COMPARING WINE STYLES Flashcards
Cabernet Sauvignon
Haut Medoc
Cedar and blackcurrant, high tannin softens with age. Often blended with Merlot for early-ripening juicy plum fruit and smoother texture.
post-fermentation extraction avoided and cap management reduced
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley; Coonawarra, Margaret River; Hawke’s Bay; Stellenbosch; Colchagua Valley
Full-bodied with ripe blackcurrant and black cherry notes and smooth tannins.
Merlot
Saint-Emilion; Pomerol
Earlier harvested to make a medium bodied, medium alcohol wine. Fresh red fruit character + vegetal, leafy aromas
Merlot
New World
Late harvested to maximise purple colour, concentrated blackberry and plum fruit, soft velvet tannins. Oaked for toast, vanilla, clove flavours
Pinot Noir
Burgundy
Early budding, early ripening grape, thin skins
Becomes jammy and unattractive if climate is too hot
red cherry; floral; spice
forest floor and mushroom when ages
Pinot Noir
Los Carneros; Sonoma; Martinborough; Marlborough; Central Otago; Yarra Valley; Mornington Peninsula; Tasmania; Walker Bay; Casablanca
Early budding, early ripening grape, thin skins
Becomes jammy and unattractive if climate is too hot
Syrah
Northern Rhone (Cotie Rotie and Hermitage)
Medium bodied with pepper and fresh blackberry fruit aromas
High tannins
meat and leather when ages
Shiraz
Hunter Valley; Barossa
Smooth and full-bodied with intense, very ripe black fruit flavours, hints of liquorice
soft and earthy
High tannins - high alcohol
toast from new oak
Shiraz
Great Southern; Geelong; Heathcote; Chile; South Africa; Hawke’s Bay; Washington State
Leaner, peppery styles.
full-bodied with intense, very ripe black fruit flavours, hints of liquorice
picked early, minimised cap management = restrained style
Grenache
Spain (Rioja; Priorat; Calatayud; Carinena; Navarra)
Late-ripening variety
high alcohol, low in acidity, full-bodied, soft tannins, red fruit
no new oak
Grenache
Southern Rhone (CNDP)
Full-bodied, richly textured, concentrated spicy red fruit
no new oak
Grenache
Barossa; McLaren Vale
Intensely concentrated; full-bodied; high alcohol
old-vine
jammy, ripe red berry flavour and peppery spice
no new oak
Sauvignon Blanc
Sancerre and Pouilly Fume
elegance and restraint
green apple and asparagus, wet pebbles
Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough
Vibrant
Gooseberry, elderflower, grapefruit, passion fruit, herbaceous notes
Sauvignon Blanc
South Africa; Chile
fruity
Sauvignon Blanc
Margaret River
Blended with Semillon - less aromatic but fuller bodied
Sauvignon Blanc
Pessac-Leognan; Fume Blanc of California
Oaked - rounder body and spicy, toaty note
Ambient Yeast for complexity
Lees aged
Blended with Semillon for body and richness
Riesling
Germany; Alsace; Austria
Buds late - tolerant of cold; mid-to-late ripening (can be left on the vine to gain sugar without losing acidity)
cold = green fruit and floral
warm = richer; citrus and stone fruit
Age = honey and toast and petrol
Riesling
Clare and Eden Valley; Washington State
Bone dry, high acidity, lime
Riesling
New Zealand; Finger Lakes AVA of New York
Fruity, off-dry style; richer; citrus and stone fruit
Chardonnay
Burgundy - Chablis
early budding
High acid, green apple and stone fruits, wet stones and slate
nuts with ageing
Chardonnay
Burgundy - Cote d’Or
Stone fruit, white peach and melon, with creamy oak
nuts with ageing
Chardonnay
Burgundy - Maconnais
ripe stone fruit, white peach and melon, toasty oak
nuts with ageing
Chardonnay
Russian River Valley; Los Carneros; Adelaide Hills; Geelong; Mornington Peninsula; Casablanca
Cool = green fruit and citrus
moderate = fleshy fruits, white peach, melon
warm = ripe tropical fruits, bananas, pineapple
nuts with ageing
Pinot Gris
Alsace
Early budding, early ripening (can lead to high sugar levels and lost acidity)
Dry or off-dry, oily texture, rmedium acidity ripe tropical fruit flavours, hint of ginger and honey, golden
Large oak
Pinot Gris
New Zealand
Dry or off-dry, oily texture, medium acidity, more pure fruit flavour and more residual sugar
Pinot Gris
Tasmania; Oregon
rich and dry
Pinot Grigio
Alto Adige; Trentino; Friuli-Venezia Giulia
apples, pears, citrus
