2021 general info

Question 1

What is wine?

Answer 1

A hydro-alcoholic beverage

From the vitus vinifera plant comes grape juice which undergoes a process of alcoholic fermentation and human intervention

Question 2

What minimum percentage of alcohol must there be in wine?

Answer 2

Minimum 9% alcohol in wine

Moscato = 5.5% - partially fermented grape juice

Question 3

Is wine a natural product?

Answer 3

No, it is chemically and biochemically produced

Question 4

1- What is the Golden Age of Wine

2- what brought it to an abrupt end?

3-Name dates of two biggest destructive events.

Answer 4

1- 16th century.

2-War, plague and planet cooling reduced vineyard areas of Europe to the core regions we know today.

3-
1847 MOLD took out whole vintages in France
1863 PHYLOXXERA reduced vineyards to 1/4

Question 5

What is the biggest difference between total area of grapes planted in the 16th century and now?

Answer 5

Now there are 4 times less what was planted during the golden age of wine

Question 6

Is alcoholic fermentation a natural or unnatural process?

Answer 6

It is a man made process.

Question 7

What is a struggle with organic wine?

Answer 7

It is often unbalanced and spoils quickly

Question 8

1- Birthplace of vitus vinifera plant

2- Birthplace of wine

Answer 8

1- Mesopotamia (present day Syria) the first grape seed discovered 60M years ago predating man

2- Georgia on east shore of Black Sea 6,000 BC

(Some evidence that a form of wine made in Neolithic times along Nile) between euphrates and Tigris

Question 9

What is the most ancient wine?

Answer 9

Syrah - come from Syrians (ancient Mesopotamia)

Question 10

How did wine get around the world from Syria?

Answer 10

By man. Nomads. They’d travel with vitus vinifera vines. Accustomed to Mediterranean climate.

Question 11

Why is wine made from grapes rather than any other fruit?

Answer 11

1- This plant (leaves and vine) allows fruit to soak up everything in the environment and put it into the flavor.
Ex: wine from Mt. Aetna tastes like volcano

2- The grape’s juice contains 25% sugar which is available for fermentation

3- It is a survivor- a weed - a parasite

Question 12

What is (has been historically) an interesting commonality of all the best winemakers?

Answer 12

They are spiritual.

Stewards of nature - wine is cyclical of earth and season
therefore sacred- even biblical

Question 13

What is terroir?

Answer 13

Sense of place and tradition

Climate- soil - sun - man - culture

(See viticulture)

Question 14

How old is the oldest known grape seed?

Answer 14

60 million years old- predating man

Question 15

How was first wine made?

Answer 15

By accident. Grape juice was stored in pitchers or goat or camel skins. In the heat of Asia Minor the juice would naturally ferment. The grapes were quite sweet.

Eventually wine was ‘intentionally’ cultivated systematically during the rise of Ancient Greek civilization 1600 BC

Question 16

1- what is viticulture?

2- what is viniculture? (Vinification)

3- what is oenology?

4- what is an oenophile?

Answer 16

1- the cultivation of grapevines

2- the conversion of grape juice or other vegetal extract into wine by fermentation

3- the science of winemaking

4- a connoisseur of wines

Question 17

To where is the grapevine indigenous?

Answer 17

Europe and Asia Minor

Question 17

What were 4 of the many uses of wine in the Roman Empire?

Answer 17

1- Status symbol
2- Medium of exchange
3- a form of medicine
4- ritual offering (ex: seal contractual agreements)

Question 19

Who was responsible for high level of accomplishment and contribution to wine from Middle Ages to present day, and where?

1- Middle Ages
2- Renaissance

Answer 19

1- Middle Ages;
Benedictine monks and Cistercians (a split-off order) - Monasteries of Cluny and Citeau

2-Renaissance;
enlightened rulers and rich burghers
Two Italian families leading the movement= Antinori and Frescobaldi

Question 20

What are Noble Grapes and name 18 of them

Answer 20

They are the most popular and widely planted varietals with most expressiveness

Red:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Malbec, Syrah, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Grenache

White:
Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Gewurtztraminer, Moscato

Question 21

What are the wine expert’s standards for a good wine?

These elements are all key indicators of quality.

Answer 21

BALANCE = The relationship of components to one another- sett, acid, tannin, alcohol

LENGTH = Can taste across the length of tongue - ‘goes the distance’

DEPTH = Doesn’t taste flat and one dimensional - has complexity

Question 22

What is in Enography. What is in Enology.

Answer 22

Enography is the study of wine regions.

Enology is the study of wine.

Question 23

Describe the three major impact wine had in the rise of wine in 13th and 14th centuries

Answer 23

1- Religion
Western church was the last solid organization after the fall of Roman Empire
Benedictine and Cistercian monks founded
•Wine was central to the church
-religious sacrament
-wealth and power (churches owned the vineyards)

2- Social life

• Regulates social aspect of public relation through conveviality
• Used medicinally

3- Economy
-Wine trading between France and rest of Europe

Question 24

What are five determining factors to identify quality of a wine?

Give examples.

Answer 24

1- DISTINCT VARIETAL CHARACTER= Presents it’s inherent Grape variety’s aromas and flavors in a straightforward clear and focused way

2-INTEGRATION = No one component stands out. The bedrock upon which all judgment rests.
Like a sphere- round and harmonious vs. points of a star. No concrete talking points like harsh tannin or low acid.

3-EXPRESSIVENESS = High definition aromas and flavors - clarity and focus - New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

4- COMPLEXITY = Multiplicity of flavors. A phenomenon - it draws you in for more. Keep experiencing something new.

5-CONNECTEDNESS = Cultural identity - bond between wine and a plot of land
Ex: Cote-Roti from Northern France or Riesling form Mosel

Question 25

What is an organoleptic profile?

Answer 25

Aspects of grape and wine experienced by the senses of taste, smell, sight, and touch

Question 26

What is an organoleptic profile?

Answer 26

Aspects of grape and wine experienced by the senses of taste, smell, sight, and touch