Chapter 1: Quality, Style, Price Basics Flashcards
How does the grape varietal influence the style of the wine?
Aromatic or not (Muscat vs palomino)
High vs Low acid (Sercial vs Palomino)
High vs Low Tannin
(ruby port vs vintage port)
Will tawny port use densely or lightly coloured grapes?
lightly coloured as it has to give the appearance of being aged within a relatively short period
What grapes might a vintage port use to increase the colour intensity?
touriga nacional
Sousao
What wines will want low tannin?
early drinking styles where the age is insufficient to soften the tannins
How does harvest affect the style of a wine?
late vs early harvest
(port vs sherry)
healthy fruits
(eg. before summer rains)
How do high tannins affect a long-aged wine?
It aids in bottle longevity and stabilises colour
why would a Fino or manzanilla appear high in acid?
the combination of dry palette, low glycerol, and aromatics make the wine seem more acidic than it is
Is botrytis desirable in fortified wines?
no
how do skin contact/extraction affect the style of the wine?
age worthiness
(ruby vs vintage port)
texture and flavour
(madeira)
what are the options for the timing of fortification?
Before f: VDN
During f: VDL
After f: dry styles of sherry
what are the characteristics of a fortifying liquid?
~95% abv, neutral aroma/flavour,
what %abv is aguardente? Why is this important?
~77%. Because its less distilled, more must be added to reach the desirable abv. Also, the aromatic and flavour profile of the spirit is more pronounced.
What fortified wines are less likely to see extended ageing?
VDNs, ruby port, rose port, white port
why would an oxidatively aged wine use smaller oak vessels?
- increased rate of evaporation
- increase oxidation
what are the ageing options for fortified wines?
- oxidatively
- biologically
- protectively
- in oak
- in steel
what is maderisation?
wine is heated and oxidized, resulting in caramel, raisin, and nutty aromas.
what is a ‘rancio’ style of wine?
it describes a collection of flavours that include leather, wood varnish, and coffee. They result from the interplay of wood, oxygen, heat, and time
what is static maturation?
when base wines from various vintages are matured separately, compared to a solera system
why might a long aged wine e blended with a younger wine?
balance: the young wine brings freshness and primary fruit characters
why are fortified wines blended?
style, consistency, balance, complexity, volume, and price
true or false: most fortified wines are fined and filtered
true: a minority of port and sherry styles may be unfiltered.
what is the alcohol scale for fortified wines?
low: 15.5-16.5%
medium: 16.5-18.4%
high: 18.5%+
