1.1 - Tasting and Evaluating Wine

Question 1

Qualities of an ideal tasting environment

Answer 1

good lighting
no strong odours
spittoons
space for glasses/notes
clean palate
no strong perfumes or aftershaves
clean, suitable glassware 
correctly filled glasses

Question 2

What are the two important features of suitable glassware?

Answer 2

Inward-sloping walls that capture the aromas at the top of the glass.

Rounded bowl that aids swirling the wine to release aromas.

Question 3

Appearance

Answer 3

Intensity: pale - medium - deep

Colour:
white (lemon - gold - amber)
rosé (pink - pink orange - orange)
red (purple - ruby - garnet - tawny)

Question 4

Nose

Answer 4

Intensity: light - medium - pronounced

Aroma characteristics (primary, secondary, tertiary)

Question 5

Palate

Answer 5

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

Question 6

For assessing appearance of white wine:

What is the intensity of a wine with broad watery rim? Wine where pigment reaches almost to rim?

Answer 6

pale

deep

Question 7

For assessing appearance of red wine:

How to determine if wine is ‘pale’ or ‘deep’?

Answer 7

pale = can read through the glass when looking down at upright glass
deep = cannot see the stem

Question 8

What are the colors of white wine and how are they characterized?

Answer 8

lemon
gold (hint of orange or brown, like Sauternes)
amber: noticeable browning

Question 9

What are the colors of red wine and how are they characterized?

Answer 9

purple (blue/purple color)
ruby
garnet (orange or brown color but closer to red than brown)
tawny (more brown than red)

Question 10

nose: how to determine if aroma intensity is ‘light’?

Answer 10

if aromas are hard to detect even after swirling

Question 11

nose: what qualifies a wine as having ‘pronounced’ aroma intensity?

Answer 11

if aromas immediately apparent when you put your nose in the glass

Question 12

what are the 3 categories of aroma characteristics?

Answer 12

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)

Question 13

how do acid and sugar work together?

Answer 13

acid and sugar mask each other. high acid less obvious in a sweet wine.

Question 14

how does tannin feel in mouth?

Answer 14

dry, rough, binds to saliva. Sometimes leaves bitter taste in back of mouth.

Question 15

what are low, medium, and high abv?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

what components of a wine work together to create body? how do they contribute to body?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Floral primary aromas?

Answer 17

blossom, rose, violet

Question 18

Green fruit primary aromas?

Answer 18

apple, pear, gooseberry, grape

Question 19

Primary aromas of citrus fruit?

Answer 19

grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange

Question 20

Primary aromas of stone fruit?

Answer 20

peach, apricot, nectarine

Question 21

Primary aromas of tropical fruit?

Answer 21

banana, lychee, mango, melon, passion fruit, pineapple

Question 22

Primary aromas of red fruit?

Answer 22

redcurrant, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, red plum

Question 23

Primary herbaceous aromas?

Answer 23

green bell pepper (capsicum), grass, tomato leaf, asparagus

Question 24

Primary herbal aromas?

Answer 24

eucalyptus, mint, fennel, dill, dried herbs

Question 25

Primary aromas of spice?

Answer 25

black/white pepper, liquorice

Question 26

Primary aromas of fruit ripeness?

Answer 26

unripe fruit, ripe fruit, dried fruit, cooked fruit

Question 27

‘other’ aromas:

Answer 27

wet stones, candy

Question 28

Where do secondary ‘yeast’ aromas come from?

Answer 28

come from lees, autolysis, and flor.

Question 29

What are the three main categories of secondary aromas and flavors?

Answer 29

yeast, malolactic conversion, oak

yeast:
Give aromas/flavors of: biscuit, pastry, bread, toasted bread, bread dough, cheese, yogurt

malolactic conversion: butter, cream, cheese

oak: smoke, vanilla, cedar, coconut, cloves, charred wood, chocolate, coffee

Question 30

what are the tertiary aromas and flavors of red, white, and oxidized wines?

Answer 30

red: dried fruit, leather, meat, mushroom, earth, tobacco, wet leaves, forest floor, caramel
white: dried fruit, orange marmalade, petrol, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, almond, hazelnut, honey, caramel
oxidized: almond, hazelnut, walnut, chocolate, coffee, caramel