Class 5: Moderate Climate Reds and Food Pairing

Question 1

Name a wine maker in Ontario that is analyzing parcels in Niagara.

Answer 1

Thomas Bachelder

https://www.lcbo.com/en/bachelder-les-villages-pinot-noir-reserve-2016-1

Question 2

Name 2 factors that can make a red wine start to turn garnet.

Answer 2

1. Ageing
2. Varietal characteristics

Question 3

Provide 5 facts about tannins.

Answer 3

1. Provide an astringent taste
2. Dries the mouth and gums
3. Some reds have more tannins that others
4. Antioxidant
5. Helps the wine age

Question 4

With regards to wine, where can tannin come from?

Answer 4

• Skins
• Seeds
• Stems
• Oak

Question 5

Is oxygen ingress possible with oak barrels?

Answer 5

Yes. Oak barrels allow a small amount of oxygen to enter through its pores or though gaps around the bunghole.

Question 6

In what circumstances can oak barrels prevent oxygen from entering?
Name one region where this is known to happen.

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

What flavours will oak barrels impart not mentioned in the WSET3 list?

Answer 7

Dill

Question 8

With regards to barrel characteristics, what choices does a winemaker have?

Answer 8

Small or large
New or old
French, American, etc

Question 9

Describe some tannin descriptors

Answer 9

Chalky
Resolved
Astringent
Polished
Plush
Integrated
Gripping

Question 10

Why is it important to ensure stems are brown?

Answer 10

Green unripe stems will add green flavours
Also important to ensure the stem is ripe all the way through

Question 11

What flavours can whole clusters with ripe stems add?

Answer 11

STEMS
Nutmeg
Cigar box
Cardamom
(Image…white rice in Paris with cardamom and nutmeg in a cigar box)

Question 12

What is an advantge to using stems to add tannin?

Answer 12

Adds tannin but no colour

Question 13

Adding whole clusters lowers fermentation temperatures. How is this an advantage?

Answer 13

Low temperatures slow down the fermentation rate. The slower the ferment, the more complex the flavours.

Question 14

Does stem inclusion increase or decrease the final amount of alcohol?

Answer 14

Stem inclusion lowers alcohol by 1%.

Question 15

What varieties traditionally see some stem inclusion?

Answer 15

Pinot Noir (thin skin)
Syrah

Question 16

Describe Carbonic maceration

Answer 16

1. Whole, uncrushed fruit placed in sealed container
2. Oxygen removed, CO2 added
3. Grapes forced into intracellular fermentation
4. Fermentation products and bi-products are created within the grape (alcohol 2%)
5. CO2 ruptures, juice released, grapes pressed, regular fermentation begins

Question 17

Describe a wine made with carbonic maceration.

Answer 17

Fruity

Sugar - dry
Acid - low
Tannin - low and soft
Alcohol - med
Body - light

Early drinking

Question 18

What region traditionally uses carbonic maceration?

Answer 18

Beaujolais

Question 19

Does carbonic maceration only happen in Beaujolais with gamay grapes?

Answer 19

No.
Trendy with natural wines.
Any red grape can undergo carbonic.

Question 20

What is appasimento?

Answer 20

Drying grapes to increase sugars, flavours and acid.

Question 21

Where is appassimento traditionally done?

Answer 21

Veneto
Very old technique

Question 22

What styles of wine can the appassimento method create?

Answer 22

Dry to sweet, depending on how much RS remains.

Question 23

Describe the alcohol level scale

Answer 23

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%

Question 24

What are the overall principles of food pairing?

Answer 24

Pairings

1. Location - What grows together goes together
2. Weight - Matching through the weight of the wine
3. Classic matches

Opposites
4. Sweet & Salty
5. Acid & Fat
6. Contrasting Flavours

Food
7. Main Protein
8. Cooking Method
9. Dominate Flavour or Sauce

Question 25

What does sweet food do to wine?

Answer 25

Makes less sweet wine feel thin, acidic, bitter

Question 26

What does bitter food do to wine?

Answer 26

Bitter food increases bitterness in wine

Question 27

What does acidic food do to wine?

Answer 27

Acid increases fruit, body, sugar

Acid decreases acidity in wine

Question 28

What does salty food do to wine?

Answer 28

Salt increases fruit, body, sugar

Salt decreases acidity, astringency and bitterness

Question 29

What does protein/fat food do to wine?

Answer 29

Fat/proteins in food decrease bitterness.

Question 30

What does spicy food do to wine?

Answer 30

Spice increases alcohol and tannin in wine (high tannin / high alcohol wines bad)

Spice decreases fruit and sugar in wine

Question 31

What wines pair well with spicy food?

Answer 31

Fruity
Lower alcohol
Lower tannin

Question 32

What wines pair badly with spicy food?

Answer 32

High alchol and high tannin wines

Question 33

What does umami food do to wine?

Answer 33

Umami decreases body, fruit, and sugar

Umami increases bitterness

Question 34

List 2 food/wine pairings that highlight contrasting characteristics.

Answer 34

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

Question 35

What does intensity mean in regards to food and wine pairings? List 2 appropriate examples.

Answer 35

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

Question 36

What foods work well with tannins? Which ones don’t?

Answer 36

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

Question 37

What foods work well with sparkling? Which ones don’t?

Answer 37

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

Question 38

What foods work well with rosés? Which ones don’t?

Answer 38

Light to medium bodied foods
Spicy food (low tannins in rosé)
Acidic food (matches acid in rosé)
Delicate foods (rosé has a delicate character)

Question 39

Name 2 light red wines. What foods would work well with them?

Answer 39

Pinot Noir and Gamay
Low(ish) tannins and delicate texture so:
1. Chicken
2. Game
3. Heavier seafoods
4. Vegetarian dishes

Question 40

Name 4 medium red wines. What foods would work well with them?

Answer 40

CF, Gren, Mer, Temp
More tannin and fuller body so:
Hard cheeses
Red meat

Not good for delicate foods (e.g., seafood)

Question 41

Name 3 off-dry white wines. What foods would work well with them? Why?

Answer 41

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)

Question 42

Name 3 medium sweet white wines. What foods would work well with them?

Answer 42

1. Spatlëse/Auslëse
2. Rieslings
3. White Zinfandel

More RS so:
1. Stronger spice (think…sweet and spicy combos)
2. Simple fruit desserts

Question 43

What foods work well with sweet wine?

Answer 43

Sweet desserts
Blue veined cheeses
Rich dishes

Question 44

What foods pair well with Tawny Port?

Answer 44

Tawny = nutty, caramel
Food:
1. Crème brulée
2. Milk chocolate
3. Fruit tarts

Question 45

What foods pair well with Ruby Port?

Answer 45

1. Blue veined cheese
2. Dark chocolate