Composition Flashcards
The main components of wine
water
alcohol
acid
sugar
polyphenols
Main alcohol
Ethyl alcohol aka ethanol
types of alcohol in wine
ethyl alcohol
glycerol and methanol
fusel alcohol
acid composes what % of a wine
0.5% - 0.75%
Most prevalent acid found in wine
tartaric
What kind of grapes will have the most malic acid?
underriped grapes or grapes from cool or foggy climates - malic acid decreases a grape ripens
_____ acid decreases as a grape ripens
malic
t/f: miniscule amounts of citric acid is found naturally in grapes
true
t/f: lactic acid is not found in grapes
true
what acids are found in wine?
tartaric acid
malic acid
citrus acid
lactic acid
acetic acid
succinic accid
fermentation acids
lactic acid
acetic acid
succinic acid
grape acids
tartaric acid
malic acid
citrus acid*
succinic acid*
total acidity vs pH
total acidity: volume of all acids
pH: combined chemical strength of the acids
wine typically measures between __ and ___ on the pH scale
2.9 and 3.9
the lower the pH the ____ the acid content of the wine
stronger
Which wine will be more acidic: wine with pH 2.9 or wine with pH 3.6?
2.9
grapes contain roughly equal amounts of these two sugars
glucose
fructose
why do all wines, even dry wines, contain at least some residual sugar?
grapes contain tiny quantities of unfermentable sugars
What phenolic compound gives red wine its color?
anthocyanins
name the 5 important phenolic compounds found in wine?
anthocyanins
flavonols
tannins
vanillan
resveratrol
more acidic wines appear ____ in hue, while less acidic wines appear ____
redder / bluer
yellow pigments found in white wine
flavonols
why do white wines from sunnier climates have a more golden color than white wines from cooler (or cloudier) climates?
flavanols - a polyphenol found in white wine. quanity of flavanols decreases with sun exposure
How are aldehydes formed?
oxidized alcohols that are formed when wine is exposed to air
