1.1 - Tasting and Evaluating Wine Flashcards
Qualities of an ideal tasting environment
good lighting no strong odours spittoons space for glasses/notes clean palate no strong perfumes or aftershaves clean, suitable glassware correctly filled glasses
What are the two important features of suitable glassware?
Inward-sloping walls that capture the aromas at the top of the glass.
Rounded bowl that aids swirling the wine to release aromas.
Appearance
Intensity: pale - medium - deep
Colour:
white (lemon - gold - amber)
rosé (pink - pink orange - orange)
red (purple - ruby - garnet - tawny)
Nose
Intensity: light - medium - pronounced
Aroma characteristics (primary, secondary, tertiary)
Palate
Sweetness: dry - off dry - medium - sweet
Acidity: low - medium - high
Tannin: low - medium - high
Alcohol: low - medium - high
Body: low - medium - high
Flavour Intensity: light - medium - pronounced
Flavour characteristics: e.g., primary, secondary, tertiary
Finish: short - medium - long
For assessing appearance of white wine:
What is the intensity of a wine with broad watery rim? Wine where pigment reaches almost to rim?
pale
deep
For assessing appearance of red wine:
How to determine if wine is ‘pale’ or ‘deep’?
pale = can read through the glass when looking down at upright glass deep = cannot see the stem
What are the colors of white wine and how are they characterized?
lemon
gold (hint of orange or brown, like Sauternes)
amber: noticeable browning
What are the colors of red wine and how are they characterized?
purple (blue/purple color)
ruby
garnet (orange or brown color but closer to red than brown)
tawny (more brown than red)
nose: how to determine if aroma intensity is ‘light’?
if aromas are hard to detect even after swirling
nose: what qualifies a wine as having ‘pronounced’ aroma intensity?
if aromas immediately apparent when you put your nose in the glass
what are the 3 categories of aroma characteristics?
primary - comes from the grapes or are created during fermentation
secondary - come from post-fermentation winemaking (oak, malolactic conversion, or autolysis)
tertiary - comes from the ageing process
(oxidative aging i.e. long period in oak -> coffee, caramel) or non-oxidative aging i.e. long period in bottle ->petrol, honey, mushroom)
how do acid and sugar work together?
acid and sugar mask each other. high acid less obvious in a sweet wine.
how does tannin feel in mouth?
dry, rough, binds to saliva. Sometimes leaves bitter taste in back of mouth.
what are low, medium, and high abv?
low: below 11% abv
medium: 11-13.9% abv
high: 14% abv and above
For fortified:
low: 15-16.4% abv
medium: 16.5%-18.4% abv
high: 18.5% abv and above
what components of a wine work together to create body? how do they contribute to body?
sugar, tannin, acid, alcohol
alcohol - usually main factor contributing to body
sugar - adds to body
tannin - adds to body, unless unripe tannin in which case it can make wine seem lighter-bodied
acid - makes feel lighter-bodied
Floral primary aromas?
blossom, rose, violet
Green fruit primary aromas?
apple, pear, gooseberry, grape
Primary aromas of citrus fruit?
grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange
Primary aromas of stone fruit?
peach, apricot, nectarine
Primary aromas of tropical fruit?
banana, lychee, mango, melon, passion fruit, pineapple
Primary aromas of red fruit?
redcurrant, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, red plum
Primary herbaceous aromas?
green bell pepper (capsicum), grass, tomato leaf, asparagus
Primary herbal aromas?
eucalyptus, mint, fennel, dill, dried herbs
