Deductive Tasting Flashcards
Deductive Tasting - The five criteria of deductive tasting
- Sight
- Nose
- Palate
- Initial Conclusion
- Final Conclusion
Deductive Tasting - Sight - Sediment
- Sediments in red wine = color pigment and tannin
- primary reason to decant aged red wines
- can be found in young unfiltered red wines
- Sediments in white wine = tartaric acid crystals (safe to consume).
- Tartrates are often removed by filtration and cold stabilization.
Deductive Tasting - Sight - Concentration of Color
- White wines
- Young white wines are light and bright in color
- Deepen in color with age, turning gold, amber, and brown
- Red wines
- Lighten in color as they age, they often appear dull and have a tendency to brown
Deductive Tasting - Clean or Faulty - Trichloroanisole (“TCA”)
- AKA Corkiness
- Smell like wet, moldy cardboard or musty old newspaper
- Caused by corks, barrels, or an entire winery that has been tainted with the TCA compound
Deductive Tasting - Clean or Faulty - Oxidation
- Oxidized wines have more muted and dried-out aromas than fruit scents (can be bitter flavors)
- Caused by age or poor storage conditions
Deductive Tasting - Clean or Faulty - Volatile Acidity (“VA”)
- Presence of acetic acid giving a wine vinegary aromas
* Caused when the bacteria acetobacter (or certain wild yeasts) and oxygen are present during the fermentation process
Deductive Tasting - Clean or Faulty - Ethyl Acetate (“EA”)
- Distinct aroma of acetone or nail-polish remover
* EA forms from the reaction of ethanol and acetic acid.
Deductive Tasting - Clean or Faulty - Excess Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
- Too much, caused matchstick or wet wool smell
* SO2 commonly used during the winemaking process.
Deductive Tasting - Clean or Faulty - Brettanomyces
*This is a yeast growth that gives a wine aromas ranging from smoke, cloves, and spice to band-aids and manure
Deductive Tasting - Clean or Faulty - Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
- Unpleasant aromas of onion, rubber or rotten eggs
* Consequence of inadequate yeast nutrition during fermentation
Deductive Tasting - Nose - White wine fruit aromas
- Citrus: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, tangerine
- Apple / Pear: green, red, or yellow apples, pears
- Stone / Pit Fruit: Peach, nectarine, apricot
- Tropical Fruit: Pineapple, mango, papaya, passion fruit
- Melon: Cantaloupe, honeydew
Deductive Tasting - Nose - Red wine fruit aromas
- Red Fruits: Cherry, raspberry, red plum, cranberry, strawberry, pomegranate
- Black Fruits: Blackberry, back cherry, black plum, blackcurrant
- Blue Fruits: Blueberry, boysenberry
Deductive Tasting - Nose - Fruit Character
- Ripe
- Fresh
- Tart
- Baked
- Stewed / Cooked
- Dried
- Desiccated
- Bruised
- Jammy / Preserves
Deductive Tasting - Nose - Non Fruit Character
- Floral Aromas
- White Wine: Yellow (daisy), white (baby’s breath, jasmine, honeysuckle)
- Red Wine: Red (roses), purple (lilac, violet)
- Other Descriptors: Fresh, dried
- Vegetal Aromas
- White Wine: Bell pepper, jalapeno pepper
- Red Wine: Bell pepper, jalapeno pepper
- Herbal or Green Aromas
- White Wine: Freshly cut grass
- Red Wine: Oregano, sage, thyme
- Spices
- White Wine: White peppercorn
- Red Wine: Black peppercorn
- Animal or Barnyard
- Petrol: Fuel, gasoline
- Fermentation: Malolactic fermentation, carbonic maceration, lees contact
- Botrytis: Honew, ginger, saffron, mushroom
- Leather, Tobacco, etc
Deductive Tasting - Nose - Earth and Mineral Character
- Earth: forest floor, Compost, Mushroom/truffle, Potting soil, Fresh turned earth
- Mineral: Wet Stone, Limestone, Chalk, Slate, Flint
Deductive Tasting - Nose - Wood/Oak
Cedar, Toast, Smoke, Vanilla, Dill, Coconut, Sawdust, Dried baking spices (cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg)
Deductive Tasting - Large Barrel vs Small Barrel (Barrique)
- Large Barrel: less wine is i contact with the barrel therefore little oaky flavor is imparted. However, older barrels that are no longer imparting wood-based aromas or flavors can continue to contribute oxidative notes and textural effects to the wine.
- Small Barrel: More wine is in contact with the barrel itself imparting more wood based aromas and flavors
Deductive Tasting - Older Oak vs New Oak
- Older Oak: Oak barrels lose the potency of flavor impact appreciably after each use. After the 4th-6th year, the barrel is essentially deemed neutral but still has an impact with oxidative notes and textural effects to the wine
- New Oak: New oak barrels (or “first-use” barrels) will impart the most pungent flavors to a wine such as (Toast, Smoke, Baking spices, Vanilla)
Deductive Tasting - French Oak vs American Oak
- French Oak: Tends to be more subtle in aroma and flavor with notes of (Vanilla bean, Dried baking spices, Cedar, Sawdust)
- American Oak: Tends to be stronger in aroma and flavor with notes of (Caramel, Vanilla extract, Dill/dried herbs, Coconut, Sawdust)
Deductive Tasting - Palate
- Sweetness/Dryness
- Phenolic Bitterness (White wine)
- Tannin (Red wine)
- Acidity
- Alcohol
- Body
- Texture
- Balance
- Length/Finish
- Complexity
Deductive Tasting - Theoretical- Old World (Potential Reasons)
- Dominance of earth and/or mineral character
- Dominance of non-fruit aromas and flavors
- The fruit is restrained compared to non-fruit and earth aromas and flavors
- The fruit becomes tart on the palate
- Non-fruit aromas and flavors become more apparent in the finish
Deductive Tasting - Theoretical- New World (Potential Reasons)
- There is no dominant earth or mineral character
- Fruit aromas and flavors lead and dominate the non-fruit elements
- The fruit smells sweet and ripe, thus dominating the nose
- The fruit stays ripe or gets riper on the palate
Deductive Tasting - Theoretical- Cool Climate (Potential Reasons)
- Acidity is elevated for the grape variety
- Alcohol is more restrained
- The fruit smells and tastes somewhat tart
- The wine feels linear on the palate
Deductive Tasting - Theoretical- Warm Climate (Potential Reasons)
- The acidity is restrained for the grape variety
- Alcohol is elevated
- The fruit seems ripe, maybe even jammy
- The wine feels round and lush on the palate
Deductive Tasting - Tannin in wine…
*Dries the palate out
Deductive Tasting - Acidity in wine…
*Creates a mouth-watering sensation
Deductive Tasting - Sweetness in wine is due to…
*The presence of sugar in the wine
Deductive Tasting - TCA or Tricholoranisol in wine is due to…
*The cork being infected with the TCA compound
Deductive Tasting - A wine would be hazy or cloudy due to…
*Sediment in the wine
