Full course revision flashcards

This deck of flashcards will help you revise the content of the WSET Level 1 in Wines textbook.

1
Q

Name the 2 key elements found in the skin of the grape.

A

Colour
Tannins

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2
Q

Is the colour of the pulp of the grape different in white and black grapes?

A

No. The pulp is the same in both (colourless)

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3
Q

Name the 3 key elements found in the pulp of the grape.

A

Water
Sugar
Acid

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4
Q

For alcoholic fermentation to take place, what 2 elements are needed?

A

Sugar
Yeast

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5
Q

Other than alcohol, what else is created during alcoholic fermentation?

A

Carbon dioxide

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6
Q

What happens to the water content in the grapes at the beginning of ripening?

A

The small, hard green grapes swell with water

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7
Q

What happens to the sugar levels in the grapes during ripening?

A

Sugar levels rise

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8
Q

What happens to the acid levels in the grapes during ripening?

A

Acid levels fall

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9
Q

What happens to the flavours of the grapes during ripening?

A

Flavours become riper

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10
Q

What happens to the colour of the grapes during ripening?
-white grapes?
-black grapes?

A

-White grapes change in colour from green to golden
-Black grapes change in colour from green to purple

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11
Q

True or false: each individual flower on a vine in spring has the potential of becoming a grape.

A

True.
Grapes are hard and green at this stage.

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12
Q

Between which latitudes do grape vines grow best?

A

30-50 degrees north and south

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13
Q

In what climate are average temperatures low and sunlight weaker?

A

Cool climate

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14
Q

In what climate can grapes sometimes struggle to ripen?

A

Cool climate

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15
Q

In what climate is average temperature high and sunlight more intense?

A

Warm climate

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16
Q

Which climate will produce wines with lower levels of acidity?

A

Warm climate

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17
Q

Which climate will produce wines with riper fruit flavours?

A

Warm climate

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18
Q

Which climate will produce wines with potentially lower levels of alcohol?

A

Cool climate (because the grapes will have less sugar, which means less sugar to be converted to alcohol)

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19
Q

Can white wine be made from black grapes? Explain.

A

Yes. The colour is found in the skin of the grape. If black grapes are pressed very gently before fermentation, the juice will be suitable for white wine production.

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20
Q

Place these words in the correct order for the production of white wines:
-Fermentation
-Pressing
-Maturation
-Crushing
-Bottling

A

-Crushing
-Pressing
-Fermentation
-Maturation
-Bottling

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21
Q

Place these words in the correct order for the production of red wines:
-Pressing
-Fermentation
-Draining
-Crushing
-Bottling
-Maturation

A

-Crushing
-Fermentation
-Draining
-Pressing
-Maturation
-Bottling

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22
Q

True or false: In rose wine production, the juice is drained from the skins after only a few hours and fermentation continues without the skins.

A

True

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23
Q

True or false: for red wines, the black grapes are crushed and then pressed before fermentation.

A

False. The skins of the black grapes are needed during fermentation (colour, tannins). The grapes are crushed and both the juice and skins are placed in the fermentation vessel.

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24
Q

Can fermentation take place in oak barrels or is oak only for the maturation stage?

A

Yes, wine can be fermented in oak barrels.

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25
Q

What makes a sparkling wine fizzy?

A

Carbon dioxide created during fermentation which is trapped in the wine.

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26
Q

True or false: sparkling wines are only made in France.

A

False. Sparkling wines are made all over the world. (However, a sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it comes form the Champagne region in France).

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27
Q

What gets added to wine to make it a fortified wine?

A

Alcohol

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28
Q

What is the alcohol range for fortified wines?
a. 8% to 15%
b. 11.5% to 14%
c. 15% to 22%

A

c. 15% to 22%

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29
Q

True or false: red wine can be made using white grapes.

A

False. Red wines need black grapes to provide colour (which is found in the skins).

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30
Q

What is a dry wine? And how is it made?

A

A wine with no or very low levels of sugar.
The yeast convert all of the sugar in the grape juice into alcohol.

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31
Q

Name some examples of dry white wines from France.

A

Chablis
Sancerre
Burgundy (white)

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32
Q

Name an example of dry red wine from Spain.

A

Rioja

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33
Q

What are the 2 ways of making a wine with medium levels of sweetness?

A

-yeast removed before all the sugar is converted into alcohol
-unfermented grape juice is added to the wine

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34
Q

Name 2 examples of wines with medium levels of sweetness.

A

White Zinfandel
German Riesling (some)

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35
Q

What are the 2 key ways of making a sweet wine?

A

-The grapes are so high in sugar that the yeast stop fermenting before all the sugar is consumed
-Yeast are killed by the addition of high-strenght distilled spirit (fortified wines) before they have consumed all the sugar

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36
Q

Name an example of a sweet wine from France.

A

Sauternes

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37
Q

Name an example of a fortified wine which is always sweet.

A

Port
(Sherry isn’t always sweet, it can also be dry)

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38
Q

What element of wine gives it a refreshing characteristic and makes your mouth water?

A

Acidity

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39
Q

Name some grape varieties which produce wines high in acidity.

A

Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir

40
Q

Why is acidity very important in sweet wines?

A

It balances the sweetness and stops a wine from tasting unpleasantly sweet.

41
Q

What notable structural characteristic in red wine comes from the grape’s skin?

A

Tannins

42
Q

What effect do tannins have in the mouth when tasting wine?

A

They cause the mouth to feel dry

43
Q

Name 2 examples of red wines from France which are low in tannins.

A

Burgundy (red)
Beaujolais

44
Q

Name some examples of red wines which are high in tannins.

A

Chianti (Italy)
Bordeaux (France)

45
Q

What is the alcohol range for still wines?
And what is the alcohol of most still wines?

A

8% to 15%
Most still wines are between 11.5% and 14% abv

46
Q

Name an example of still red wine with high alcohol.

A

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

47
Q

Name an example of a still wine with low alcohol.

A

White Zinfandel

48
Q

What is the term used to describe the overall feel of the wine in the mouth, using the sense of touch?

A

Body

49
Q

Give examples of light bodied wines.

A

Pinot Grigio
Beaujolais

50
Q

Give examples of medium bodied wines.

A

Cotes du Rhone
Sancerre

51
Q

Give examples of full bodied wines.

A

Sauternes
Cabernet Sauvignon from California

52
Q

What flavours can oak add to wine?

A

Cedar
Cloves
Coconut
Vanilla

53
Q

Describe the style of Chardonnay from a COOL climate
-acidity
-body
-fruit flavours and aromas

A

-high acidity
-light to medium body
-green fruit (apple) and citrus (lemon)

54
Q

Describe the style of Chardonnay from a WARM climate
-acidity
-body
-fruit flavours and aromas

A

-medium acidity
-medium to full body
-stone fruit (peach) and tropical fruit (pineapple, banana)

55
Q

Are Chablis wines typically oaked or unoaked?

A

Unoaked.

56
Q

Which 2 grape varieties are used in Champagne?

A

Chardonnay
Pinot Noir

57
Q

Describe the style of wine made from Sauvignon Blanc:
-acidity
-fruit flavours and aromas

A

-High acidity
-Green fruit (apple), citrus (lemon, grapefruit), herbaceous notes (asparagus, green capsicum, cut grass)

58
Q

Are wines made from Sauvignon Blanc typically aged in oak?

A

No

59
Q

Describe the style of wine made from Pinot Grigio:
-acidity
-body
-fruit flavours and aromas

A

-high acidity
-light body
simple flavours of pear and lemon

60
Q

Describe the style of wine made from Riesling:
-acidity
-fruit flavours and aromas

A

-high acidity
-Can range from floral and green fruit (apple) to citrus (lemon, lime), to stone fruit (peach, apricot)

61
Q

Are wines made with Riesling typically oaked or unoaked?

A

Unoaked

62
Q

Are wines made from Riesling always sweet?

A

No, they can be dry, medium or sweet

63
Q

Name 3 countries famous for producing Riesling.

A

France (Alsace)
Germany
Australia

64
Q

Describe the style of wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon:
-acidity
-tannins
-flavours and aromas

A

-high acidity
-high tannins
-black fruit (blackberry, black cherry) and herbaceous notes (green capsicum, mint), vanilla and cedar from oak

65
Q

Describe the style of wine made from Merlot:
-acidity
-tannins
-flavours and aromas

A

-medium acidity
-medium tannins
-red fruits (strawberry, plum), black fruit (blackberry, black cherry), vanilla from oak

66
Q

Outside of Europe, which countries are well known for their production of Cabernet Sauvignon?

A

USA (California)
Australia
Chile
South Africa

67
Q

Outside of Europe, which countries are well known for their production of Merlot?

A

Chile
USA (California)

68
Q

Describe the style of wine made from Pinot Noir:
-acidity
-tannins
-flavours and aromas

A

-high acidity
-low to medium tannins
-red fruit (strawberry, red cherry, raspberry), vanilla from oak

69
Q

Describe the style of wine made from Syrah/Shiraz:
-acidity
-tannins
-flavours and aromas

A

-medium acidity
-medium to high tannins
-black fruit (black berry, black cherry), spice (black pepper, liquorice), vanilla/coconut from oak

70
Q

Which wine will be fuller in body: Northern Rhone or Australian Shiraz?

A

Australian Shiraz. Northern Rhone is medium bodied.

71
Q

Which grape variety is used in Chablis?

A

Chardonnay

72
Q

Which grape variety is used in Sancerre?

A

Sauvignon Blanc

73
Q

Which grape varieties are used in red Bordeaux?

A

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

74
Q

Which grape variety is used in WHITE Burgundy?

A

Chardonnay

75
Q

Which grape variety is used in RED Burgundy?

A

Pinot Noir

76
Q

Which grape variety is used in Northern Rhone?

A

Syrah/Shiraz

77
Q

What grape variety is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to add softness and body to the wine?

A

Merlot

78
Q

How should wines be stored for long term storage?

A

At constant and cool temperature

79
Q

When storing wine, what should they be kept away from to avoid the wine tasting stale and old?

A

Strong sunshine and bright artificial sunlight

80
Q

How should a wine sealed under cork be stored to ensure the corks doesn’t dry out and let air into the bottle?

A

On its side

81
Q

What should an ice bucket be filled with to keep a wine cold?

A

Ice AND water

82
Q

What is the recommended service temperature for sweet wines?

A

Well chilled

83
Q

What is the recommended service temperature for Sparkling wines

A

Well chilled

84
Q

What is the recommended service temperature for light and medium bodied whites and rose?

A

Chilled

85
Q

What is the recommended service temperature for full bodied whites?

A

Lightly chilled

86
Q

What is the recommended service temperature for medium to full-bodied red?

A

Room temperature

87
Q

What is the recommended service temperature for light-bodied red?

A

Lightly chilled

88
Q

If a red wine is too cold, how should you bring it up to room temperature?

A

Place it in the room where it will be served and allow it to rise naturally in temperature. Never heat up the wine.

89
Q

Which wine glass is typically larger? White or red wine glass?

A

Red wine glass

90
Q

Why should wine glasses be polished before use?

A

To remove any lingering dirt or finger marks

91
Q

What are the 2 main ways of keeping a wine fresh? How do they work?

A

Vacuum system (a pump removes air from inside the bottle)
Blanket system (system pumps a gas into the bottle which pushed air out)

92
Q

When serving a wine, what should you LOOK for in the appearance of the wine to ensure it isn’t faulty?

A

Check for haziness
Check that there are no bits floating in the wine

93
Q

What aromas in a wine will indicated faultiness?

A

Stale smell or taste
Wet cardboard
Vinegar

94
Q

Which 2 elements in food can make a wine seem:
more drying and bitter, more acidic, less sweet and fruity?

A

Sweet
Umami

95
Q

Which 2 elements in food can make a wine seem less drying and bitter, less acidic, more fruity, more body?

A

Salty
Acidic

96
Q

What effect can fatty or oily food have on wine?

A

Make the wine seem less acidic

97
Q

What effect can chilli have on wine?

A

The alcohol in the wine seems more noticeable. Also, wine can increase the heat from the chilli.