Chapter 1

Question 1

Describe an ideal tasting environment

Answer 1

Well lit, free from strong odours, space for tasting and notes, spittoons available

Question 2

How to prepare to taste wines

Answer 2

Clean palate, no perfumes, aftershaves etc, plus have glassware which is clean, have rounded bowls and inward sloping walls

Question 3

Appearance of the wine

Answer 3

Intensity: how much colour the wine has. Scale is Pale - Medium - Deep

Colour: White scale is Lemon - Gold - Amber
Rosé scale is Pink - Pink-orange - Orange
Red scale is Purple - Ruby - Garnet - Tawny

Question 4

Nose: how to assess the nose

Answer 4

Swirl the wine to release the aromas, lift the glass to your chin….assess, then lift the glass to your nose, take a short sniff and assess again

Question 5

On what scale would you assess the aromas intensity?

Answer 5

Light - Medium - Pronounced
1. If the aromas are faint or difficult to detect the wine can be described as light
2. If the aromas are detectable but not immediately apparent they are described as medium
3. If the aromas are immediately apparent they are described as pronounced

Question 6

On what scale are aroma characteristics assessed?

Answer 6

Primary -Secondary - Tertiary
1. Primary aromas are from the grapes themselves (fruit, floral, herbaceous, etc)
2. Secondary aromas are derived from wine production post fermentation (vanilla, smoke from oak, etc)
3. Tertiary aromas are derived from ageing (eg. Oxidative from a long period in oak, or petrol, honey or mushroom from bottling

Question 7

What eight components should be considered when assessing the Palate?

Answer 7

1. Sweetness. Scale: Dry - Off Dry - Medium - Sweet
2. Acidity. Scale: Low - Medium - High
3. For red wines Tannins. Scale: Low - Medium - High
4. Alcohol . Scale: Low - Medium - High
5. Body. Scale: Light - Medium - Full
6. Flavour intensity. Scale: Light - Medium - Pronounced
7. Flavour characteristics. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary
8. Finish. Scale: Short - Medium - Long

Question 8

What are the four components to assessing a wine’s quality?

Answer 8

BLIC
Balance……is the wine balanced?
Length/finish……the longer the finish the better the quality of the wine
Identifiable characteristics/intensity of flavours
Complexity…….complex flavours and aromas can make a wine great, but also purity and definition can make a wine great