- Aromas that exist after fermentation.
- Come from the grapes or created during fermentation
What are the 6 clusters of Primary Aromas?
1. Floral 2-8. Fruit 9. Herbaceous 10. Herbal 11. Pungent Spice 12. Other (Mineral)
- Green Fruit
- Citrus Fruit
- Stone Fruit
- Tropical Fruit
- Red Fruit
- Black Fruit
- Dried/Cooked Fruit
What are Secondary Aromas? Where do they originate? What are the 3 clusters of Secondary Aromas?
Created by post-fermentation winemaking
- Oak
- Malolactic Fermentation
- Lees Contact/Autolysis
What are Tertiary Aromas? Where do they originate?
Originate from the aging process. Changes the primary aromas.
- Deliberate Oxidation
- Fruit Development (red/white)
- Bottle age (red/white)
What is the scale used to describe a wine’s Development?
Youthful - Developing - Fully Developed - Tired/Past its Best
When would one describe a wine as ‘Youthful’?
When the wine if dominated by primary or secondary aromas. Common for secondary aromas to stand out from primary as this stage; not fully integrated.
When would one describe a wine as ‘Developing’?
When most of the wine aromas are primary and secondary but some tertiary aromas can be detected.
When would one describe a wine as ‘Fully Developed’?
When predominant aromas are tertiary aromas. Secondary aromas will be full integrated, hard to distinguish from tertiary aromas.
When would one describe a wine as ‘Tired’?
When attractive aromas fade and unpleasant aromas start to develop.
What are the seven components to assessing the Palate of a wine?
- Sweetness
- Acidity
- Tannin
- Alcohol
- Body
- Mousse
- Finish
What is the scale used to assess the Sweetness of a wine? What does each level mean to a taster?
Dry - Off-Dry - Medium-Dry - Medium-Sweet - Sweet - Luscious
Dry: no sugar, or undetectably low levels
Off-Dry: tiny amount of detectable Sugar
Medium-Dry/-Sweet: Distinct presence of sugar, not sweet enough to partner most desserts
Sweet: sugar is dominant feature of wine
Luscious: viscous, sticky sweet aftertaste
What is the scale used to assess the Acidity of a wine?
Light - Medium* - High
*Within Medium: Medium(-) - Medium - Medium(+)
What are the types of acids in wine?
- Tartaric/Malic: from the grape juice
- Lactic: converted from malic in all reds and many whites
- Added Acids
How does one detect acidity? Where in the mouth?
- Sides of the tonque
- Sharp, tingling sensation
- Makes mouth water
How do wines with ‘low acidity’ feel on the palate?
Feels broad, round, and soft
How do wines with ‘high acidity’ feel on the palate?
Especially mouth-watering
What is often confused with acidity? How does one identify acidity?
Alcohol can create a burning sensation similar to acidity. Focus on mouth-watering effect to determine the acidity of a wine. Focus on thickness and viscosity to determine the alcohol of a wine.
What two components of assessing the palate of a wine mask each other?
Sweetness + Acidity
Acidity in a sweet wine will appear less obvious compared with the acidity in a dry high-acid wine.
What is the scale used to assess the Tannin of a wine?
Light - Medium* - High
*Within Medium: Medium(-) - Medium - Medium(+)
What are Tannins? How do they make your mouth feel? Where in your mouth are tannins most strongly detected?
- Tannins are an important structural component in red wines that are mostly extracted from the skins of grapes during fermentation.
- They bind to your saliva and cause your mouth to dry up and feel rough.
- They contribute to the textural richness of a wine.
- Detected most clearly on the gums above your front teeth and leave a bitter taste in the back of your mouth.
What is the difference between unripe and ripe tannins?
- Unripe tannins are aggressively astringent.
- Ripe tannins contribute more to textural richness.
Make card about astringent tannins
Don’t understand
What is the scale used to assess Alcohol levels in wine?
Low: below 11%
Medium: 11-13.9%
High: 14% and above
What is the scale used to assess Alcohol levels in fortified wine?
Low: 15-16.4%
Medium: 16.5-18.4%
High: 18.5% and above
What effect does Alcohol have on the Body of a wine?
- Higher alcohol = heavier in mouth
- Lower alcohol = lighter in mouth
What is Body?
“Mouthfeel”, textural impression created by a wine.
Not a single component (combination of alcohol, sugar, tannin, acidity)
What is Mousse? What is the scale used to describe Mousse in wines? What does each level mean?
Relevant only with sparkling wines
Delicate - Creamy - Aggressive
Delicate: Bubbles are soft and fine.
Creamy: Lively sparkle, not frothy or aggressive
Aggressive: Extremely lively, explode on the palate, lose bubbles quickly
What flavor characteristics are often more detectable on the palate than they were on the nose? Which are less detectable?
More detectable on palate: Earthy, spicy, toasty
More detectable on nose: Fruity, floral
What is the Finish of a wine? How does one assess the length of a Finish?
The collection of sensations after you have swallowed or spat the wine out. When assessing the length of the finish, only measure the length of the desirable sensations.
What is the scale to measure the Finish of a wine? What does each level mean to the taster?
Short - Medium* - Long
*Within Medium: Medium(-) - Medium - Medium(+)
Short: desirable flavors last only a few seconds
Long: desirable flavors last for a minute or longer
Medium: somewhere in between
What are the four components to consider in assessing a wine’s quality?
- Balance
- Intensity
- Length
- Complexity
What is Balance in a wine? What questions should one ask when assessing Balance?
When fruit/sugar is in harmony with acidity/tannins. Integration of flavors is important.
- How is the overall balance achieved?
- How well balanced is this wine?
- How well integrated are each of the wine’s components?
What is Intensity in a wine? What does it mean when assessing a wine’s overall quality?
Low intensity: Weak, dilute flavors
High intensity: Concentrated flavors
Low intensity = seldom high quality
Beyond a certain level, more intensity does not = higher quality
What is Complexity in a wine? What does it mean when assessing a wine’s overall quality?
Primary aromas and flavors, combined with secondary and tertiary characteristics.
Simplicity is not always negative (purity, clarity of expression). Secondary characteristics may detract from quality.
What is the scale to measure the Quality of a wine?
Outstanding - all 4 components score positively Very Good - 3/4 Good - 2/4 Acceptable - 1/4 Poor - 0/4
What is the scale to measure the Readiness for Drinking a wine?
- Too Young
- Can Drink Now, But has Potential for Aging
- Drink Now: Not Suitable for Aging or Further Aging
- Too Old
When would one assess a wine as ‘Too Young’?
When a wine has a firm structure of acid or tanning, sufficient levels of flavor concentration. Will be so much better in a few years, waste to drink now.
When would one assess a wine as ‘Drink Now (Not Suitable for Aging or Further Aging)’?
When a wine mainly shows primary aromas and flavors with a light acidity or tannin structure. Changes are beginning to subtract from the quality of the wine.
When would one assess a wine as ‘Too Old’?
When a wine should have been fruity with a light tannin or acid structure, lost freshness. Negative changes dominate the wine.
When would one assess a wine as ‘Can Drink Now, But Has Potential for Aging’?
When a wine is drinking pleasurably now but will improve positively in the next few years.
