2021 Viticulture Flashcards
What were the two greatest setbacks in wine history and when did they happen?
Botrytus Cinera - a powdery mildew that was first seen in France in 1847 and it destroyed entire vantages.
Phylloxera - a plant louse insect which arrived in Europe on seedlings brought from America first seen in 1863 France. They ate their way through Europe halting production for decades. Entire species of grapes were wiped out.
Remedy not found until 1910
What parallels represent the world’s wine regions?
Europe - between 40th and 50th parallels
Southern Hemisphere between 30th and 40th parallels
What do ‘fine’ wines need regarding ripening?
Lower temperatures- the ripening needs to be slowed down - this prevents it from becoming overly alcoholic or heavy. Also it retains a bit of acidity, an element that adds elegance to white and red wines
Where are wines produces in marginal climate areas outside standard latitudes?
North = Parts of Mosel and Rhine regions (51 north)
South = Southern Europe and North Africa (36 latitude)
A deliberate move into cool regions of the pacific climate zones in CA and Oregon to make white wines is well established.
What 2 properties is sugar split into in side the berry?
What percentage of the grape berry is sugar?
Glucose and frucose
Up to 25% of grape berry contains sugar
Apples and pears contain 12%
Why is the grape better suited to winemaking than any other fruit bearing plant?
The grapevine is the best at
1-accumulating sugar -up to 25% of grape’s juice consists of sugar available for fermentation
2-absorbing profiles from the environment
3-profound adaptability -it is a survivor and a weed
What are the secrets to the grape’s adaptability?
1- Strong root system - store nutrients and anchor the plant - can grow 6 meters deep to reach water
2- Tough and undemanding plant - can adapt to withstand extreme temperatures, poor soil, drought, and can become resistant to frost.
How do grapevines get their energy needed to grow?
They carry a lot of leaves for photosynthesis and catch in in their canopy.
How is sugar produced in plants/grapevines?
Photosynthesis = green plants use sunlight to synthesize sugar from chlorophyll (green pigment), carbon dioxide and water. The byproduct is oxygen.
Why would growing along rivers or lakes improve sugar content?
The water surface reflects and magnifies the light which increases the photosynthesis.
What is the greatest weakness of the vine?
1- Susceptibility to disease and pests - notably Botrytus (gray rot) and phylloxera
This mostly for European vine (American strain were more robust and immune to phylloxera)
2- fertilization and increased yields greatly increases vulnerability of vine
What is Selection Massale?
Peasants and viticulturists in Middle Ages start selecting superior plants of the vineyard and replanting them in similar soil and terroir.
Now growers buy 1 yr old vines from nurseries that get their vines from ‘mother gardens’ planted certified clones of individual varieties which are then grafted onto rootstock.
What comprises a grape cluster?
Stems and grape berry (skin, pulp and seeds)
What is the composition of a grape and what do these elements affect?
SUGAR = determines possible alcohol strength of a wine
ACIDS = affects course of fermentation and flavors
POTASSIUM = (salt) effects microbiological activity and oxidative stability
PHENOLICS = contributes to level of color and tannins
TERPENS = contributes to the flavor profile
•Grape composition is constantly evolving during ripening
What color is red grape must?
White grapes and red grapes all produce white must. Red wine only results when red skins are fermented with the must.
What percentage of a grape is water?
90%
What is must?
Freshly cut grape juice containing skins, seeds and sometimes stems of the fruit
What are the components of a grape?
SUGAR = determines potential alcohol content
ACIDS = fixed acids only (tartaric, Malic, citric)- affects fermentation and flavors
POLYPHENOLS = polyphenols contribute to colors and tannins = anthocyanan/red , flavone/white
TERPENS = contribute to the flavor/aroma profiles
•Grape composition is constantly changing and evolving
What are the components of wine grape skin?
BLOOM = outer waxy layer - resists water loss and stops fungal growth and other infections
PHENOLICS = tannins (polyphenols) + pigments (anthocyanins) + flavors (terpens)
The ________er the skin, the better the flavor and aroma?
Thicker
What are polyphenols?
Molecules of oxygen and hydrogen that polymerize (create elaborate networks of chains of molecules.) The more phenols in a wine , the more complex they become. The older a wine gets, the longer the chains of polyphenols.
Phenols in wine = pigments, tannins and components of taste found in the skin, seeds and stems
Best phenols found in skin (more in red than white)
Most phenols found in seeds, but are not desireable
What are the chemicals in red grapes that provide red, blue, purple color?
What are the chemicals in white grapes that provide lemony, yellow or golden colors?
Anthocyanins
Flavones
What 2 things does the grapevine need above all else to grow?
What else do they need?
Heat to hasten ripening and
Light for photosynthesis
Warm slopes and dry soil - bodies of water to reflect light and produce heat helps
Temperatures are ____er with higher altitudes.
What is the most important thing to consider the higher the altitude?
Lower
The slope is steeper. The steeper the hill, the more efficient the use of sun’s rays.
What is the ideal planting site in temperate zones for a vineyard and why?
When can it be problematic?
A slope. Sun falls on slopes at advantageous angles and air from valley recirculates providing cooler nights and warmer days which is important for both ripening and retaining acidity. This creates a more complex wine.
When it is a cooler region the variation in temperature may mean the grapes don’t develop enough sugar.
Solar radiation is advantageous in temperate regions why and can be achieved how?
More sun produces more sugars and ripening.
Can be achieved from reflection off water, planting on slopes, and reflection off soil (predominantly stones)
What are benefits and disadvantages of planting next to water?
Water reflect light which is paramount for photosynthesis.
Water collects and radiates heat at night having a mitigating effect.
There’s a danger of frost in winter when the temperature of water is lower than the air.
Describe the different climate types and name some regions
Northern Climate
N. European generally cool with Atlantic influences. Little sunlight - summers short and warm and winters cold and last well into spring as in Champagne and Germany
Continental Climate
Central Europe’s landlocked areas where difference between high and low temperatures is dramatic.
Maritime Climate
Minimal fluctuation in temp between summer and winter. Found in wine regions near the ocean as well as vineyards of the Southern Hemisphere
Dry Climate
Without watering, grape growing is impossible. Southern Australia, South Africa, Chile, California Central Valley
What is terroir?
Expression of the environment and culture
Factors include:
1-Temperatures both day and night
2-distribution of rain over the year
3-number of hours of sunshine
4- structure of the ground and its PH value, (its ability to retain water, mineral composition, shape of terrain, direction of sun)
6-man’s growing and harvesting traditions etc.
How deep can the wine vine root grow?
The average vines grow within 3 ft depth, but individual vines can grow up to 30 feet deep!!!
Describe the soil of the Medoc
Alkaline RIVER GRAVEL soil carried by the Gironde river in left bank of Bordeaux
Drains quickly
Offers few nutrients so vines must put down deep roots for nourishment and water
Beneath the gravel is thin layer of marl on thick bed of limestone the vine must penetrate
Describe the soil of Champagne
CHALK & LIMESTONE of Northeaster France
Nutrient rich topsoil lays half a meter above the partly well drained chalk and partly solid limestone. This is perfect fro Pinot noir and Chardonnay grapes
The limestone in Champagne is 65 million year old and in some places 65 feet thick.
Describe the soil of Mosel, and where is it?
SLATE SLOPES of Germany - used to be called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer until 2007 (officially changed because too complicated)
Formed during the Paleozoic era a million years ago
Slate warms up quickly and radiates heat
Top quality Rieslings from here - show clear mineral tendencies in bouquet called ‘slate notes’
Describe Coonawarra soil
TERRA ROSSA - Australia’s best region for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
Produces dark red wines with sweet soft tannin and whiff of mint on the nose
10 miles wide of henna-red earth - beneath it lies a layer of water retaining limestone
What 2 overall concepts are the most important things for making ‘quality’ wine?
1- Terroir driven philosophy
2-Good vineyard practices - Art of Cultivation in the Vineyard - not cellar work - is what separates great from good
(this determines whether the full potential for excellence offered by terroir is achievable)
What is a monoculture and why dangerous
Modern vineyards today grow grapevine next to grapevine (and no other plant life admitted) so machinery can fit between rows and to maximize production and reduce labor costs.
This makes vines highly vulnerable to pests and disease and requires extensive protection
What is vintage
What is nonvintage
The vintage is the harvest if any one particular year (75-100%)
Nonvintage is a blend of years
What are the 3 maturation levels of ripeness in a grape?
How does this effect harvest?
1 -TECHNOLOGICAL maturation = SUGAR accumulation & ACID reduction
2- PHENOLIC maturation = COLOR AND TANNINS (anthocyanins & flavones)
3-AROMATIC maturation = FLAVOR AND AROMAS (terpens)
Ideally the grapes are harvested at the intersection of these three ripeness maturations
What are the stages of development of the fruit in the vineyard?
0- Dormancy
1- BUD BURST = after dormancy in the winter, buds begin to grow
2- BLOOMING (Inflorescence) = small (primitive) clusters form and flowers appear
3-BUD SET = fruit set - flowers pollinate and fruit begins to form
4- VERASION = color change - berries begin ripening (enrichment process)
5-FULL RIPENING = 3 stages 1-polyphenols. 2-sugars. 3-aromas
What is:
Complexity
Typicity
Finish
What are shortcomings of finish?
Complexity is multiplicity of flavors
Typicity is whether or not a wine meets varietal characteristics
Finish is impression of mouthfeel
•Wines finish hot form alcohol
•wines finish bitter from tannin
•wines may leave no impression at all
What is the categorization of Vitus and Vinifera
How many varieties are there?
Genus and species
10,000
How are wine grapes different than table grapes?
Smaller berries with seeds and sweeter
What are the three ways grapes vary and describe
PERSONALITY=
1-Aromatic compounds
2-Acidity level
3-thickness of skin - thicker = more tannins and flavor
PERFORMANCE= determines how hard or easy for the grower to cultivate in a specific region
1-Time it needs to ripen (Short seasons need quickly ripening fruit
2-Density of grape bunches (can grow mildew in hot, damp climate)
3-Vegetation of vines (fertile soil means thicker canopy and less direct sun for grapes)
TERROIR
Growing conditions in the vineyard = climate, soil, drainage, slope, altitude, temperature night and day, rain, human cultivation tradition
Terroir
What are some environmental things that contribute most to the the grapes’ performance?
The amount of heat and cold
The amount of wind and rain
The slant of the sun’s rays
7 main choices in the vineyard
1-Variety 2-Rootstock 3-Soil 4-Microclimate= temp, light, rainfall 5-cultivation method = training (cordon, guyot, goblet), pruning (short long mixed) 6-Yield per vine 7-Harvest choices
1-What does YIELD mean?
2-Why is it important to be low?
3-How is it measured?
4-How is it regulated?
1-YIELD is a wine production statistic measuring how much a vineyard produces
2-Loss of quality and concentration
•The plant can only bring limited fruit to ripeness by harvest time
•The more grapes, the less flavor compound resulting in watery, insipid wines
3-Yield is measured by grape weight, MUST weight or volume of wine
4-AOC and DOC/DOCG are example law regulations to limit yields
What is must weight?
This is a measure of sugar in grape juice (must), thus an indication of potential alcohol that could be produced if it all fermented rather than being left as residual sugar.
What do vineyard yields depend on?
Describe each
1- VARIETAL - size of cluster and propensity toward growth
2- VINE AGE OLD vines produce = Yield starts to decline after 25-30 years •Lower Yield •Roots penetrate deeper in ground •Produce more concentrated aromas
3-VINE MANAGEMET
•Pruning = effects number of bunches per shoot
•Vine training system = goblet, cordon, guyot
•Crop thinning (green harvest)
•Selection Massale
4-REGION
Ex: Alpine vs Mediterranean
(Aromatics/acidity vs ripeness and sugar)
5-CLIMATE
Cold climate promotes higher degree of bud break, but frost in spring can kill young shoots and bunches
6-WEATHER over past 2 years
•drought effects fruit set and berry size
•rain increases yield, but too much rain near harvest causes botrytis bunch rot
What in the vineyard determines wine quality?
Yield control + Canopy management + terroir driven philosophy
What to do in the vineyard to protect against global warming, wine maker needs to invest in:
Goblet (Alberello) training system High density planting Small canopies Spear pruning Selection of rootstock Selection of bio types Use of less water Grassing the vine Organic fertilizer
USDA-Certified Organic Agriculture
US organic agriculture is certified by the US department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP)
The NOP prohibits use of synthetic chemicals like fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and GMO product
•••Relevant to viticulture - organically grown grapes - does not regulate the wine made with the grapes
•••Allowed inputs are mulch, manure, compost and naturally derived vine application (like sulfites)
What is Biodynamic Agriculture?
- Developed Rudolph Steiner 1920s
- Disallows fertilizers and biocides (pesticides, herbicides) from the farm
- Incorporates METAPHYSICAL PRACTICES
- Timing of cultivation and harvest activities according to lunar and astrological phases
- Limited use of machinery on farm
What is Biodynamic Winemaking
- Made from 100% biodynamic grapes from a certified winery
- Added sulfites permitted
- If it says ‘made with biodynamic grapes’ it means they were also USDA certified organic winemaking standards
What is Green Harvest?
When is it used?
Crop thinning as a viticultural practice - removing extra grape bunches from a vine to balance leaf area and fruit weight so an endangered crop can achieve better ripeness.
If there are too many grapes and not enough leaves, the vine will struggle to ripen the berries.
- Improves wine quality by encouraging full fruit ripening
- Better sugar level and anthocyanins for reds
•Green harvest is used when it is evident the vintage will be late
In high quality wine regions are the vines being planted more densely or more less densely and why?
The quality of wine depends on low yield per vine, (not per hecter.) So the vines are planted so densely sometimes they have to be harvested by hand since machines cannot access them. At times a single bunch of fruit will hang on each vine.
What does the type of vine training system determine?
How many clusters of grapes the vine will produce.
What are the three vine pruning methods and describe.
Goblet = Spur pruning (canes permanent)
•OLDEST METHOD FOR ONLY HIGHEST QUALITY WINE
•from Ancient Greece and perfected by Roman Empire.
•The trunk is pruned to split into three main branches from which many nodes and shoots grow up and grapes hang off like an opened umbrellas.
•Low yield, quality wine (no mass production), hot regions
•No support (or single post)
•Still used all over the Mediterranean
Guyot=Cane pruning
•MOST COMMONLY USED FOR QUALITY WINES
•Pruned to have 1 main shoot attached to the lowest trellis wire and this bares all the fruit. The other 2 nodes
•Bordeax, Burgundy, Cote Roti, Loire, Alsace, Piemonte, Spain
Cordon= like Goblet, this is spur trained
•MOST WIDELY USED COMMERCIALLY
•Can be mechanized or low skill workers - mass production
what are the 2 types of pruning styles, describe them, and give examples of the three most significant versions of these.
1- Cane training = Having no permanents branches - pruned back each year to provide a vine with entirely new growth. Gives good spread of fruit and better regulation of annual production.
•••Guyot is an example of cane training (most widely used in quality wines)
2- Spur training = Main canes on spur trained vines are all permanent- thicker and gnarled -
Goblet and Cordon are both spur trained
••••Goblet is oldest used vine for highest quality wines and in hotter regions
••••Cordon is used for mass production, most globally used and requires less skill
What is a grafted vine and describe it’s 2 parts
Why graft?
A grafted vine consists of two parts, the SCION which produces the above-ground parts (trunk, shoots, and fruit), and the ROOTSTOCK which provides the root system and lower part of the trunk.
Vitus Vinifera rootstock has no resistance to Phyoxxera. American rootstock have immunity. Resistant rootstock is grafted with Noble Grapevines - the scion bears the genetic inheritance of the desired varietal.
What is green fertilization and why used?
Mulching is green fertilization. Soil between vines is plowed so soil aired and weeds removed. Weeds compete for nutrients.
Mass produced wines use herbicides (chemicals) to kill weeds.
How to fight erosion especially on hills
Cover crop planted with super shallow roots that won’t compete with vines for nutrients - like mustard
What is Bordeaux mixture?
Organic viticulture
A less dangerous, non-synthetic chemical for fertilization
A ‘near’ organic method
Has copper sulfate in it
Increases the resistance of leaves and flowers to pests and disease
What happens to the vines if you overfertilize?
Can make worse wines sine overfertilization increases the yield thus must weight falls and acidity levels drop.
Common in mass production
What are 8 ways to reduce yield (vigor)
1- Choose the right vine clone (with less fruit set)
2- Choose the right training system (Goblet, spur, wire trellis)
3-Plant more densely (competition for nutrients)
4-Winter pruning (fewer shoots, smaller fruit set
5-Summer pruning (remove up to 50% fruit)
6-Natural limits (frost, drought)
7-Governments limits (AOC, DOCG)
8-Old vines
1-How does the Age of a vine effect it?
2-What is average age span for best harvest?
3-When are they usually replaced and what is a famous exception?
1-
•The older the vine, the lower the yield, but the better quality the wine since the grapes get all the concentration.
•The older the vine the deeper the aroma concentration of wine since roots penetrate deeper
2-
Avg age span for best harvest is between 12-25 yrs after which performance declines
3-
Chateaux Margaux = Grand Vin is no less than 40 yrs old. - its’ second wine (Pavillon Roughe) is 25 yr old vine
Describe the 3 maturations of the grape (in order), how are they measured
All three are critical to grape development and ideally grape is harvested at the convergence of these maturations. Historically must weight (the technological ripeness) has been the soul measure, but quality wines depend on all three maturations below:
1- Technological (sugar ripeness/must weight)= the breakdown of acids and accumulation of sugars determining alcohol level
Measured with a refractometer
2- Phenolic (Physiological)= the measure of phenols in grape solids - changes in colors (anthocyanins) and tannins from skin, pulp and seeds
Measured visually and tactile
3- Aromatic = flavors/aromas
Terpens continue to multiply and develop as the grape ripens
Measured olfactory or orally
What are the 5 stages of growth of a grape on a vine?
1- Dormancy = WINTER
2- Bud Burst (break) = After dormancy in winter, bud begins to grow = SPRING MARCH-APRIL
3- Blooming (inflorescence) = primitive clutters form and flowers appear = SPRING MAY-JUNE
4- Bud Set (fruit set)= flowers pollinate and fruit begins to set (form) = SUMMER - JUNE
4- Verasion = color change, berries begin ripening - enrichment process = SUMMER JULY-AUG
5- Full ripening = 1. Polyphenols. 2. Sugars. 3. Aromas. = FALL -OCT.-SEPT.
What is pallisage?
Tiring up remaining cane on wires after old wood pruned in winter pruning
What is tying the canes, and what is it called?
Pallisage
After lignified wood is disposed of, the remaining canes need to be tied to the wires.
What is disposed of after harvest, and how is it done?
Lingnified wood
Old shoots dry up after harvest. Usually removed and burned right in the vineyard - great columns of smoke.
Some vineyards save it and compost it
Winter pruning
90% of lignified wood is removed (old fruit cane) as early as February to control coming summer’s yield
Green harvest
Thinning out of grape clusters in summer to control yield in an overzealous vintage
Must weight
How measured
The amount of sugar held in solution in the juice (or must). It is an important indicator of quality, but not the most critical. This weight is indicative of the potential alcohol content of the wine.
The grape grower must calculate what sugar content his grapes must have to reach by harvest time.
(On the spectrum between usually 11 and 13%). For this he uses a refractometer. With these calculations he can determine the perfect harvest time.
What are Must weight scales of measurement?
France and Australia= The Americas= Italy= Germany= Austria=
France and Australia= Baume The Americas=Brix Italy=Babo Germany=Oeschsle Austria=KMW
1- When is the must weight of greatest importance to the quality of a wine?
Where is it not an important measure?
1- In cool climates when harvest time ripeness is of concern, achieving full ripeness of the grape is uncertain.
•••Must weight becomes the official criterion of quality.
Germany and Austria actually classify their wines by must weight designation- Example:
- Auslese has the same must weight as any French country wine
- Beerenauslese has the same must weight as Amarone Della Valpolicella
2- In Mediterranean and warm climates it is of little consequence.
1- What is physiological ripeness?
2-How is it historically important?
1- Physiological ripeness is the emphasis placed on ‘Phenolic’ changes, since historically ripeness was only about must weight.
(Phenolic maturation = the maturation of the tannins and anthocyanins) and developing glycerine.
The emphasis is placed on the changing coloration of skin, elasticity of the pulp, ripeness of the seed, and taste of the grape.
Since there is no way to measure this, it is done by touching and taking the grape.
2-Represents a departure from traditional European definitions of ripeness based on sugar concentration and acidity
What designates ripeness in cold climates?
What designates ripeness in warm climates?
Must weight is harder to achieve in cold climates, so this is the focus
Acid and PH are harder to achieve in warm climates and this become s the focus
What is considered a parallel process in grape ripening
The accumulation of sugar and the decomposition of acid
Usually most prominent with cool nights and warm days
What are the 2 most prominent acids in grapes, and what percentage of total acid is the most prominent one?
Tartaric and Malic
Tartaric 90% = softer and more agreeable - very desirable in whites
Malic is harsh and hard and sharp. Some left in whites for character. Never in reds due to MLF
1- What wines contain some Malic acid for taste and why?
2- Where will you never find Malic acid?
1- White wines like;
Riesling, Gruner Vetliner, Sancerre, and whites from northern Italy
Chardonnay when fermented in SS tanks
2- red wines because they’ve undergone malolactic fermentation. Malic acid is eaten by bacteria that turns it into lactic acid
What does high or low PH tell you?
Why is PH important?
High PH = low acidity
Low PH = high acidity
Wines with higher PH tend to have less color, flavor, and more wine faults caused by spoilage and organisms
1-Difference between PH value and total acidity?
2-What is total acidity?
3- which is better to test quality?
1- Total acidity includes volatile acids - PH shows only acids that are fixed and can be tested
2- acid level + ph
3- Therefore, PH is a better indication of quality
What is extract?
- The sum of all non-volatile components of a wine (90% of which is sugar)
- An indicator of quality
- Extract is what would be left if the wine were boiled down until evaporated
- Sugar, fixed acid, glycerin, phenols, minerals
What are the 7 major factors to consider in the vineyard?
1-Grape variety 2-Root stock 3-soil 4-micro-climate 5-cultivation method 6-yield per vine 7-harvest choices
What are 8 ways to reduce yield?
1- Choose the right vine clone (with less fruit set)
2- Choose the right training system (Goblet, spur, wire trellis)
3-Plant more densely (competition for nutrients)
4-Winter pruning (fewer shoots, smaller fruit set
5-Summer pruning (remove up to 50% fruit)
6-Natural limits (frost, drought)
7-Governments limits (AOC, DOCG)
8-Old vines
What is Coulure?
Poor fruit set.
Rain or strong winds prevent the pollination of flowers during the inflorescence stage in the grape’s ripeness evolution and leads to fewer berries on the bunches at harvest.
Merlot can be vulnerable
What does ‘vielles vignes’ mean on the wine label?
Old vine - it is an indication of quality because of concentration of flavors and aromas
What is the rule of quality or quantity?
Quality improves when vine carries fewer clusters.
Where nature does not limit, man must intervene.
Government wine control agencies set maximum limits for production. (Except in America).
What do winemakers literally test to determine ripeness of a grape?
Sugar, Acid and PH with refractometer
Physiological ripeness (only possible to measure though touch, flavor and mouthfeel) is a 20th century phenomenon having gained great attention for it’s importance
Where do you predominantly find the following soil types?
1-Gravel 2-Chalk 3-Limestone 4-Slate 5-Terra Rosa 6-Gneissic
1-Gravel = Medoc (river gravel & marl)
2-Chalk = Champagne (chalk & limstone ideal for Pinot noir and Chardonnay)
3-Limestone = Côte d’Or Burgundy Pinot noir - limestone & flint Loire valley & Pouilly
4-Slate = Mosel Germany -Rieslings
5-Terra Rosa = Coonawara Australia - henna red dark red mint on nose Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz
6-Gneissic = Alsace France only - at foot of Vosages mountains near Germany
What are 3 negative dangers of harvest?
Oxidation
Wild fermentation
Phenols leaking out of broken stems
What is tannin?
4 places found, and describe
- Tannins are the main, naturally occurring components of polyphenols.
- Antioxidants
- Textural, astringent mouthfeel
- Grippy mouthfeel - good palette cleanser for fatty meats and cheese
- As they polymerize, they become mellower, smoother and more elegant
1- Skins- NOBLE TANNINS - HIGHEST QUALITY(mostly red grapes, especially when ripe) Skins account for 20-30% available phenols
2-Stems Harsh - even when destemmed, some find their way in
3-Seeds = HARSHEST, WOODY, LEAST PLEASANT
4- Oak barrels - newest have more - small amounts
Night harvest done where and why?
Hot regions like Australia and Sicily
Temperature is a bit lower and less threat of secondary fermentation
1- Briefly, what is Botrytis Cinerea?
2- What is another name for it?
3-What are some organoleptic profiles?
4-What grapes are prone?
1-Fungus (mold) on over ripe grapes causing shriveling and increased sugar and flavor content
2-Noble Rot - Gray Rot
3-balance of sugar and acid, saffron, ginger, beeswax aroma, greasy & oily
4-Semillon, Riesling, Albania
What is the difference between Botrytus Cinerea and Gray Rot?
They are both a fungus in which the grapes shrivel as a result of heavy rainfall.
With noble rot, the sun returns after heavy rain to dry the grape out, but the fungus leaves small holes in the skin. Water escapes leaving CONCENTRATED SUGARS.
With gray rot, the rains continue to fall, and the skins of the berry burst.
Why was the first Noble Rot wine made and when?
1600 Tokaj, Hungary
Monk winemaker forced from the castle delaying harvest due to the impending attack of the Turks.
Danger passed, but noble rot had spread in the vineyard. Rather than lose everything, he harvested and made wine anyway.
What is phylloxera? When and where from?
What was the cure and when found?
- Phylloxera are a microbial louse from North America attacking the rootstock of Vitus Vinifera plants.
- It almost wiped out the entire VV species in the 19th century. As a consequence there are 1/4 the vineyards than during the golden ages of wine.
- 1863 the first Phylloxera was found in France having been brought form America.
- It wasn’t until 1910 it was discovered that American rootstock was resistant to the pest, and a method for making clones by grafting scions of noble grapevines onto American rootstock - a method used worldwide now.
1-What is the danger of heavy rains?
2-What are some steps taken to protect from it in the vineyard?
1-Heavy rains can seriously dilute the must of ripe grapes
2- •Cover ground with plastic sheeting •Hydrolysis (reverse osmosis) •Heat tunnel to dry skin •Chateaua Petrus - hovers helicopters over vineyard to dry skin
Two of the top wine makers and how quickly they get picked grapes into the cellars
Domain de la Romanee-Continue
Chateau Moutin-Rothchild
NO MORE THAN 2 HOURS
What is considered perfect ripeness in Germany?
Spatlese = (picked late)
- at least 80% Oechsle must weight
- Sugar gained during the day EQUALS the amount lost at night
- Define over-ripeness
* what is a German term for this Noble Sweet wines
Grape is left on vine after ripe until more sweetness is lost by night than gained by day.
But since water is evaporating so quickly now, the sugars concentrate greatly and this extract makes the grape even sweeter.
The over ripe grape becomes ‘sweeter’ even though it is losing more sugar at night than the sugar it gains by day.
(equilibrium of sugar gained by day/lost at night)
•Edelsuss is the term for wines made form over-ripe berry (Noble-sweet)
What kind of characteristic in wine does late picking achieve?
Fuller, stronger wines with increased sugar and less acid.
Usually more alcohol
What are the three phases of German Grape ripeness?
1- Kabinett
2- Spatlese - PEREFECT ripeness late picked grapes
3- Auslese
What is done with grapes from a green harvest?
Carbonic maceration
Why are over-ripe grapes almost always infected with botrytus Cinerea?
Feeds on glucose more than fructose. The sugar in grapes turns to glucose after the grape is ripe.
1- What is the name for the ripening phase critical for the quality of the wine?
2- What is inflorescence occur and what is significant about it?
1- Verasion
2- Occurs shortly after Bud burst (break). VV vine are hermaphroditism (fertilize themselves.)
What wine regions might Botrytis Cinerea be found?
Areas that have morning fog and moisture regularly dissolved and dried by afternoon sun.
Sauternes, France on the river Ciron in Bordeaux
Mosel, Germany situated on the Rhine River, Saar and Ruwer
Austria
Tokay, Hungary
Why are Botrytized grapes sweeter than regular shriveled grapes?
Higher levels of glycerin, volatile acids make flavors more complex. Noble rot reduces acids more than the sugar.
Late harvest wine:
Why won’t you find dessert wines with botrytized grapes in some areas? Name 2, and what kind of dessert wine might they make?
Noble Rot requires moisture dried daily by sun.
1- Hot humid regions will only produce gray rot (which is when the grape never dries out and the skin bursts losing pulp and infecting remaining grape.
Instead they require drying the grapes indoors on mats.
2- frozen grapes - Ice wine - cryomaceration. Germany, Austria and Canada
