Deductive Tasting Method Flashcards
What are the two steps in the Deductive Tasting Method?
Sensory and Theoretical Evaluations
What are the steps in the Sensory Evaluation?
Sight, Nose and Palate
What are the steps in the Theoretical Evaluation?
Initial Conclusion and Final Conclusion
Clarity Scale
Clear, Hazy or Turbid
What is sediment in red wine?
Color pigment and tannin precipitation
What is sediment in white wine?
Visible tartrates (tartaric acid crystals)
What are the 8 steps in Evaluating the Sight of Wine?
Clarity Concentration of Color Color Secondary Color Rim Variation Color Extract and Staining Tearing Gas Bubbles
The intensity or depth of a wine’s color
Concentration of color
A white wine’s color concentration can be affected by what?
Age and oxidation
A red wine’s color concentration can be affected by what?
Grape variety, color extraction and age
Concentration of color scale
Pale to medium to deep
The color of a wine can give clues to:
Age, storage conditions and grape variety
Color scale for white wine
Straw
Yellow
Gold
Amber
Color scale for red wine
Purple
Ruby
Garnet
These colors can give an indication of age, climate and grape variety.
Secondary
Secondary colors in white wine
Silver
Green
Copper
Secondary colors in red wine
Ruby Garnet Orange Brown Blue
This is the color difference between the wine at it’s core and the wine at it’s edge.
Rim variation
What does more rim variation indicate?
Aged wine
Intense extraction of color or staining on the glass can occur as a natural by-product of:
A warm climate or a highly pigmented grape variety
Color extract and staining scale
None
Light
Medium
Heavy
What are tears?
Created by alcohol and/or residual sugar in the wine reacting with oxygen to create surface tension on the glass. Also called “legs”
Thin tears vs Thick Tears
Lower vs higher alcohol
Tearing scale
Light
Medium
Heavy
Only mention this if you actually see it in the wine
Gas Bubbles
The humans sense of smell accounts for what percentage of our awareness of flavor.
85%
What are the 8 steps for evaluating the nose of a wine?
Clean or Faulty Intensity of Aromas Age of Assessment Describing fruit aromas Fruit Character Non-fruit Character Earth and Mineral Character Wood Oak
What are the faults in wine.
Corkiness Oxidation Volatile Acidity Ethyl Acetate Excess Sulfur Dioxide Brettanomyces Hydrogen Sulfide
The chemical compound that causes “corked” wine.
Trichloroanisole (TCA)
What is volatile acidity?
The presence of acetic acid giving wine a vinegary aroma.
A wine smells of a struck match or wet wool
Excess sulfur dioxide
A wine smells of acetone
Ethyl Acetate
Inadequate yeast nutrition during fermentation can give wines unpleasant aromas of onion, rubber or rotten eggs.
Hydrogen Sulfide
Intensity of Aromas Scale
Low (Delicate)
Moderate
High (Powerful)
Aroma Age Assessment Scale
Youthful
Developing
Vinous
White wine aromas
Citrus Fruit Apple/Pear Stone Fruit Tropical Fruit Melon
Red wine aromas
Red Fruit
Black Fruit
Blue Fruit
Examples of fruit character
Ripe Fresh Tart Baked Cooked Dried Bruised Jammy
Non-Fruit Character Aromas
Floral Vegetal Herbal or Green Spices Animal or Barnyard Petrol Fermentation Botrytis Leather Tobacco
Earth and Mineral Character
Forest floor Mushroom/Truffle Freshly turned earth Limestone Slate Chalk Flint
Descriptions of oak character
Cedar Toast Smoke Baking spices Vanilla Dill Coconut Sawdust
Flavor elements to evaluate in tasting
Fruit Flavors Fruit Character Non-Fruit Flavors Earth Mineral Oak indicators Flavor changes on the palate
Structure and other elements on the palate
Sweetness/Dryness Phenolic Bitterness (White wine) Tannin (Red wine) Acidity Alcohol Body Texture Balance Length/Finish Complexity
Theoretical Deduction
Possible Grape Varieties Old World or New World Climate Possible Countries Age Range Final Conclusions
Old World Characteristics
Dominance of earth and/or mineral character
Dominance of non-fruit aromas and flavors
The fruit is restrained compared to other aromas and flavors
The fruit becomes tart on the palate
Non-fruit aromas and flavors become more apparent in the finish.
New World Characteristics
No dominant earth or mineral character
Fruit aromas and flavors lead and dominate the non-fruit elements
Fruit dominates the nose, sweet and ripe
The fruit stays ripe or gets riper on the palate
Cool Climate Characteristics
Acidity is elevated for the grape variety
Alcohol is more restrained
Fruit is more tart on the nose and the palate
The wine feels more linear on the palate
Warm Climate Characteristics
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
