Chapter 9 Flashcards
T/F: Dessert wines are all sweet and the category includes still and sparkling natural wines as well as fortified wines
True
T/F: Botrytis-affected dessert wines made in cAlifornia are modelled after Hungarian Tokai
False. They are modelled after French Suternes and German late-harvest Rieslings.
T/F: Botrytis cinerea is a widely-occurring destructive disease organism that can attack grapevines and many other plants
True
A typical disease cycle of Botrytis begins with the germination of spores that have overwintered in______ following _____ and can produce shoots and leaves that look like they have been scorched.
plant debris; spring rain
Because they contain plenty of nutrients, the ______ are the best site for Botrytis to multiply.
grape berries
T/F: A botrytis infection cannot develop in the fruit unless the skins of the grapes are first cracked or broken by some other agent
False. Botrytis can penetrate an intact grape skin.
Which item on the list below is NOT a general vineyard condition or cultural practice that would encourage Botrytis growth on grape berries?
A. limited use of fungicide
B. removal of leaves to aerate the canopy
C. lingering summer fogs
D. soils that hold moisture
E. carefully timed fungicide applications early in the season
removal of leaves to aerate the canopy.
Leaf removal is done to prevent Botrytis infection (and early-season fungicide use prevents the young shoots-but not the fruit that forms later-from being infected)
The difference between a normal Botrytis disease cycle in which a grower could lose a large proportion of his crop and a limited infection that produces fruit suitable for making exquisite sweet wines is determined, in part, by _________, but hinges upon _________.
vineyard climate, soils, and cultural decisions; the proper pattern of fall weather
A successful Botrytis infection requires limited fall ______ or a seriesof foggy days to initiate the germination of the spores.
rainfall
When Botrytis grows on the surface of a grape it penetrates the skin enabling water to evaporate during a period of ____ weather
warm, dry
T/F: A successful Botrytis infection–from the point of view of the winemakesr, if not the mold–is one in which the disease cycle is interrupted before the berries are broken and secondary infections develop.
true
T/F: In a typical Botrytis infection all the berries in a cluster become infected at the same time.
False, A typical Botrytis infection spreads from one site to infect adjacent berries. A cluster with an advanced infection will contain berries in all stages from shriveled to healthy.
Which grape varieties are more susceptible, and which are the least susceptible to Botrytis?
Chenin Blanc, White Riesling, Zinfandels-most
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot-least
T/F: The change in sugar and acid composition following a Botrytis infection differs from the changes of normal grape ripening because acid and sugar BOTH increase in concentration.
True
T/F: Both growers and wineries feel that, for Botrytis-infected fruit, the higher the sugar, the better.
false. Even though higher sugars can be obtained, harvest sugars between 35-45 deg Brix are optimal for well-balanced wines.
Why is harvesting Botrytis-infected fruit slow?
Because each cluster must be smelled to be sure it does not have a secondary infection and handled carefully so it doesn’t fall apart. In addition, because not all fruit is infected at once, a vineyard is selectively harvested several times over several days or even weeks
T/F: The water evaporation that occurs in a vineyard successfully infected with Botrytis can reduce yields to as little as 1/3 to 1/2 of normal
true
T/F: Even though vineyard yields are reduced by a Botrytis infection, in the winery, the juice yield per ton of grapes is the same as for non-infected fruit
false, the yield of juice per ton is reduced to 75-90 gallons per ton
T/F: Fermentation of the high-sugar juices of Botrytis-affected fruit are hard to start and slow to progress.
true
Botrytis-affected wines made from _______ are more likely to be aged in small oak barrels.
sauvignon blanc & semillon
T/F: Although the cultivation of a bineyard can be modified to encourage or discourage the growth of Botrytis, a successful infection cycle has never been completed on harvested fruit.
false
The concentrated alcohol used to fortify wines is called_____
wine spirits
T/F: For ordinary fortified wines hot growing regions are beneficial for both high vineyard yields and high sugar content grapes.
true
About __ the fruit for dessert wine production goes to produce alcohol for fortification, making the per ton yield of finished wine ___gallons.
1/2; 75-110
More distinctive grape varieties–many from Portugal– and cooler growing regions are associated with this group of fortified dessert wines.
Port
Winemakers taste the fortifying alcohol and match it to the wine being made because_______
Wine spirits can vary in their flavors depending on the starting wine and the method of distillation, and those flavors need to be compatible with the wine being formed.
Which style of port takes on its important sensory characteristics during long barrel aging?
Tawny
Because producers of port must maximize color extraction during fermentation so that there will be enough color extracted by the time the must is fortified (after 24-48 hours to preserve a substantial amount of sugar), procedures have been developed to enhance color extraction. They include _____ and ______.
heat must; pump continuously
What are two purposes for blending port?
Ports of different sugar contents can be combined to give the desired final sugar concentration and varietal ports can be mixed to enhance complexity
T/F: Port production from Portuguese grape varieties is being done on a small scale in California–only a little over 200 tons of the most-utilized variety were crushed in 1990.
True
In California, ruby and vintage ports are aged in ___ barrels that do not contribute much wood flavor.
neutral
Which type of sherry is oxidized in the absence of flor yeast?
oloroso
Sherries referred to as ____ wil have 7.5-10% sugar
cream
Light brown sherries made with flor yeast and ranging from dry to medium sugar are called by their Spanish name,_____
amontillados
T/F: Sherries are fortified before oxidation and their sugar content is adjusted afterwards.
true
Oxidation without flor by ____ rather than aging for long periods in barrels is a common procedure for low-priced sherries and inexpensive fortified wine products called “Malaga”, “Marsala” and “Madeira”
baking
What do the processes of methode champenoise and sherry making have in common?
There are five common features: 1: yeast autolysis during aging 2. varietal grape character not desired 3. blending to create a wine which is modified during a special aging–the cuvee of shermat–process 4. vintage-to-vintage variation is reduced by blending older and younger wines-including the reserve wines for champagne and using the solera for sherry 5. both processes originated in regions of climate extremes fro grape growing: very cold for methode champenoise and hot for sherry
The system for blending a new vintage of sherry with older wines so that variations from year to year are minimized is valled a _____
solera
The flavors of this group of fortified dessert wines are closest to those of their grapes:
muscat
Dessert wines are served in _______portions than table wines.
smaller