Class 5: Moderate Climate Reds and Food Pairing Flashcards
HOST 9112 Sensory Development and Wine Styles
Name a wine maker in Ontario that is analyzing parcels in Niagara.
Thomas Bachelder
https://www.lcbo.com/en/bachelder-les-villages-pinot-noir-reserve-2016-1
Name 2 factors that can make a red wine start to turn garnet.
- Ageing
- Varietal characteristics
Provide 5 facts about tannins.
- Provide an astringent taste
- Dries the mouth and gums
- Some reds have more tannins that others
- Antioxidant
- Helps the wine age
With regards to wine, where can tannin come from?
- Skins
- Seeds
- Stems
- Oak
Is oxygen ingress possible with oak barrels?
Yes. Oak barrels allow a small amount of oxygen to enter through its pores or though gaps around the bunghole.
In what circumstances can oak barrels prevent oxygen from entering?
Name one region where this is known to happen.
Over time and uses, tartrates will form on the inside of the barrel and act as a barrier against oxygen.
There are large oak barrels (100+ years) in Alsace that have thick tartrates lining the inside.
What flavours will oak barrels impart not mentioned in the WSET3 list?
Dill
With regards to barrel characteristics, what choices does a winemaker have?
Small or large
New or old
French, American, etc
Describe some tannin descriptors
Chalky
Resolved
Astringent
Polished
Plush
Integrated
Gripping
Why is it important to ensure stems are brown?
Green unripe stems will add green flavours
Also important to ensure the stem is ripe all the way through
What flavours can whole clusters with ripe stems add?
STEMS
Nutmeg
Cigar box
Cardamom
(Image…white rice in Paris with cardamom and nutmeg in a cigar box)
What is an advantge to using stems to add tannin?
Adds tannin but no colour
Adding whole clusters lowers fermentation temperatures. How is this an advantage?
Low temperatures slow down the fermentation rate. The slower the ferment, the more complex the flavours.
Does stem inclusion increase or decrease the final amount of alcohol?
Stem inclusion lowers alcohol by 1%.
What varieties traditionally see some stem inclusion?
Pinot Noir (thin skin)
Syrah
Describe Carbonic maceration
- Whole, uncrushed fruit placed in sealed container
- Oxygen removed, CO2 added
- Grapes forced into intracellular fermentation
- Fermentation products and bi-products are created within the grape (alcohol 2%)
- CO2 ruptures, juice released, grapes pressed, regular fermentation begins
Describe a wine made with carbonic maceration.
Fruity
Sugar - dry
Acid - low
Tannin - low and soft
Alcohol - med
Body - light
Early drinking
What region traditionally uses carbonic maceration?
Beaujolais
Does carbonic maceration only happen in Beaujolais with gamay grapes?
No.
Trendy with natural wines.
Any red grape can undergo carbonic.
What is appasimento?
Drying grapes to increase sugars, flavours and acid.
Where is appassimento traditionally done?
Veneto
Very old technique
What styles of wine can the appassimento method create?
Dry to sweet, depending on how much RS remains.
Describe the alcohol level scale
Low - below 11.5%
Medium Minus - 11.5-12.5%
Medium - 12.5-13.5%
Medium plus - 13.5 -14.5%
High - over 14.5%
What are the overall principles of food pairing?
Pairings
- Location - What grows together goes together
- Weight - Matching through the weight of the wine
- Classic matches
Opposites
4. Sweet & Salty
5. Acid & Fat
6. Contrasting Flavours
Food
7. Main Protein
8. Cooking Method
9. Dominate Flavour or Sauce
What does sweet food do to wine?
Makes less sweet wine feel thin, acidic, bitter
What does bitter food do to wine?
Bitter food increases bitterness in wine
What does acidic food do to wine?
Acid increases fruit, body, sugar
Acid decreases acidity in wine
What does salty food do to wine?
Salt increases fruit, body, sugar
Salt decreases acidity, astringency and bitterness
What does protein/fat food do to wine?
Fat/proteins in food decrease bitterness.
What does spicy food do to wine?
Spice increases alcohol and tannin in wine (high tannin / high alcohol wines bad)
Spice decreases fruit and sugar in wine
What wines pair well with spicy food?
Fruity
Lower alcohol
Lower tannin
What wines pair badly with spicy food?
High alchol and high tannin wines
What does umami food do to wine?
Umami decreases body, fruit, and sugar
Umami increases bitterness
List 2 food/wine pairings that highlight contrasting characteristics.
Acid with young ripe cheeses.
1. Sauvignon Blanc
2. Pinot Noir
Low alcohol and spice
1. Moscato d’Asti with spicy salumi
2. Riesling with southern Indian food
3. Beaujolais with Szechuan
What does intensity mean in regards to food and wine pairings? List 2 appropriate examples.
Light intensity wines with light intensity foods
1. Chablis with lemon poached sole
2. Gavi with pan seared scallops
Intense wines with intense foods
1. Gewürz with Thai curry
2. Zinfandel with BBQ steak
What foods work well with tannins? Which ones don’t?
Good for tannin
1. Protein/fat food
2. Salty foods
Bad for tannin
1. Spicy food
2. Bitter food
3. Umami-rich food
4. Sweet food
What foods work well with sparkling? Which ones don’t?
Sweet food - no
Acidic yes - yes (harmonizes)
Bitter food - no tannins in sparkling that will increase bitter food
Salty food - yes
Fatty food - yes (acid in sparkling will cut food)
Delicate food
What foods work well with rosés? Which ones don’t?
Light to medium bodied foods
Spicy food (low tannins in rosé)
Acidic food (matches acid in rosé)
Delicate foods (rosé has a delicate character)
Name 2 light red wines. What foods would work well with them?
Pinot Noir and Gamay
Low(ish) tannins and delicate texture so:
1. Chicken
2. Game
3. Heavier seafoods
4. Vegetarian dishes
Name 4 medium red wines. What foods would work well with them?
CF, Gren, Mer, Temp
More tannin and fuller body so:
Hard cheeses
Red meat
Not good for delicate foods (e.g., seafood)
Name 3 off-dry white wines. What foods would work well with them? Why?
Pinot Gris, Vouvray, some Rieslings
Food pairings?
1. Mildly spicy foods (low alcohol will not increase to horrible levels)
2. Mildly sweet foods (rs in wines will match mild sweetness)
Name 3 medium sweet white wines. What foods would work well with them?
- Spatlëse/Auslëse
- Rieslings
- White Zinfandel
More RS so:
1. Stronger spice (think…sweet and spicy combos)
2. Simple fruit desserts
What foods work well with sweet wine?
Sweet desserts
Blue veined cheeses
Rich dishes
What foods pair well with Tawny Port?
Tawny = nutty, caramel
Food:
1. Crème brulée
2. Milk chocolate
3. Fruit tarts
What foods pair well with Ruby Port?
- Blue veined cheese
- Dark chocolate