Chapter 9

Question 1

T/F: Dessert wines are all sweet and the category includes still and sparkling natural wines as well as fortified wines

Answer 1

True

Question 2

T/F: Botrytis-affected dessert wines made in cAlifornia are modelled after Hungarian Tokai

Answer 2

False. They are modelled after French Suternes and German late-harvest Rieslings.

Question 3

T/F: Botrytis cinerea is a widely-occurring destructive disease organism that can attack grapevines and many other plants

Answer 3

True

Question 4

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.

Answer 4

plant debris; spring rain

Question 5

Because they contain plenty of nutrients, the ______ are the best site for Botrytis to multiply.

Answer 5

grape berries

Question 6

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

Answer 6

False. Botrytis can penetrate an intact grape skin.

Question 7

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

Answer 7

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)

Question 8

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 _________.

Answer 8

vineyard climate, soils, and cultural decisions; the proper pattern of fall weather

Question 9

A successful Botrytis infection requires limited fall ______ or a seriesof foggy days to initiate the germination of the spores.

Answer 9

rainfall

Question 10

When Botrytis grows on the surface of a grape it penetrates the skin enabling water to evaporate during a period of ____ weather

Answer 10

warm, dry

Question 11

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.

Answer 11

true

Question 12

T/F: In a typical Botrytis infection all the berries in a cluster become infected at the same time.

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Which grape varieties are more susceptible, and which are the least susceptible to Botrytis?

Answer 13

Chenin Blanc, White Riesling, Zinfandels-most

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot-least

Question 14

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.

Answer 14

True

Question 15

T/F: Both growers and wineries feel that, for Botrytis-infected fruit, the higher the sugar, the better.

Answer 15

false. Even though higher sugars can be obtained, harvest sugars between 35-45 deg Brix are optimal for well-balanced wines.

Question 16

Why is harvesting Botrytis-infected fruit slow?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

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

Answer 17

true

Question 18

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

Answer 18

false, the yield of juice per ton is reduced to 75-90 gallons per ton

Question 19

T/F: Fermentation of the high-sugar juices of Botrytis-affected fruit are hard to start and slow to progress.

Answer 19

true

Question 20

Botrytis-affected wines made from _______ are more likely to be aged in small oak barrels.

Answer 20

sauvignon blanc & semillon

Question 21

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.

Answer 21

false

Question 22

The concentrated alcohol used to fortify wines is called_____

Answer 22

wine spirits

Question 23

T/F: For ordinary fortified wines hot growing regions are beneficial for both high vineyard yields and high sugar content grapes.

Answer 23

true

Question 24

About __ the fruit for dessert wine production goes to produce alcohol for fortification, making the per ton yield of finished wine ___gallons.

Answer 24

1/2; 75-110

Question 25

More distinctive grape varieties–many from Portugal– and cooler growing regions are associated with this group of fortified dessert wines.

Answer 25

Port

Question 26

Winemakers taste the fortifying alcohol and match it to the wine being made because_______

Answer 26

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.

Question 27

Which style of port takes on its important sensory characteristics during long barrel aging?

Answer 27

Tawny

Question 28

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 ______.

Answer 28

heat must; pump continuously

Question 29

What are two purposes for blending port?

Answer 29

Ports of different sugar contents can be combined to give the desired final sugar concentration and varietal ports can be mixed to enhance complexity

Question 30

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.

Answer 30

True

Question 31

In California, ruby and vintage ports are aged in ___ barrels that do not contribute much wood flavor.

Answer 31

neutral

Question 32

Which type of sherry is oxidized in the absence of flor yeast?

Answer 32

oloroso

Question 33

Sherries referred to as ____ wil have 7.5-10% sugar

Answer 33

cream

Question 34

Light brown sherries made with flor yeast and ranging from dry to medium sugar are called by their Spanish name,_____

Answer 34

amontillados

Question 35

T/F: Sherries are fortified before oxidation and their sugar content is adjusted afterwards.

Answer 35

true

Question 36

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”

Answer 36

baking

Question 37

What do the processes of methode champenoise and sherry making have in common?

Answer 37

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

Question 38

The system for blending a new vintage of sherry with older wines so that variations from year to year are minimized is valled a _____

Answer 38

solera

Question 39

The flavors of this group of fortified dessert wines are closest to those of their grapes:

Answer 39

muscat

Question 40

Dessert wines are served in _______portions than table wines.

Answer 40

smaller