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In Austria, what is a qualitatswein from a generic region?
Large regions that encompass, smaller specified regions.
Important ones are: Niederosterreich, Burgenland, Steirmark, Wein.
Wine can be from 40 grapes, grown anywhere in the region, made in any style
In Austria, what is required to become a qualitatswein from a specified region?
A Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC) system is an opt-in system. Producers must agree on a grape or grapes, limited number of styles and regulations that best reflect their region.
Other wines take on the generic region.
A village name of vineyard may also appear on the label.
In Austria, what rules do a qualitatswein from a specified region, but non-DAC follow?
Specified wine regions without a DAC can make wines from 40 permitted grapes
In Austria, Qualitatswein may also be labeled with ____?
a Pradikat label
Describe the characteristics of Tokaji Aszu
Deep Amber, High acid
Orange Peel, Apricot, Honey
Minimum 5 puttonyos - 120/g/L
Which wine making country is situated in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains?
Hungary
Name influencing geographical features of Tokaji and how this impacts the wine.
Tokaji sits at the foothills of the Carpathian mountains, near the Slovakian border in Northeast Hungary.
It is also situated at the confluence of the Bodrog and Tiza rivers and its tributaries, which produce morning humidity to develop botrytis, allowing them to produce sweet wines. The region is hilly and the best sites are located on south-facing slopes, which allow for ample sunlight. The slopes and the moderate continental climate help create conditions for dry, sunny afternoons needed to slow the development of the rot and cause water to evaporate.
Where in Rhinehessen does not have a long-standing reputation, but growers are now producing top-quality wines?
Worms
Describe the geological features of the Rhinegau and how that impacts the grapes grown there.
The Rhinegau is protected by the Tanus hills to the north. The Rhine River flows along the western and southern border, at the southeast corner it is met by the Main River. Along the river, the slopes are steep and south-facing, allowing for lots of sun exposure and good drainage, which is important for Spatbugunder. The rivers are influential here, providing additional warmth, by reflecting the light back into the vineyard. The river also creates airflow, which helps keep the air moving, reducing the risk of frost, which is a major problem in the area. The rivers also allow for morning humidity, which coupled with the warmer afternoons and airflow, provide the right conditions for BA and TBA grapes. Despite its northern latitude, the Tanus hills and reflected sunlight from the river makes it warmer than Mosel and Nahe, and gets warmer as you move east. This allows for a riper, medium to full bodied Rieslings, that grow in body as you move west towards the town of Hochhiem.
Between which two cities in Nahe are the best sites located?
Schlossbockelheim & Bad Kreuznach
What is the difference between Rieslings planted in Middle Mosel and those planted between Saar and Ruwer?
Middle Mosel (compared to Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Pfalz) the Rieslings are lighter in body, lower in alcohol, higher in acidity with floral and green fruit.
Saar / Ruwer: Similar style and quality, with even higher acidity.
In cooler vintages, best sites do not fully ripen and are used for sparkling
Describe Silvaner grape, how it is grown, and its characteristics, when grown in Franken.
Silvaner - early flowering and ripening
○ Planted in the warmest sites
○ Achieves concentrations rarely found elsewhere in Germany
○ Best sites - Wurzburg
○ Dry, rich on palate, earthy
○ Flask shaped bottles
Other than Silvaner, what is the other grape and where is it planted in Franken?
High quality Spatbugunder is planted to the west.
Name the GG grapes for the five regions of Germany.
Mosel & Nahe: Riesling
Rhinegau & Rhinehessen: Riesling & Spatbugunder
Pfalz: Riesling, Weisbugunder, Spatbugunder
Franken: Silvaner, Riesling, Weisbugunder, Spatbugunder
Baden: Red and black grapes
In Germany, the VDP has classified single vineyards as:
VDP.Erste Lage or VDP.Grosse Lage - Grosse, being the sites and have. stricter regulations
Dry wines from VDP.Grosse Lage are called Grosses Gewachs.
Describe the new 2021 requirements for Germany’s wine labels
As of 2021, wine labels should include:
- Region
- Village name
- Village and vineyard name - for single vineyards
Wines from a single vineyard can now additionally classified as:
- Erstes Gewachs - like a premier cru
§ Dry & stricter regulations
- Grosses Gewachs - like a grand cru.
§ Dry & the most strict regulations
What are Germany’s Qualitatswein requirements
- Must come from one of 13 designated winegrowing areas
- The area must appear on the label
Most wine is in this category
- The area must appear on the label
How are vineyards worked and managed in Germany?
The best sites are steep and stony, requiring vineyards to be worked by hand. On extreme slopes, winches are used to move equipment.
Vines are head-pruned, and individually staked and canes are tied at the top to maximize light exposure and air circulation.
How does Germany’s Qualitatsweine and Pradikatsweine system impact harvest practices?
Harvests are spread out over a number of weeks and months. Pickers will pass through the vineyard several times to harvest the ideal grapes for each category of wine. Grapes can also be sorted and categorized after each picking.
What is Germany’s weather and how does it impact their wine?
- Wet summers, with less rain in Autumn
- High weather variability, so vintage quantity, quality and styles vary year to year
- Long, cool ripening helps grapes develop sugar and retain acidity
South (Baden) is warmer.
Describe Germany’s Kabinett wines and winemaking practices.
Wines here are the most delicate. Can be dry or in a sweeter style.
* Sweet styles have low alcohol 8 - 9%.
* Drier - +12%
* Riesling - a little sweet, high acid, light body. Green apple or citrus.
The best wines - fermentation is stopped early for better sugar / acid balance.
Sussreserve can be added post fermentation - but not used in quality wine.
True or False: In Germany, nearly all wines labeled as Pradikatsweine will have residual sugar.
True. But up to the category Auslese, it can be made in a dry style.
In Germany, dry styles are often labeled ______
Qualitatsweine
Describe Germany’s Spatlese wines and winemaking practices.
○ Made the same way as Kabinett
○ Most concentrated, riper
○ More body
○ Sometimes more sweetness
Rieslings - citrus and stone fruit i.e. peach/apricot
Describe Germany’s Auslese wines and winemaking practices.
Individually selected extra-ripe bunches.
Sometimes has noble rot.
Dry or sweet
Richer and riper than Spatlese
Describe Germany’s BA and TBA wines, requirements and volumes.
○ BA - noble rot is typical, but not needed
○ TBA - noble rot is needed
○ Not made every year and only on some sites
○ Volumes are always low
○ Sweet
○ Low alcohol
Honey, dried stone fruit, candied peel and flowers
Describe Germany’s Eisewein and winemaking.
○ Rarely made
○ Noble rot is NOT key
○ Acidity and sweetness is balanced
○ Maintain flavors through careful yeast selection
Aim to keep varietal flavors i.e. No malo, new oak etc
True of False: Tokaji Eszencia wines are extremely rare
True. They are seldom available outside the region.
Describe Tokaji Eszencia wines
Luscious. Very low alcohol <5% abv
450g/L
Very high acid
Very concentrated
Last for a century or more
Describe the more modern sweet wines of Hungary
Usually from later harvested grapes, often labeled Late Harvest.
Might have botrytis. If there is botrytis, it is fermented vs macerated.
Matured for less time than Azue wines.
How do you make Tokaji Szamorodni?
Harvest grapes, which may or may not have noble rot.
Age wines in cask for 6 months or more.
Fill cask part of the way for flor-like characters or not for less-oxidative characters.
Release 2 years after harvest.
Can be dry or sweet depending on amount of noble rot.
How do you make Tokaji Azu?
Create a base wine from regular grapes.
Before, during, or after fermentation add Azu or noble rot grapes. Grapes are either a paste (the old way) or uncrushed.
Macerate for 12 - 60 hours,
Press the mixture.
Mature the wine in old or new oak for at least 18 months.
What can you find on the back of an Alsace label?
On the back of the labels, you can find the sweetness levels: sec, demi-sec, moelleoux and doux.
Semi-carbonic maceration plays what important role, with which grape in the South of France?
It softens the tannins of Carignan
Describe the geography of Cotes du Roussillon and the wines it produces.
Rugged and mountainous.
It has bright sunlight, low rainfall and strong winds
This produces concentrated wines.
Describe where Corbieres is and its climatic influences?
Coribiers is north of Fitou and Cotes du Roussillon villages. It has warm sites near the coast and vineyards planted at altitude that are cooled by the tramontane. It is subdivided into 11 sub-regions.
Boutenac has its own AC.
Where does Minervois lie and how does its geography impact the wine styles?
Minervois sits on the slopes of the Massif Central. It varies in altitude and soil richness and the extent the cooling influences from the sea. It is subdivided and its best sub-region is La Livinere, which has its own AC.
Where is Limoux and what climatic influences does it have? What grape is it a source for?
Limoux is west of Coribieres, where grapes are planted and cooled at altitude. This is a source for premium oaked Chardonnays.
In Bandol, how does Mourvedre grow and why?
In Bandol, the Mourvedre grape is grown on south-facing terraced slopes, which helps it to reliably ripen.
What do larger producers who own several quintas do in the best years?
They pick all the quintas wines and make a vintage port
What do larger producers do in years that aren’t good enough for a vintage?
They release their best wines as Single Quinta Vintage Ports. These are considered less prestigious than Vintage Port, but still high-quality.
These are often aged and then bottled and released when ready to drink.
What must be stated on the label for a Tawny with an indication of age? And why?
The year of bottling must be on the label, because wines lose freshness after bottling.
What style is the most tannic and concentrated of Ports?
Vintage
On average, how many times a decade will a vintage be declared?
3 times a decade
True or False: Vintage ports are generally a blend of the finest wines from the best vineyards.
True
Which Tawny port style is the finest and exceptionally complex and concentrated?
Tawny Ports with indications of age
Why is port sweet?
It is a partially fermented only to 5 - 9% and then fortified, with a grape spirit, aguardente at 77% abv, which kills the yeast and creates a stable sweet wine with a final abv of 19 - 22%
How are tawny ports matured and how does it impact the wine over time?
Tawny ports are aged oxidatively in pipes. With age the wines turns garnet, then tawny. The oldest turn brown. The fruit fades becoming raisiny and then adds walnuts, coffee, chocolate and caramel.
True tawny ports are ready to drink or benefit from extra bottle ageing?
Ready to drink.
Once a Tawny port has aged, what needs to happen prior to bottling?
Tawny ports can throw deposit during wood ageing, which requires filtering before bottling.
How are Ruby port styles aged?
non-oxidatively in very large oak vessels or stainless still tanks.
Describe Ruby, Reserve Ruby, LBV and Vintage ports
Quality and concentration will very, but all will be deeply colored and have intense primary fruit flavors.
Some Ruby LBVs and all vintage Ports are not filtered and can benefit from bottle aging. Describe these wines
Garnet color, tertiary cooked fruit and vegetal - prune, leather, wet leaves flavors.
Unfiltered LBVs are similar to what type of port? and in what ways?
Vintage port. They can often benefit from bottle aging. They form a sediment in the bottle and need decanting before serving.
What mountain range protect the port grape regions from the Atlantic winds?
Serra do Marao
Which port wine-growing region produces the lightest wines and why?
Baixo Corgo produces the lightest wines because it is the coolest and wettest of the sub-regions. Often used to help achieve the right color in Tawny ports (the inexpensive style).
Which areas within Jerez DO produce wines destined for more biological aging and why?
Coastal regions are cooler and generally produce paler, lighter wines best for biological aging.
Which areas within Jerez DO produce wines destined for more oxidative aging and why?
Warmer, inland regions produce darker, richer, heavier wines that are best for oxidative aging.
True or false: Moving forward producers must abide by a specific amount of oxidative or biological aging to a call their sherry medium orcream
False. Producers can choose the amount of biological or oxidative aging a medium or cream sherry might have.
True or false: Moving forward, Medium and Cream will be indications of sweetness ONLY on the Sherry label
True
Muscat sherry has what characteristics
Similar to Pedro Ximenez (dried fruit, coffee, licorice) - but retain their citrus peel characteristics.
Describe Pedro Ximenez sherry and how it’s made
Made from sun dried grapes, pressed and fermented to 2% abv, then fortified to 17% abv. Has 500 g/L in sugar and taste of dried fruit, coffee and licorice.
What happens to Amontillado as it ages
Yeast aromas fade
Describe Amontillado
A biologically aged sherry that is then refortified to 17% and oxidatively aged. It is brown or amber and less full-bodied than Oloroso and has both yeast and oxidative flavors.
Describe Oloroso
A oxidatively aged sherry that is brown, full-bodied with flavors of toffee, leather, spice and walnut.
Very old versions are concentrated and astringent and need to be blended with younger wines.
Describe Fino sherry
A biologically aged sherry that is fortified to 15 - 15.5%. It is pale lemon, citrus, almonds, herbs and is bready.
Describe Manzanilla sherry
Biologically aged sherry - the same as Fino, but is matured in Manzanilla de Sanlucar de Barrameda DO. It’s more humid here and the flor is thicker, which makes it more tangy.
Describe the steps for refilling the Solera
- An equal amount is taken from the bottom of the solera level
2 a) an equal amount is taken from the level above (1st criadera)
2 b) The wine is blended
2 c) The wine is used to top up each butt
3) The 1st criadera is refilled the same way, and so on
4) The criadera with the youngest wine is refilled with the sobretabla wine
Where can sherry be matured according to the new regulations?
Anywhere in Jerez DO
Where has Sherry been traditionally matured?
Jerez de la Frontera
Sanlucar de Barrameda
El Puerto de Santa Maria
Define climate
A region’s climate is defined as the annual temperature, sunlight and rainfall averaged over several years.
Define weather
A region’s weather is the annual variation that happens relative to the climatic average.
Name the two types of acid present in a ripe, unfermented grape
Tartaric acid and Malic acid
How much permanent wood does a head-trained vine have?
Little permanent wood. It has only a trunk or short arms.
Describe a cordon trained vine, its benefits and disadvantages.
A cordon trained vine has one or more permanent horizontal arms. It is spur pruned.
It takes longer to establish because more permanent wood is needed, but it is easier to machine harvest.
Describe how machine harvesting works.
The machine shakes the trunk of the vine, collects ripe berries that fall. It often captures unhealthy, unripe and damaged grapes as well as “MOG” or Matter other than grapes - insects, leaf and other contaminants.
