Chapter 2

Question 1

T/F: Perception refers to an organism’s immediate neurological response to a stimulus in the environment

Answer 1

False. Sensation does that.

Question 2

T/F: Sensory stimuli in wine are restricted to being either chemical or physical “activators”

Answer 2

False. Stimuli can also be thermal.

Question 3

The smallest concentration of a wine component required for a taster to name it-“By jove, that’s sweet!-is called the _____

Answer 3

Recognition Threshold

Question 4

Refer to the label De Loach Vineyards Estate Bottled Russian River Valley Gewurztraminer 1987 Early HArvest. Given that “residual sugar 1.2% by wt” is about 1.2 grams per 100ml, this wine would taste sweet to

Answer 4

50% of people. 1.2 grams per 100ml is close enough to the perception threshold of 1 gram per 100ml that the best answer on the list is 50%

Question 5

T/F: Winetasting focuses on a relatively narrow range of existing colors

Answer 5

False. In winetasting we take advantage of a large part of our capacity to distinguish a wide range of colors from yellow-greens to brick reds and purples

Question 6

T/F: Wine sensory components such as color which evoke pleasure in and of themselves are said to have a hedonic quality

Answer 6

True

Question 7

What sensory quality would NOT be expected from the clue “A white wine is very pale and nearly colorless” ?

Answer 7

intense fruit aromas

Question 8

T/F: OVerall quality in red wines is correlated with total color and pigment content

Answer 8

True

Question 9

T/F: Our appreciation of wines is mainly due to their odors

Answer 9

true

Question 10

T/F: Flavors are actually odors–or “in-mouth smells”– that reach our olfactory epithelium when we hold the wine in our mouths

Answer 10

True

Question 11

T/F: The maximum sensitivity of our sense of smell has been estimated at one part per 10,000

Answer 11

False, Its one part per million to several parts per trillion

Question 12

T/F:IT has been estimated that the average person can learn as many as 200 odors

Answer 12

False, The estimates suggest we can learn about 1000 odors. Wine has about 200 odors

Question 13

T/F: The sensory organ for the senes of smell is located at the top and rear of the nasal cavity and about 5-10% of the air raches it in normal breathing

Answer 13

True

Question 14

What is the retro-nasal route

Answer 14

It is the passageway from the rear of the mouth and rear nasal passages to the olfactory epithelium

Question 15

T/F:We can only smell volatile molecules that can evaporate from the surface of a wine at the range of temperatures at which it is customarily served

Answer 15

True

Question 16

Which of the winetasting activities below is not done to enhance a taster's ability to experience the wine's odors?:
Sniff deeply
swirl the wine in the glass
hold the wine against a white background
warm the wine in the mouth
draw air through the wine
sneeze

Answer 16

hold the wine against a white background

Question 17

T/F: Winetasters may find that a wine’s odors are stronger and more pleasant when they are experienced in the mouth as flavors rather than as odors entering the olfactory area in inhaled air

Answer 17

True

Question 18

Which taste quality is very rare in wines?

Answer 18

salty

Question 19

When is the mechanism of taste dependent on saliva

Answer 19

to be tasted, a solid substance must be dissolved in the saliva. Without saliva to dissolve the substances that produce taste stimuli, we could only experience touch sensations with our mouths.

Question 20

Where are the papillae located that have very few taste buds in them?

Answer 20

on the tongue’s top surface

Question 21

T/F: We should question the accuracy of the taste bud map of the tongue because we don’t taste sweet or sour or bitter or salty in just one place

Answer 21

True

Question 22

At a gross level we are most sensitive to which taste quality?

Answer 22

bitterness

Question 23

Which item on the list below is not perceived in wine with your sense of touch?
bubbles of carbon dioxide
high amounts of alcohol
thickness or body
acidity
astringency

Answer 23

acidity

Question 24

When the stimulus alcohol is present in high amounts in a wine, you can expect to experience both a taste and a tactile sensation. These sensations are

Answer 24

sweet, hot

Question 25

T/F: Adaptation is a change in the sensitivity taht occurs in response to different levels of stimulation. Winetasters learn to work with olfactory adaptation by resting 14-45 seconds between sniffs when evaluating wines

Answer 25

True

Question 26

T/F: An example of taste adaptation is the fact hat we are unaware of the tase of our own saliva

Answer 26

True

Question 27

Refer to the label William Hill 1989 Willamette Valley Oregon Dry White Riesling. Which statement below is an accurate prediction of how you would expect this wine to taste and smell to most people:

• sweet
• without perceptible sweetness
• sweet and with an aroma which has an element that is like roses
• without perceptible sweetness and with an aroma which has an element that is like roses
• the label does not give enough info

Answer 27

without perceptible sweetness and with an aroma which has an element that is like roses

Question 28

T/F: PTC tasting is a well-documented example of how dramatically people can vary n their ability to taste something bitter and it accurately predicts a person’s sensitivity to bitterness in wines

Answer 28

false. PTC tasting does not predict a person’s sensitivity to bitterness in wines

Question 29

T/F: Anosmia can refer to the loss of a person’s ability to smell all odors and the term “specific anosmia” is used when someone cannot detect a particular scent but otherwise has a normal sense of smell

Answer 29

True

Question 30

The “orange juice effect” is an example of

Answer 30

a taste modifier

Question 31

You just served two glasses of De Loach Vineyards Estate Bottled Russian River Valley Gewurztraminer 1987 Early Harvest to a friend. One glass is colder and the other is warmer. When she tastes them, the warmer wine will seem

Answer 31

sweeter

Question 32

T/F: The National Geographic Smell Survey found that olfactory sensitivity is reduced during pregnancy and that odor perception declines during aging

Answer 32

true, although the first part is contrary to many women’s perceptions of their individual experineces

Question 33

T/F: Women are more able to learn to identify odors than men

Answer 33

True

Question 34

T/F: Blind tastings–in which the wines are identified only by a letter or numerical code– are designed to eliminate stimulus errors which occur when irrelevant criteria are used to judge wines

Answer 34

True

Question 35

T/F: Our ability to recall wine odors can be reduced by giving the odor a verbal structure, such as our associations with the odor and dictionary-style definitions

Answer 35

False, Giving an odor a verbal structure, such as our associations with the odor and dictionary-style definitions, enhances our ability to recall its name

Question 36

T/F: The wine aroma wheel was designed to enhance the accuracy of communication about wine odors among members of the wine industry

Answer 36

True

Question 37

When judging the appearance of wines, the taster evaluates their

Answer 37

Clarity

Question 38

T/F: The higher the alcohol content of a wine, the thicker the streams produced when the wine falls back down the side of the glass after it is swirled

Answer 38

False. The streams are thinner in higher alcohol content wines

Question 39

In white table wines, this color is a sign that the wine has been exposed to too much air in production or has been bottle aged too long

Answer 39

brown

Question 40

T/F: Within the normal color range for white table wines, darker colors are associated with oak barrel aging and/or later harvests

Answer 40

True

Question 41

T/F: Among red wines, a purple hue is associated with older, bottle-aged wines and the brick red hue is characteristic of young wines

Answer 41

false, purple wines are younger and get more brick red with age

Question 42

T/F: Because their detection and prevention is of central concern to winemakers, a avery large number of off odors have been linked to particular diagnostic chemicals–such as acetic acide and ethyl acetate–which can be found by laboratory as well as sensory analysis

Answer 42

true

Question 43

In wine usage, ___ refers to the odors which come from the grape and __ is used for smells that come from fermentation and aging in oak and bottle

Answer 43

aroma; bouquet

Question 44

T/F: For a wine to have perceptible varietal aromas requires a particular grape variety, proper growing conditions, and careful winemaking

Answer 44

True

Question 45

T/F: The term “flavor components” is used for the chemicals responsible for a wine’s taste and tactile sensations

Answer 45

False, The term” structural components” is used for the chemicals responsible for a wine’s taste and tactile sensations

Question 46

T/F: A wine with inadequate body would be correctly described as flat

Answer 46

false. A wine with inadequate body would be correctly described as thin.

Question 47

What sensation would you expect in your mouth when the stimulus tannin in the wine is low or absent

Answer 47

smooth

Question 48

T/F: You are tasting two White Riesling wines. They are identical except for sugar content. Wine A has three times as much sugar as wine B. When you taste the two wines, you expect wine A to have moer body than wine B

Answer 48

True

Question 49

T/F: Great wines are distinguished from ordinary wines by their grater complexity, harmony, and the power to stimulate the emotions

Answer 49

true

Question 50

T/F: Seriouswine tasters do not smoke during tastings and do not come to them wearing perfume, after shave, or with recently brushed teeth

Answer 50

True

Question 51

The glasses for winetastings are not:

• funnel-shaped
• thin
• clear
• able to hold 8-10 ounces
• washed and stored so they do not pick up odors

Answer 51

Funnel-shaped

Question 52

This group of wines is served at the coldest temperature both in the restaurant and tasting laboratory:
A. sparkling and sweet white
B. dry white wine
C. light and red table
D. rose
E. red table

Answer 52

A sparkling and sweet white

Question 53

Which tasting order would place the second wine at a disadvantage:

• white before red
• sweet before dry
• young before old
• modest before fine
• light bodied before full bodied

Answer 53

sweet before dry

Question 54

T/F: To inspect a wine for color, hold it up to a bright source of light such as a clear light bulb or candle

Answer 54

False. To inspect a wine for color, hold it up to a white background.

Question 55

T/F: Winetasters begin the olfactory stage of evaluation a wine by swirling the wine in the glass 6-8 quick revolutions and putting their noses into the glass and taking 4-5 quick ,deep sniffs

Answer 55

False. Winetasters begin the olfactory stage of evaluation a wine by sniffing the wine without swirling and swirl 1-2 revolutions and sniff 2-3 times in the second stage.

Question 56

T/F: Winetasters draw some air through the wine so that all their taste buds can come into contact with the wine and the tactile receptors in their mouths can sense its sweetness and tartness

Answer 56

False. Winetasters “chew” the wine so taht all their taste buds can come into contact with the wine

Question 57

T/F: A winetaster who is evaluation the quality of a wine will take time to notice–among other things–if the wine has a lot of odors and flavors or just a few, how wellthe individual parts fit together, and if it pleases him or her

Answer 57

true

Question 58

T/F: Table wines are also referred to as natural wines and contain 14% alcohol or less

Answer 58

true

Question 59

T/F: A clone is a subgroup of a grape species and is distinguised from other clones by economically important hereditary traits such as its climatic adaptation

Answer 59

False. A grape variety is a subgroup of a grape species and is distinguished from other varieties by economically important hereditary traits such as its climatic adaptation. Clones are “sub-varieties”

Question 60

T/F: Varietal wines are made mainly from a single variety of grapes that should impart a characteristic aroma and flavor to the wine

Answer 60

true

Question 61

T/F: The wine type refers to a winemaker’s characteristic way of combining and balancing the sensory features that distinguish a particular wine to create an individualistic expression of that wine

Answer 61

false. Style refers to a winemaker’s characteristic way of combining and balancing sensory features

Question 62

T/F: You would expect a warmer glass of a wine to have more intense aromas compared to a colder glass of the same wine

Answer 62

True