Blind tasting Flashcards
What styles spring to mind when you see effervescence in a wine?
Vinho Verde Muscadet Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Beaujolais Nouveau
What do lighter and paler colours suggest in white wine?
Reductive winemaking
Or
Youthfulness
Or
Cooler climate
Cooler climate white wines are generally confirmed on the nose and palate by…
Fresher aroma profile
Higher acidity
Lower alcohol
Darker, deeper colours in white wine suggest?
Fermentation or maturation in oak
Significant bottle age
Warmer climate
On the nose and palate a warmer climate white wine is generally confirmed by?
Riper aroma profile
Higher extract and alcohol
Lower acidity
Styles of white wine that are particularly light in colour include:
Mosel Riesling Clare Valley Riesling Muscadet Sancerre Chablis Pinot Grigio Hunter Valley Sémillon
Which wine wines often have a pink tinge?
Alsatian Pinot Gris
Gewürztraminer
Which wine wines often have a green tinge?
Youthful Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Chablis Jurançon Grüner Veltliner Albariño
In red wines lighter and paler colours are associated with…
- Thin-skinned grapes such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, Tempranillo
- Cooler climate
- Unripeness
- Younger vines
- Higher yields
- A rainy harvest
- Maturation in oak
- Significant bottle age
Darker, deeper colours in red wine are associated with…
- Thick skinned grapes (Tannat, Malbec, Corvina)
- warmer or sunnier climate
- higher extract or extraction
- youthfulness
A bluish tinge in a red wine suggests…
Gamay
Pinotage
Or youthfulness
What climatic factors are important when determining colour?
Warmth and sunshine
Pinot Noir from Central Otago is typically darker than a red Burgundy
Bordeaux blends from Napa are typically darker than their Bordeaux counterparts
Malbec from Cahors is deep purple, from Mendoza inky black
What is the likely difference in colour between a Malbec from Cahors vs Mendoza?
Malbec from Cahors is deep purple, from Mendoza inky black
Sunshine and warmth increases colour intensity
What is the likely colour difference between a Napa Valley Bordeaux blend and a Bordeaux Bordeaux blend?
Bordeaux blends from Napa are typically darker than their Bordeaux counterparts
Sunshine and warmth increase colour intensity
What is the difference in colour generally between a Pinot Noir from Central Otago and Burgundy?
Pinot Noir from Central Otago is typically darker than a red Burgundy
Sunshine and warmth increase colour intensity
White wines that are fermented in oak are often what colour compared to those fermented in inert vessels?
Darker in colour
What colour do red wines fermented in oak tend to be?
Paler or softer in colour and more red than deep purple
What happens to white and red wines colour wise as they age?
White wines become darker and red wines paler
With increasing age both red and white wines tend towards the same deal they shade of orange brown
What does a pronounced gradient from core to rim (typically red and darker in the core and bronze and lighter at the rim) suggest with red wine?
Significant bottle age
Which young wines can be confused with having significant bottle age?
A young Tempranillo and Nebbiolo can also feature a bronze, brick or rusty red rim which could be confused as suggesting extending bottle age
With Tempranillo and Nebbiolo the graduations are not so subtle and there is less rim variation
What is unusual about Nebbiolo?
It is thick-skinned and tannic yet light in colour
What are the most aromatic of white grape varieties?
Sauvignon Blanc Riesling Gewürztraminer Muscat Albariño Torrontés Viognier
What are more restrained, neutral white grape varieties?
Melon de Bourgogne Pinot Blanc Sémillon Trebbiano Chardonnay in cooler climates
What are the primary fruit flavours associated with cool climate whites?
Citrus and white fruits such as lemon, lime, apple, pear
What are the primary fruit characters of warmer climate whites?
Stone fruits, peach and apricot
Warmer remember if the scale has tropical fruits such as passion fruit, mango and papaya
What style of fruit is expected from cool climate red wines?
Fresh fruit
What style of red fruit is expected from warmer climates?
Baked, stewed or jammy
And at the warmer end of the scale dried fruit and raisins
What is flavour character often a sign of unripeness and therefore cool climate or vintage?
Herbaceous notes. When subtle these can be pleasant
What is the flavour characteristics associated with botrytis or noble rot?
Honeysuckle Honey Beeswax Ginger Faint antiseptic note or musty wine
The intensity of these aromas reflects the degree of botyritization
Where are botrytized wines generally from?
Sauternes in Bordeaux
Coteaux du Layon from the Loire
Tokaji Aszu from Hungary
Spätlese Riesling from Germany
What suggests a wine has been aged in its lees?
Autolytic notes
Yeast
Rising bread dough
Brioche
Biscuit
Accompanied by creaminess on the palate
Why are autolytic notes more prominent in white wines?
As they are masked by skin contact which most red wines have
Varieties that are seldom aged in new oak include?
Riesling (old oak yes) Gewürztraminer Pinot Gris Pinot Grigio Garganega Albariño Zweigelt
What red wines are generally aged in old oak?
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Bandol
Chianti
Brunello
What tertiary aromas are associated with bottle age?
Mushroom Truffle Wet leaves Leather Coffee Butterscotch
A mature fine wine dominated by tertiary aromas but retaining a core of sweet and juicy fruit is one of the wonders of the world
What can a disconnect between nose and palate mean?
It may reflect poor winemaking or over-maturation
What grapes are naturally high in acidity?
Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Furmint Pinot Noir Sangiovese
What does notes of green apples suggest in white wine?
High levels of malic acid and by extension the suppression of malolactic fermentation
What level of acidity do grapes generally have if grown in a cooler climate?
Higher acidity than equivalent warmer climate wines
What can result in a more acidic profile of grapes?
Early harvesting
Grapes naturally high in acidity
Cool climate
Alcohol is an indicator of ripeness of harvest and so of…
Climate
Alcohol considered alongside residual sugar provided an indication of…
The total pre-fermentation sugar levels in the grape
Why should one be careful not to correlate depth of colour with tannin levels?
Because while tannin levels are related to the thickness of the grape skins and so the grape variety.
Colour can be extracted from the skins by cold maceration for example without much tannin transfer
Moreover, some varieties most notably Nebbiolo are relatively light in colour but heavy in tannins.
Why can grapes in Mosel Valley accumulated high levels of sugar despite some of the coolest average temperatures of any wine region?
Long and dry autumn days Moderating impact of Mosel River Sun exposure and reflection of sun from river Long growing season and ripening period Late harvesting
All combine to enable grapes to accumulate high levels of sugar in spite of cool temperature
Why do wines in Hunter Valley, Australia have relatively low alcohol?
While Hunter Valley is very warm is experiences a lot of fog and is frequently clouded over.
The heat promotes phenolic ripeness but the lack of sunshine’s restricts sugar accumulation leading to wines with a relatively low alcohol level.
Which grape varieties accumulate sugars rapidly?
Sémillon
Merlot
Which grape varieties accumulate sugar slowly and are slow to ripen?
Riesling
Cabernet Franc
Nebbiolo
Historically what is the style associated with New World wines?
Bolder
Fruit driven
Higher alcohol
Historically what is the Old World style?
More minerally or earthy
Higher acidity
What are the criteria in which a wine ought to be judged?
B balance L length I intensity C complexity T typicity
Why is intensity related to length in terms of quality assessment?
There cannot be length without intensity
What would notes of pear and spice on an aged sweet wine suggest?
Pinot Gris
Give away for others
Riesling = petrol Sauternes = vanilla custard Tokaji = apricot Gewürztraminer = Turkish delight
What would notes of vanilla custard in an aged sweet wine suggest?
Sauternes
Give away for others Pinot Gris = pear and spice Riesling = petrol Sauternes = vanilla custard Tokaji = apricot Gewürztraminer = Turkish delight
What would notes of Turkish delight in an aged sweet wine suggest?
Gewürztraminer, Alsace
Give away for others Pinot Gris = pear and spice Riesling = petrol Sauternes = vanilla custard Tokaji = apricot
What would notes of petrol suggest in an aged sweet wine?
Riesling likely from Mosel Valley
Alsace producers tend to think of petrol note as a fault
Give away for others Pinot Gris = pear and spice Sauternes = vanilla custard Tokaji = apricot Gewürztraminer = Turkish delight
What does coconut strongly suggest in wine?
American oak
What are some classic ‘mineral’ white wines?
Chablis Muscadet Savennières Sancerre Riesling
What are some classic aromatic Whites?
Gewürztraminer Pinot Gris Viognier Muscat Torrontes
What are some classic light reds?
Pinot Noir Gamay Grenache Tempranillo Nebbiolo
What are some classic soft reds?
Gamay Pinot Noir Dolcetto Barbera Valpolicella
What are some classic spicy reds?
Southern Rhône GSM blends Northern Rhône Syrah Rioja Chianti Nebbiolo
How do you discount other spicy reds to identify Chateauneuf-du-Pape?
N Rhône Syrah: darker fruit, black pepper, higher acidity, lower alcohol, chewier tannins
Rioja: brick red, less herbal, lower alcohol, more oaked and often with American oak
Chianti: brighter with higher acidity, higher and firmer tannins, drier finish
Nebbiolo: rust red tinge, more floral, higher acidity, much higher tannins
How to eliminate other mineral whites to identify Chablis in a tasting?
Muscadet; paler, slight effervescence, lees character, lighter body, lower acidity, lower alcohol, less mineral
Savennières: more aromatic, fuller body, higher alcohol, bitter aftertaste
Sancerre: more aromatic notes of gooseberry and grass
Riesling: much more aromatic, petrol and possible residual sugar
How to eliminate other aromatic whites to identify Gewürztraminer?
Viognier: No pink tinge, more stone fruit, less exotic, often less oily, dry, lacks bitter finish
Pinot Gris: pear or stone fruit, no lychee, often less oily, higher acidity, greater structure
Muscat: grapey, orange blossom, lighter body, Lower alcohol, often drier
Torrontés: lacks lychee notes, less oily, more mineral
How to eliminate other reds to correctly identify Pinot Noir?
Gamay: Blue tinge, estery notes, lower acidity, alcohol and tannins. Rarely oaked
Grenache: spicier, higher alcohol, lower acidity
Tempranillo: brick red, less finest etched fruit, lower acidity, often oaked with American oak (coconut)
Nebbiolo: rust-red tinge, fuller body, much higher tannins
How to eliminate other soft reds to identify Gamay?
Pinot Noir: no blue tinge, no estery notes, higher acidity, alcohol and tannins often oaked
Dolcetto: darker colour, more Italian cherries and bitter almonds, lower society, higher alcohol and tannins, drier finish
Barbera: more cherry than strawberry, higher acidity, more often oaked. Drier finish
Valpolicella: Sour cherry note, higher acidity
How to eliminate other concentrated reds to identify a Cabernet Sauvignon (left bank Bordeaux)
Merlot: Plums not cassis or green peppers, more earth and less gravel. Lower acidity, higher alcohol. Softer tannins
Syrah: black pepper, no cassis or green pepper, lower acidity, less structured
Cabernet Franc: more aromatic, lighter fruit, lesser structure and tannins
Cahors: inkier, earthy mineral notes, higher tannin
Argentine Malbec: fuller body, higher alcohol, Lower acidity and softer tannins.
What is a classic style for Mosel Riesling?
Riesling is invariably high in acidity and unoaked/aged in old oak
👁
Pale in colour, sometimes with a touch of effervescence
👃🏼intensely fragrant, more floral than fruity with notes of sting rainwater and sherbet
👄 filigree and delicate with a mineral or salty finish
Alcohol is very low (on sweeter styles), acidity very high
But balanced by sugar and extract
Sweeter examples may be botrytized
Riesling from the Saar and Ruwer Valleys are steelworkers than those from the middle Mosel
What is a classic style for Riesling from Rheingau?
Compared to Riesling from the Middle Mosel, Riesling from the Rhiengau is more masculine,
👁deeper in colour
👃🏼Riper fruit
💋 firmer structure and texture, riper fruit and higher in alcohol
It is commonly made in an austere, completely dry style
What is a classic style for an Alsace Riesling?
Alsatian Riesling tends to be drier, richer and higher in alcohol than Riesling from across the Rhine
👃🏼Often steely and inexpressive in its youth, aromas of mineral, apple, citrus fruits, stone fruits, jasmine and honey
With age: it develops a complex bouquet dominated by pure fruit flavours and appealing petrol or kerosene note
👄 typically with a long dry finish that rides home on a backbone of acidity
What characters do you get from Hawkes Bay Syrah?
Cracked pepper, violets, spice liquorice
Elegance, soft tannins
What to look for in a flight of Chardonnays?
Oak MLF/C dominant Range of body Range of acidity Range of alcohol Range from green apple, steely mineral to tropical Dry Range of quality
What to look for in a flight of Riesling?
Likelihood of sweetness
No oak
High acidity
Range of flavours from apple, floral to tropical via varietally specific petrol/kerosine/nutty character
Alcohol could be lower
MLF/C unlikely
What could be telling you it is a flight of Sauvignon Blanc?
Likihood of only one oaked sample
Varietally specific passion fruit (tropical), grassy, asparagus, gooseberry
High acidity
MLF unlikely
What could be telling you it is a flight of Chenin Blanc?
Oak potential MLF potential Range of body Range of sweetness Potential evidence of botrytis Medium to high acidity Varietally specific wet wool - apple, quince or pineapple - honey with age or botrytis
What could be telling you this is a flight of Pinot Gris?
There will be a Pinot Gris from Italy and a Pinot Gris from Alsace
One of the wines will have at least some sugar
One of the wines will have high acidity and one will be medium
Neutral character and riper character
Spicy character
What might be telling you this is a flight of Merlot?
Will be a simple Merlot and a top quality Bordeaux
Likely countries/area are Chile or California
Range of everything
What is telling you this is a flight of Pinot Noir?
Majority of pale colour Range of oak use Non-high tannin High levels of acidity Range of alcohol levels Dominance of red fruit Gamey notes Forest floor/farmyard Lighter end of body No carbonic Maybe slightly floral
How would you tell it is a flight of Grenache?
Majority palate colour Range of oak use Range of tannin Acidity likely to be lower Could be a blend Alcohol and body should be high
What is telling you it is a flight of Cab Sav?
Deep colour Distinctive pencil shavings Cassis, minty, eucalyptus notes, green pepper Likelihood of oak High tannin Likelihood that a Bordeaux will be present High acidity Range of alcohol from 13% upwards
What would be telling you it is a flight of Syrah?
Deep colour Red or black fruit Pepper Violet Spicy liquorice Meaty Medium plus to high tannin At least one sample that has lots of oak Elevated alcohol
What could be expected in a blind tasting of Spanish wines?
A range of climates from fresh and fruity whites to relatively heavy warm climate reds
Oak and ageing a feature of Spain
Bankers: Tempranillo (Rioja), Grenache (Priorat)
Rioja can come in Joven unoaked and very likely in two different styles, lightly extracted and heavily extracted
Secondary wines white Rioja, Albariño, Monastrell, Rueda and Bierzo
What would be expected in a flight of German wines?
Pinot Noir is likely
Riesling is essential
Sweetness levels will probably differ
Winemaking is generally clean, clear, vibrant and unoaked
Acidity levels are high
What would I expect in a flight of Italian wines?
A range of climates and winemaking styles from fruity unoaked whites to outstanding red wines in a hot climate
The relatively high acidity in all wines and distinct red cherry notes in many of the reds show the wines to come from Italy
Then go on further to grape variety or winemaking
Bankers: Nebbiolo, Amarone/Valpolicella, Sangiovese
What would expect in Australia flight?
Typical oaky winemaking
Shiraz Sémillon Pinot Noir Riesling Chardonnay Cabernet Sauvignon - coonawarra warm climate structure eucalyptus
What would you expect from New Zealand flight?
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot about
Evidence of top quality grapes
Third option will just agree with New Zealand
Chardonnay
Pinot Gris
Syrah
Cab Sav
Clarity and purity of fruit
What would expect from South Africa flight?
Chenin Blanc and Pinotage are very likely at any quality level
Cab Sav
Sauvignon Blanc (early picked styles
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Warm climate structure plus cool climate structure
What to expect from Chile flight?
Carménère is a strong candidate
Green beans /herbaceous note
Any other international variety up for grabs, SB, Cab Sav
Relatively warm climate structure
What to expect from an Argentina fight?
Malbec and Torrontes
Smells like Muscat but has the alcohol and acidity closer to Viognier
It has a distinct bitterness
Chardonnay and Cab Sav are possibilities
What to expect from a California flight?
Cab Sav
Pinot
Chardonnay
Zinfandel
Zin, mixture of red and black fruit, relatively high alcohol, mixture of herbaceous and raisins fruit
Merlot
Fine Blanc
Winemaking and climate structure push towards a softer, fruitier and slightly sweeter style of wine
