20.2 Producing Premium, Small-Volume White Wine Flashcards
Premium White Wine Production
LEES AGING
CHOICES (2)?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (3)?
CHOICE: 1) Lees aging.
2) Option of lees stirring (bâttonage)
REASON: 1) Adds texture while retaining freshness.
2) Stirring adds body + lessens chance of reduction.
INFLUENCE: 1) More textured palate / body / aroma complexity.
2) Added cost of keeping wine + monitoring + stirring = $$$
3) Lessens risk of reductive aromas developing (onions, rotten eggs)
Premium White Wine Production
PACKAGING
CHOICES (2)?
REASON (3)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: 1) Glass bottle
2) High quality cork / screwcap / technical cork / glass stopper.
REASON: 1) only suitable option for age-worthy wine due to impermeability.
2) Consumer expectations of premium packaging.
3) Allows wine to potentially improve via aging without risk of spoiling.
INFLUENCE: 1) Maintain style + quality while ensuring ageability.
2) High quality corks + glass stoppers = $$$
Premium White Wine Production
FILTERING / FINING
CHOICES (3)?
REASONS (3)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: 1) Sedimentation
2) Fining
3) Sterile Filtration
REASON: 1) Sedimentation (racking) = gentlest / least manipulative form of removing sediment. Filtering/Fining wants to be avoided.
2) Filtering = clear+bright wine.
3) Sterile Filtration = avoids risks of developing in bottle.
INFLUENCE: 1) Maintains quality + style
2) Additional $$$ as wine must be stored until it is cleared of sediment.
Premium White Wine Production
HARVEST
CHOICE (2)?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (3)?
CHOICE: 1) Hand Harvest
2) Harvest in coolest hours of morning/evening.
REASON: 1) Sorting in vineyard = only healthy, fully ripe bunches.
2) Coolest conditions = less oxidation + microbial spoilage.
INFLUENCE: 1) Optimally ripe grapes = better quality.
2) Increase in cost due to hand harvesting.
3) Retains overall + primary fruit quality
Premium White Wine Production
MATURATION VESSEL
CHOICES (2)?
REASON (3)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (4)?
CHOICE: 1) Small, new oak barrels.
or
2) Large barrels / Stainless Steel
REASON: 1) Oaked style is desired: Oak flavors + mild oxidation.
2) Wines begin to clarify naturally due to time of maturation
3) Neutral vessels allow flavors to integrate + fermentation esters lost.
INFLUENCE: 1) Small barrels = deeper color / fuller body / vanilla+spice notes / development of tertiary characteristics.
2) Added cost of barrels + monitoring / racking wine = $$$
3) Neutral vessels = best expression of primary fruit flavors.
4) Large vessels = winery space needed, appropriate temp + monitoring of racking.
Premium White Wine Production
FERMENTATION VESSEL: Concrete Eggs
E.g.?
REASON?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
e.g. Premium Chablis
REASON: Shape of egg sets up convection currents which mix the fermenting must+lees.
INFLUENCE: 1) Additional complexity.
2) Very expensive, contain relatively little wine + need monitoring.
Premium White Wine Production
BLENDING
CHOICE (2)?
REASON (3)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (3)?
CHOICE: 1) Choosing lots that meet quality standard + style.
2) Blending of multiple varieties / different lots of single varieties.
REASON: 1) Attain desired style + quality level (flavor intensity / balance / acidity.)
2) determening ideal amounts of different varieties to create balance.
3) blending of different lots that have been fermented in different vessels, from different vineyards.
INFLUENCE: 1) High quality wine must show flavor intensity + balance.
2) If lots do not meet standards, this could mean lost income.
3) Increased complexity.
Premium White Wine Production
FERMENTATION VESSEL: Neutral Container
E.g.?
REASON?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE?
e.g. Alsace Pinot Gris Grand Cru (large, old wood vessels / concrete / stainless steel)
REASON: No added oak flavors desired.
INFLUENCE: Preserves primary fruit.
Premium White Wine Production
MUST CLARIFICATION
CHOICES (2)?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: 1) Sedimentation
2) Option: retain high proportion of solids.
REASON: 1) Involves the least manipulation, less pressure for speed from a production standpoint.
2) Retaining solids increases complexity of aromas.
INFLUENCE: 1) Clarifying must = less post-fermentation clarification needed, retaining delicate flavors + aromas.
2) Increased complexity of aromas (not just fruity) + lower sulfur compounds = higher quality.
Premium White Wine Production
PRESSING
CHOICE (2)?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (4)?
CHOICE: 1) Pneumatic / Basket Press
2) Option of whole bunch pressing
REASON: 1) Gentle forms of pressing.
2) Less oxidation due to no prior crushing, low extraction of tannins.
INFLUENCE: 1) Low extraction of unwanted phenolics = better quality.
2) Basket presses = smaller loads = more labor $$$ + time.
3) Whole Bunches = smoother mouthfeel = higher quality.
4) Whole Bunches = slower process + more costly than pressing crushed grapes.
Premium White Wine Production
HYPEROXIDATION
CHOICE?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: May / may not be carried out.
REASON: 1) Oxidizes compounds more prone to oxidation.
2) Removes bitter compounds.
INFLUENCE: 1) Smoother final wine + less prone to oxidation.
2) Adds cost for time / labor.
Premium White Wine Production
FINAL BLEND
CHOICE?
REASON?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: Final blend of lots / barrels.
REASON: Creation of desired style of wine.
INFLUENCE: 1) Increased balance of fruit / oak / acidity / complexity.
2) Rejection / reduced price of sub-par barrels = less income
Premium White Wine Production
MALOLACTIC CONVERSION Carried Out
e.g.?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
e.g. Grand Cru White Burgundy.
REASON: 1) Full MLF slightly lowers acidity + adds buttery notes.
2) Partial MLF creates further blending options for final blend.
INFLUENCE: 1) Additional complexity of buttery notes, less fruity.
2) Rounder, richer mouthfeel (from lower acidity.)
Premium White Wine Production
TARTRATE STABALIZATION
CHOICE?
REASONS (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: Cold Stabalization
REASON: 1) Consumers of premium wines may not accept tartrate crystals.
2) Involves least amount of manipulation.
INFLUENCE: 1) Maintains quality + style
2) Avoids what can be seen as a fault.
Premium White Wine Production
GRAPE RECEPTION
CHOICES (2)?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (3)?
CHOICE: 1) High levels of sorting (by hand on a sorting table/vibrating belt or optical sorting.)
2) Possible cold storage when grapes reach winery.
REASON: 1) Eliminates under/over-ripened grapes + diseased/moldy fruit.
2) Slows oxidation + microbial spoilage.
INFLUENCE: 1) Sorting raises quality level by removing sub-par grapes = added $$$ for time, labor, equipment.
2) Removing grapes = lower volume = more expensive wine.
3) Chilling in cold storage adds cost = protects quality.
Premium White Wine Production
YEAST FOR ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION
CHOICE (2)?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: 1) Ambient (native) yeasts.
2) Culture (commercial) yeasts.
REASON: Ambient: range of different species which contributes to “terroir.”
Cultured: Neutral + Reliable / certain strains promote aromatic traits.
INFLUENCE: Ambient: Distinctive aroma/flavor characteristics in wine.
Cultured: More selective promotion of aroma/flavor characteristics. Or could be fairly neutral, to which oak/lees comlpexity will be added.
Premium White Wine Production
TEMPERATURE DURING FERMENTATION
CHOICE?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: Moderate Temps; (17 - 25 C / 63-77 F)
REASON: 1) Up to 20 C / 68 F for e.g. Alsace PG GC to retain fruit but avoid low-temp esters.
2) Up to 25 C / 77 F for e.g. barrel-fermented Chardonnay to promote savory notes.
INFLUENCE: 1) Maximum fruit expression
or
2) Fruit expression + added complexity.
Premium White Wine Production
TRANSPORTATION TO WINERY
CHOICES (2)?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
CHOICE: 1) Transportation in small crates.
2) addition of SO2.
REASON: 1) Limits damage + minimizes crushing.
2) SO2 give protection from microbial spoilage + oxidation.
INFLUENCE: 1) By minimizing crushing = minimizing possibility of microbial spoilage + premature fermentation before reaching winery.
2) SO2 retains quality.
Premium White Wine Production
MALOLACTIC CONVERSION Blocked
e.g.?
REASON?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (2)?
e.g. Alsace Pinot Gris Grand Cru.
REASON: retains primary fruit flavor + acidity.
INFLUENCE: 1) More fruit-foward, no buttery notes.
2) Higher acidity = agability.
Premium White Wine Production
FERMENTATION VESSEL: Rack to Barrels
2 e.g.s
REASON (3)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE (3)?
e.g. Premium Chardonnay from Burgundy / Premium Bordeaux Blanc from Pessac-Leognan.
REASON: 1) New barrels add oak flavors + gentle oxygen exposure.
2) Old barrels = gentle oxygen exposure.
3) Barrel variation = more blending options.
INFLUENCE: Deeper color / Fuller body / better inegration of oak+primary fruit flavors.
Premium White Wine Production
ADJUSTMENTS
CHOICE?
REASON (2)?
INFLUENCE ON STYLE / QUALITY / PRICE?
CHOICE: Acidification / Deacidification / Chaptalization done as necessary, but likely not needed.
REASON: 1) Greater selection criteria of fruit = balance of ripeness w/acidity likely to be ideal.
2) Some vintages may require chaptalization / acidity adjustments.
INFLUENCE: Enhances balance of wine = higher quality.
