Evaluating the Sight of Wine Flashcards
The Deductive tasting method is helpful for tasting classic wines because
Forms valuable taste references
Improves palate and ability to taste
Improves ability to describe and sell wine
Helps understand classic and new wine styles and types
Improve knowledge of world wines and connect which regions grow which grapes
Learn cause and effect with why a specific wine tastes the way it does
Describe the Deductive Tasting Method
It’s a two-step process. First, evaluate a wine with your senses.
Second, reach a conclusion on the wine’s identity based on reasoned deduction of the sensory evaluation.
What are the Five Criteria of deductive tasting?
- *Sensory Evaluation:**
1. Sight - what it looks like
2. Nose - what is smells like
3. Palate - what it tastes like - *Theoretical Deduction**
4. Initial conclusion - narrowing down
5. Final conclusion - selecting answer
What is evaluated when looking at the clarity of the wine?
Whether or not the wine is clear or does it contain solid matter
What do solids in a wine mean?
Typically has to do with winemaking technique (fining/filtering for example) or age of the wine
Why may older wines have solids present?
Aged wines precipitate sediment over time
Can young wines have sediment?
Yes, if they are highly extracted or unfiltered during winemaking.
But most young wines have no sediment
What is turbidity?
The amount of solids in the wine
What is the scale used when evaluating clarity?
Clear, Hazy, Turbid
What are examples of sediment in red wine?
Color pigment or tannin precipitate out as they age. The primary reason old red wines are decanted.
What are examples of sediment in white wines?
Tartaric acid crystals, fall out of solution
What are methods to remove tartrates?
Filtration
Cold stabilization
What is the concentration of color?
The intensity or depth of a wine’s color
How is color concentration affected in white wines?
Age of the wine
Young whites are light and bright
Whites deepen in color with age, turning gold, then amber, and eventually brown
Oxidation
Using barrels in fermentation or aging: exposure to oxygen through wood, deepening the color
Age: with more time, wine becomes exposed to more air through the cork
Botrytis: wines that experience botrytis will be more concentrated in color
How is color concentration affected in red wines?
- *Grape variety:** differences in the color that is naturally given by the grape skins, some are naturally dark while others are very light
- *Color Extraction:** The winemaker controls how much color is extracted with vinification choices
- *Age:** Red wines lighten in color as they age. Moving to duller and browner colors
What is an example of naturally dark and light skinned red grapes?
- *Dark:** Petit Syrah
- *Light:** Pinot Noir
What is the scale when evaluating color concentration?
Pale, Medium, Deep
What does the color tell us about age?
Aged wines tend to be darker in hue than young wines, but this is dependent on grape variety too so this is not always the best method for determining grape variety
What does color tell us about storage conditions?
The wine may be oxidized or turning darker due to being in a warm environment
What can wine color tell us about grape variety?
Some varieties produce wines with a distinct color
What is the general rule about color in wine as it ages?
Whites and roses grow darker
Reds grow lighter
What is the scale for evaluating color in a white wine?
Straw
Yellow
Gold
Amber
What is the scale for evaluating color in a red wine?
Purple
Ruby/Red
Garnet (Red with orange or brown)
Why do we look for secondary colors and hues?
They can give an indication of age, climate, and grape variety
What is different about secondary colors?
It is throughout the whole wine, not just at the edge of the wine. They are very subtle
What secondary hues do we look for in white wines?
Silver
Green
Copper
Gold
What secondary hues do we look for in red wines?
Ruby
Garnet
Orange
Brown
Blue
What is rim variation?
The color difference between wine at its core and at its edge
What are we looking for in rim variation?
A color difference, not just a ‘lightness’ difference
Why do we evaluate rim variation?
Rim variation often indicates age.
The older the wine, the more variation there may be
Youthful wines may show slight variation, with bright pink hues at the edge
What is color extract or staining and what does it indicate?
Intense extraction of color or staining of color on the glass.
Natural by-product of a warm climate or highly-pigmented grape varieties
Can also occur due to choices made during vinification
What choices during vinification can lead to color extract or staining?
Various forms of extended maceration, picking when very ripe
What is the scale used to evaluate extraction and staining?
None
Light
Medium
Heavy
When should extract be mentioned during tasting?
Only when there is evidence of it on the glass
What is tearing?
Sometimes called ‘legs’, created by alcohol and/or residual sugar reacting with oxygen in air to create surface tension or tears on the glass
What do tears indicate in wine?
Thin tears: tears that dissipate quickly or sheet on the glass indicate lower alcohol
Thick tears: thick, slow-moving tears indicate higher alcohol
Note: thick tears do not necessarily indicate a heavy or viscous wine
What can affect the tears?
The shape or cleanliness of the glass
What is the scale used to evaluate tears?
Light
Medium
Heavy
What would cause a wine to have heavy or light tears?
- *Light tears** may come from a wine with little sugar in the grapes, meaning it produced low alcohol when made into wine. This can come from a cooler climate.
- *Heavy tears** may come from a wine with lots of sugar in the grapes or having lots of residual sugar in the wine. The may mean the wine comes from a warmer region where the grapes ripened fully
What do gas bubbles in a wine indicate?
May indicate a flaw in the wine if the wine is not sparkling.
Some wines may retain a small amount of CO2 when bottled, giving a slight spritz on the palate
May indicate the wine was bottle very soon after fermentation at cool temperatures, or is a cool climate wine, or bottled under screwcap
When should gas be mentioned in evaluation?
Only when you actually see it in the wine
