Cram.com deck Flashcards
What information on the wine label is important to review before accepting a wine in a restaurant?
- Who made the wine
- Where it was made
- When it was made (vintage year)
- What is in the bottle (grape variety)
- Possibly some indication of special handling, ranking, or classification
What are steps in the ritual of wine service in a restaurant and how should one proceed before accepting a wine?
“• Presentation, uncorking, poured taste, then service to entire table
• Smell and taste to ensure no defects are noticeably present”
What are generally accepted reasons for sending a bottle of wine back in a restaurant? "• Defective odors: • Sulfur dioxide • Hydrogen sulfide • Mercaptans • Oxidized • Maderized • Corked • Dekkera/Brettanomyces • Sorbate • Pediococcus
“• Defective odors:
• Sulfur dioxide—stinging sensation in the nasal passage
• Hydrogen sulfide—rotten eggs
• Mercaptans—essence of skunk and rotting cabbage
• Oxidized—bland, loss of flavor
• Maderized—cooked, sherry-like with nutty flavors
• Corked—musty, moldy
• Dekkera/Brettanomyces—horsey smell and bitter metallic taste
• Sorbate—bubble gum smell
• Pediococcus—dirty socks”
What are generally accepted reasons for sending a bottle of wine back in a restaurant?
“• Defective odors:
• Sulfur dioxide—stinging sensation in the nasal passage
• Hydrogen sulfide—rotten eggs
• Mercaptans—essence of skunk and rotting cabbage
• Oxidized—bland, loss of flavor
• Maderized—cooked, sherry-like with nutty flavors
• Corked—musty, moldy
• Dekkera/Brettanomyces—horsey smell and bitter metallic taste
• Sorbate—bubble gum smell
• Pediococcus—dirty socks”
How does the temperature of a wine affect its taste?
• Affects crispness and acidity
What are the major differences between how white and red wines are made?
• Red wine’s grape skins kept and incorporated, white wine not aged as long as red
Which VITICULTURAL (grape growing) and VINICULTURAL (winemaking) practices effect a wine’s concentration, quality, flavor and price?
“• Viticultural:
• Microclimate (rain, average daily temperature, number of daylight hours, length of growing season), site (soil, slope, elevation, drainage, orientation to sun), marginal climates sometimes produce unique wines but vintage variation is different
• Vinicultural:
• Wine making (science and skill), equipment and facilities ($$$), production capacity and demand”
What do the various grape components contribute to the finished wine?
• Growth of the vines, life of the grape, ripeness of the grape in harvest (contributes to residual sugar, alcohol content which then contributes to body)
What are the major components in wine and how do these influence taste, texture, and shelf life?
“• Alcohol: Body, mouth-feel, and storage life
• Light bodied—7-10%; medium bodied—10-12%; full bodied—12-14.5%
• Organic Acids: crispness, structure, and balance
• Low acidity—flabby, flat taste; correct acidity—crisp, fresh, lively taste; excess acidity—green, harsh, sour taste
• Water: Body
• Residual sugar: Taste, acidity”
How does the winemaker shape or adjust various components in wine?
• Through acidification, chaptalization, amelioration
Appearance of wines
Brilliant, clear, dull, cloudy, precipitated
Smell/Bouquet
Fragrances developed in the wine making and aging process
Taste
Sweet/sour/salt/bitter
Four stages of taste
Attack (introduction), evolution, finish, aftertaste
“Varietal Characteristics:
Chardonnay”
Apple, toasty, vanilla, lemon, sweet clove, buttery or creamy, figs, melons, coconuts, tea, pear, flinty; aged chardonnays: peach, pineapple, sage honey
“Varietal Characteristics:
Riesling”
Fruity, apricot, peach, green apple, floral, lemon, tropical lushness
“Varietal Characteristics:
Viognier”
Lime, kiwi, guava, apricot, acacia, anise
“Varietal Characteristics:
Cabarnet Sauvignon”
Herbaceous, tea, green olives, currants, cassis, bell pepper, spicy
“Varietal Characteristics:
Merlot”
Herbaceous, tea, floral, violet, roses, bell pepper, black pepper, cassis, cherry, peppermint, chocolate
“Varietal Characteristics:
Pinot Noir”
Cherries, wild violets, strawberries, roast coffee, earthy, pepper, leathery, mushrooms, chocolate, berries, pomegranate, caramelized sugar
“Varietal Characteristics:
Syrah”
Blackberries, peppery, cassis, smoky, spice, dry pepper, coffee, tar, hickory, wood, chestnuts, truffles
“Varietal Characteristics:
Zinfandel”
Blackberry, raspberry, jam, briary, herbaceous, eucalyptus, mint, leather, cedar, dark chocolate, cherries, black pepper, raisins
What defects might one find in a white wine?
Color: Amber to Brown
What happens to wine as it ages? Which wines benefit from aging?
“• Changes color: White wine darkens to dark yellow/amber and brown; red wine darkens to brown
• Red wines benefit the most from long aging”
What historic events influenced the growth of the wine industry in the US and the individual states covered in class?
“• Prohibition: Alcohol made illegal, struggle afterwards to move from fortified to refined wines
• California: Too much manipulation of wine in the 1980’s (decade of the winemakers); wine brats and wineries take over in the 2000s, AVA proliferation”
Which individuals had significant impact on the growth of California’s wine industry?
“• Father Juniper Serra: Established missions along California’s coastline
• Robert Mondavi: Godfather of modern California wine
• E&J Gallo: Popular wineries”
Which individuals had significant impact on the growth of Oregon’s wine industry?
“• David Lett: First producer of Pinot Noir in Oregon
• James Halliday: Australian producer/author”
Which individuals had significant impact on the growth of Washington’s wine industry?
• Allen Shoup: Father of the Washington Wine Industry
What are the major grape varieties grown in New York State? Give examples of vinifera, labrusca and hybrid varieties.
"Hybrids: • Cayuga, Ravat/Vignoles, Seyval Blanc, Vidal, Traminette Labruscana: • Concord, Delaware, Niagara Vinifera"
California Label Regulations
“• Varietal—Minimum of 75% of the grape named on the label
• Generic—Place name from a famous region (Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy, or wine style like Sherry or Port)
• Proprietary—Made-up name
• Statements of production:
? Grown, produced, and bottled by—100% of the grapes grown or wine made by the company named on the bottle
? Produced and bottled by—75%
? Made and bottled by—10%
? Bottled by or Cellared and vented by—None
? **Vintage dated—95% of the grapes from that year
• Geographic statements of origin:
? California—100% of the grapes come from the state
? County—75% of the grapes come from within the specific county
? AVA—85% of the grapes come from the specific AVA (American Viticultural Area)
? Vineyard—95% of the grapes come from the specific vineyard”
Oregon Label Regulations
“• 90% Minimum Varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon 75%)
• Region 100%
• Generics—No generic names permitted”
New York Label Regulations
“• At least 75% of varietal named on the label; if grape is labrusca 51% minimum of that grape
• Grape source—NYS: At least 75% of the wine labeled NYS must be from that state; AVA: At least 85% of grapes must be from that AVA”
Washington Label Regulations
“• 75% Varietal
• Generics—No generic names permitted
• WA or AVA—100%”
What regions in New York are known for specific wine styles and grape varieties, and why?
“• Finger Lakes: Riesling, Sparkling, Chardonnay
• Hudson River: White hybrids
• Niagara Escarpment: Native grapes and hybrids
• Long Island: Merlots and reds”
“Major Grape Varieties:
Washington”
“• White grapes: Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon
• Red grapes: Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah”
“Major Grape Varieties:
New York”
“• White grapes: Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Muscat
• Red grapes: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Meunier”
“Major Grape Varieties:
Oregon”
“• White grapes: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling
• Red grapes: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah”
“Major Grape Varieties:
California”
“• White grapes: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, trendy varietal—Viognier
• Red grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir”
“Signature Grapes:
California”
Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon
“Signature Grapes:
Oregon”
Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris
“Signature Grapes:
Washington”
Syrah
“Signature Grapes:
New York”
Riesling
“Geographic Factors:
New York”
Cool with Adirondacks Mountains, good rainfall
“Geographic Factors:
Oregon”
Coastal Range and Cascade Range are dominant factors, rainfall from 6-40” per year, temperate climate with cooler growing conditions than CA or WA with more vintage variation
“Geographic Factors:
Washington”
West is too wet and cool to grow grapes. 6-8” rainfall in Eastern regions, hot, dry days with cool nights, 17 hrs sunlight
How does climate influence wine styles produced in various regions?
• Affects life of the grape and the grapevine, vintage variations
Acidification
The addition of acid (usually tartaric) to the finished wine (done in hot climates where the natural acidity in the grapes is low)
Chaptalization
The addition of sugar to the grape must to boost the natural sugar level and produce a slightly higher alcohol level in the finished wine (common practice in cool growing regions)
Amelioration
The addition of water and sugar to the grape must to dilute acidity and boost the alcohol in the finished wine (practice used in NYS’s cooler wine regions)
What are the most important AVAs in Oregon?
Eastern—Columbia Valley, Walla Walla, Columbia Gorge, Snake River Valley; Western—Willamette Valley, Rogue Valley
What are the most important AVAs in Washington?
Eastern—Columbia Valley, Walla Walla, Yakima, Red Mountain; Western—Puget Sound
What are the most important AVAs in New York?
Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, Long Island
