Grape varieties

Question 1

Merlot

Answer 1

• Early budding (spring frosts)
• Mid-ripening (can be picked before early autumn rain)
• Coulure, drought, botrytis bunch rot (sorting needed & reduced yields)
• ripens fully in cooler years (higher sugar/alcohol)
• medium to pronounced strawberry, red plum, herbaceous (cooler yrs) / cooked blackberry, black plum (hotter yrs)
• medium tannin, medium - high alcohol
• dominant in Right Bank & cooler northern Medoc

Question 2

Cabernet Sauvignon

Answer 2

• late budding (frost protection)
• late ripening (therefore grown on warmer soils & susceptible to early autumn rains)
• fungal diseases esp powdery mildew & trunk (Eutypta Dieback, Esca)
• pronounced violet, blackcurrant, black cherry & menthol/herbaceousness
• small berried, thick skins - high tannin, medium alcohol, high acidity

Question 3

Cabernet Franc

Answer 3

• Early budding
• Mid-ripening
• Winter hardy
• Medium - pronounced red fruit (redcurrant, raspberry), floral (violet) & leafy/herbaceous (if not ripened fully - less now due to CC)
• High acidity, medium tannins

Question 4

Malbec

Answer 4

• Mid-budding
• Mid-ripening
• Vigorous (therefore careful canopy management & yield management)
• Coulure (reduces yields)
• Medium - pronounced violet, red & black plum
• Medium - medium(+) acidity
• Medium(+) - high tannins

Question 5

Petit Verdot

Answer 5

• Early budding
• Latest ripening (therefore best in warmest part of Medoc)
• Historically unpopular but increasingly valued due to CC
• Contributes powerful, deeply concentrated wines with spice notes and high tannins (often less than 5% of blend)

Question 6

Semillon

Answer 6

• Late budding
• Mid-ripening
• High yielding
• Susceptible to botrytis bunch rot & noble rot in right conditions (more than SB)
• Low intensity apple, lemon and (if unripe) grassy flavours, + has strong affinity with vanilla & sweet spice (new Fr oak)
• Medium body, medium alcohol, medium to medium (+) acidity
• in dry: softens SB’s intense flavour and high acidity
• in sweet: honey & dried fruit (lemon, peach) & waxy texture, toast & honey with age

Question 7

Sauvignon Blanc

Answer 7

• Late budding
• Relatively early ripening
• Vigorous, prone to PM, BBR & Esca / Eutypa
• in Bord: grassy, gooseberry fruit, high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, for dry whites and sweet botrytis whites

Question 8

Muscadelle

Answer 8

• Prone to BBR therefore planted on well-exposed sites
• In Bord: mostly used for sweet wines (flowery, grapes notes)

Question 9

Riesling

Answer 9

• Late budding
• Late ripening (needs good sun exposure and dry autumns)
• Thick wood (winter hardy and frost resistant)
• Retains acidity therefore retains balance and can age
• Can produce naturally high sugars, and susceptible to botrytis
• pronounced green fruit through to tropical, floral (white flowers/honeysuckle) and with age toast, honey & petrol

Question 10

Muller-Thurgau

Answer 10

• a high yielding crossing used in Liebfraumilch blends
• earlier ripening than Riesling and much lower acidity
• less structure and character, can make attractive simple floral/fruity early drinkers

Question 11

Dornfelder

Answer 11

• 2nd most planted black variety in Germany (a crossing), esp in Rheinhessen & Pfalz
• deep in colour, high in acid, fruity & floral
• 2 styles: fruity, easy-drinking with a touch of residual sugar (sour cherry & blackberry); complex, more age worthy from lower yields & fermented and/or aged in oak

Question 12

Silvaner

Answer 12

• lower in acidity & less aromatic than Riesling
• large quantities of simple, inexpensive wines with subtle fruit (green fruit to tropical)
• controlled yields (eg Franken) can produce high-quality, dry, medium bodied with medium to medium (+) acidity and distinctive earthy character

Question 13

Gruner Veltliner

Answer 13

• doesn’t like dry soils (therefore grown on loess or clay)
• can be v vigorous if planted on fertile soils (therefore CanMan required)
• thick skinned so can be bitter if left too long on skins
• contains rotundone compound (peppery flavour)
• m(+) to high acid, seldom sees oak, range from simple (citrus, green fruit, early drinking, acc-good, inexpensive) to complex (pronounced citrus & peach, age worthy, vg-out, premium)

Question 14

Zweigelt

Answer 14

• crossing between Sankt Laurent & Blaufrankisch
• early ripening, vigorous & high yielding (therefore leaf removal and CanMan required)
• m(+) acidity, m tannins, red fruit (cherry), range from easy drinking, fruity, unoaked (acc to good, inexp to mp) to full bodied, oaked & ageworthy (vg, premium)

Question 15

Welschriesling

Answer 15

• fresh, neutral, high acidity therefore usually make Sekt, or dry early drinking wines
• also thin skinned & suitable for botrytis, making Austrian BA or TBA with pronounced tropical and dried fruit, vg-out & premium

Question 16

Blaufrankisch

Answer 16

• early budding (spring frost) & late ripening (needs warm climate, eg Burgenland)
• thick skinned (rot resistant - important in humid Neusiedlersee)
• high yielding (CanMan imp otherwise won’t ripen properly and have green aromas)
• m(+) to high tannins, high acid, deep colour, black fruits
• range from little/no oak (good & mp) to oak aged, pronounced black fruit & spicy oak (vg to out, premium)

Question 17

Furmint

Answer 17

• Late ripening (retaining high acidity)
• thick skinned but still susceptible to botrytis
• as it ripens it naturally accumulates high levels of sugars (enhanced by botrytis)
• range of dry wines (early drinking to oak-aged, ageworthy)
• lemon, apple and pear (all styles), honey and nuts (with age), dried apricot and mango (botrytis)

Question 18

Nebbiolo

Answer 18

• early budding
• late ripening
• vigorous, first few buds are infertile therefore trained high and needs CanMan cluster thinning for high quality
• pale ruby but turns pale garnet in 3-5yrs
• pronounced violet, rose, red cherry, red plum, very perfumed
• full body, high tannins, high acidity, can be high alcohol

Question 19

Barbera

Answer 19

• relatively early budding
• relatively late ripening (but later than Neb)
• disease resistant (other than fan leaf)
• v vigorous & can be high yielding, so range of styles and often a workhorse
• generally high acid, med tannin/alcohol/body/intensity, deep ruby, red plum, red cherry, black pepper
• g-vg, inexp-mp, but can be vg-out, premium if low yields, old vines, barrique ageing etc giving more tannins and body

Question 20

Dolcetto

Answer 20

• early ripening (so cooler sites poss)
• susceptible to fungal diseases, fragile and low vigour
• reductive in winery (so pump overs/rack and return)
• deep ruby, m(-) acid, m(+) tannin/intensity (red cherry/floral), g-vg and inexp-mp (some vg-out, premium)

Question 21

Cortese

Answer 21

• high yield, thin skinned (grey rot)
• light intensity (lemon, apple/pear & white flowers), high acid, m body
• g (some vg), inexp-mp (some premium)

Question 22

Arneis

Answer 22

• drops acidity quickly (so picked as soon as ripe)
• oxidises easily (so reductive methods in winery)
• light but complex white flowers, chamomile, white peach, lemon, m(-) acid, g-vg, inexp-mp (some premium)

Question 23

Sangiovese

Answer 23

• early budding
• late ripening
• best on friable, shale or limestone (also successful on clay)
• thin skins (bbr), vigorous (trimming needed to reduce shade)
• naturally high yielding, so choice needed between volume and quality
• Chianti Classico 2000 project produced 7 clones (smaller berries, thicker skins, more open bunches)
• med ruby, red cherry/plum + herbs, med-full bodied, high acid, high tannins
• acceptable-outstanding, inexpensive-premium (some sp)

Question 24

Trebbiano Toscano

Answer 24

• late budding
• vigorous, high yielding
• good disease resistance (except dm & eutypa dieback)
• ripens well in sun and retains acidity (so handy for sweet eg Vin Santo)
• neutral med(-) lemon & herbal flavours

Question 25

Verdicchio

Answer 25

• late ripening, but retains acidity well
• 1st 4 buds are sterile, so needs low planting densities
• susceptible to bbr, dm and pm
• pale lemon, m(-) blossom, apple, lemon, fennel, almond (bitter finish), high acid, medium body, acc-out

Question 26

Grechetto di Orvieto

Answer 26

• thick skinned white grape with good fungal resistance, so suitable for late harvest styles
• low-med intensity lemon & white flower, high acidity, medium body

Question 27

Sagrantino

Answer 27

• needs full sunshine & heat to ripen, moderately productive
• tiny spiders, vine moths, pm, dm
• deep ruby, med(+)-pronounced blackberry & red plum, high acid/tannin (needs a long time ageing)

Question 28

Falanghina

Answer 28

• historically seen as workhorse
• mid-late ripening
• good disease resistance but fruit can shrivel towards end of growing season
• med apple, white peach, herbaceous (grass), mostly unoaked, med(+) acidity, acc-vg, inexp-mp

Question 29

Greco

Answer 29

• challenging to grow (grey rot, dm, pm, low vigour/productivity)
• but heat tolerant and drought resistant (so suitable in south Italy and increasingly popular in warm regions with CC)
• late ripening, deep lemon, high alcohol, oily, floral/stone fruit/smoke, mostly unoaked, vg/mp (some out/prem)

Question 30

Fiano

Answer 30

• held in high regard
• dm & pm but thick skinned and bbr resistant (late ripening)
• m(-)-m intensity floral, peach, hazelnut, m(+) body, m-m(+) acidity, waxy texture, vg-out, mp-prem (some can age 8-10yrs)

Question 31

Aglianico

Answer 31

• early budding (frost), late ripening (rain), needing long season for tannins to soften
• vigorous therefore needs vigour control for quality
• m(+)-pronounced rose, red plum & blackberry, high acid/tannin, vg-out, mp-premium