Grapes Flashcards
Carignan
Buds late
Ripens late
High Yielding
Grape moths
Powdery mildew
High acid
High tannin
Soften by: Carbonic, blend, &/or decrease maceration
Not suited to mechanical harvesting
HQ old vines Black/spice/earth
Otherwise—simple/black
Most plantings Languedoc
Viognier
Early budding
Mid/late ripening
Trellis or poles prevent wind damage
Coulure (poor flowering/ fruit set) & so, low yields
High alcohol
Low Acid
Pronounced: Honeysuckle/apricot/peach
HARVEST DATE IMPT: Needs to be fully ripe to get typical pronounced aromas but can lose flavor/ acid and gain sugar FAST so harvest date is crucial
Marsanne
Late budding
Mid-ripening
High Yielding (best on stony, low fertility soils like slopes in Northern Rhône)
Botrytis Bunch Rot
Powdery mildew
Mites
Med/high alcohol
Medium Acid
Full bodied
Oily texture
Not aromatic (and so often blended with Roussane or Viognier)
Honeysuckle /Lemon
Roussanne
Late budding
Fungal - highly prone to Powdery mildew, BBR
Mites
Poor wind resistance
Coulure/ Low yields
*Difficult to grow
Similar in structure to Marsanne
Med/high alcohol
Med/med plus acid
A/F Pear & Herbal
Grenache Blanc
Early budding
Mid ripening
High alcohol * VDN
Low acid
Good wind resistance
Coulure
Downy mildew
Green apple/ Stone fruit
Vigorous
Prone to oxidation
Part of CNdP blend
Clairette
Late budding
Late ripening (autumn rains)
Vigorous—even on bad soil
Wind resistant
Drought tolerant
Oxidises easily*
High alcohol*
Low acid*
**like Grenache*
Blossom, apple, grapefruit,
Bourboulenc
Late ripening
Loose bunches
Thick skins (resist botrytis)
Med plus acid
Medium alcohol
Lemon
Grows well in hot dry conditions
Syrah
Thick skinned
Med/high acid
Med/high tannin
Vigorous
Mites
Botrytis bunch rot
Syrah disorder (red leaves)
Med/Pronounced aromatics - violet and plum—
if cool, red plum
If warm, black plum
black pepper, herb
Rotundone -peppery aroma
Prone to reduction in winemaking ➡️ Need pump overs
In N Rhône, steep slopes, need to be tied to poles to protect from Mistral
Only black grape variety used in the northern Rhône crus, whose wines are typically deep ruby in colour, medium to pronounced intensity aromas and flavours of violet, plum (red plum in cooler years and sites, black plum in warmer years and sites), blackberry with black pepper and herbal notes. Acidity and tannins range from medium to high. Syrah adds structure, fruit and colour to Southern Rhône blends. Increasing planted in Chile 🇨🇱
Grenache noir (aka Cannonau on Sardinia/ Garnacha in Spain)
Early budding/Late ripening
Pale Ruby
Aromas/Flavors: Ripe red fruit (cherry/plum) Spicy/Herbal
High alcohol
Low acid
Low/ medium tannins
Prone to oxidation
Vigorous
Drought resistant
Upright growth / bush train +-controls vigor
Does well on dry/low fertility soils
Coulure
Fungals -dm, bbr, phomopsis
Bacterial blight
Mourvèdre
Late budding
Late ripening
(*Needs high temp @end to ripen fully)
*Needs sufficient moisture in soil)
Low yields
Mites
Leaf hopper
Sour rot (bird damage then prone to bacteria or fungus)
Prone to Reduction (like Syrah is too)
Almost always in Blend in Rhône; principal varietal in red & rosé Bandol AOC in Provençe
Deep Ruby color
Aromas/Flavors: Blackberries/blueberries/Violets
High alcohol
High firm tannins
Cinsault
Late budding
High yielding * for quality keep yields LOW
High alcohol
Low/med tannins (* and so compliments Carignan)
Drought and heat resistant
GVTD-esca & Ed
Mites/moths
Red cherry / raspberry
Small Part of S. Rhône blend
Merlot
Early budding*
Mid ripening*
(Compliments CS which is late budding/late ripening)
Can ripen in cool years
*Coulure
*Botrytis (must sort)
*Drought
These hazards can reduce yields
In Bordeaux, an important benefit is that it can ripen fully in cooler years, in comparison
to the later ripening Cabernet Sauvignon.
-the dominant variety in the whole of the Right Bank and in the cooler northern Médoc, which has more fertile soils with a high clay content.
-ripens on these cooler soils and the water-holding capacity of clay enables it to produce the large berry size typical of Merlot. (Compliments CS which has tiny berries)
Can reache higher sugar levels and therefore higher potential alcohol levels than either of the Cabernets. This was an advantage in earlier decades but, with a warming climate, is less so today.
As a variety, it contributes medium to pronounced intensity fruit (strawberry and red plum with herbaceous flavours in cooler years; cooked blackberry, black plum in hot years), medium tannins and medium to high alcohol to the Bordeaux blend.
Medium tannins
Med/high alcohol
Large berry size
Able to ripen on cooler soils
Cabernet Sauvignon
Late budding
Late ripening
Small berry, thick skin
And, so = High Tannin
High acid
Medium alcohol
Prone to fungal—pm, GVTD
Ripens late and therefore needs warm soil to fully ripen
Highest quality on warm, well drained soil like gravel beds on Médoc
In Napa Valley,
Valley Floor (most planted GV on VF of Napa)
Med+/Full Body
Tannins/ high/ ripe
Rounder and fruitier in youth
(Than Mountain AVAs)
A/F: Juicy black current, black berry, plum, spice (licorice / clove) herbs
Chardonnay
Buds early
Ripens early
Vigorous
Produces high yield without losing quality
Good in range soils/climates
Best limestone/clay (Burg)
Grey Rot/BBR
Powdery mildew
Millerandage
Grapevine yellows
Light/Med + body (climate)
Med + / high acid (climate)
Russian River Valley
Acid : medium +
Alcohol: medium
Body: medium/medium +
A/F: Ripe peach, pineapple,
Creamy (MLC) Spice (Oak)
Q-good-out $ mid-premium
Pinot Noir
Buds early
Ripens early
Must limit yields for quality
If ripen too fast/lose aromas
Clonal choice important
Botrytis bunch rot
Powdery mildew
Downy mildew
Millerandage
Virus - fan leaf / leaf roll
Low-med tannins (+ w/GC)
Med alcohol
High acid
In Russian River Valley
Medium/Medium + Body
Tannins: medium
Acid: Medium +
A/F Ripe strawberry, cherry with oak vanilla and spice
Q-Good-out $ mid-premium
Sonoma coast PN
Light body
Acid: high
Alcohol: medium
Pinot Noir - clones
.
Many PN (& Chard) clones from Dijon Clone families
Dijon clones used globally
Propagate by mass selection
Clones vary in 4 ways:
•yields
•disease tolerance
•ripening speed
•fruit characteristics
The traditional Pinot Noir clones in Oregon were Wadenswil and Pommard.
-introduction of Dijon clones increased clonal diversity, -better enabling producers to choose clones that
•suited the climate and soilsof their vineyard sites
•suited the style of wine they wanted to make.
Wadenswil, Pommard and Dijon clones are all used.
Some producers use a selection
- others choose to make wines from a single clone..
Savagnin
Buds early (spring frost)
Thick skinned (so, resistant to fungus)
Required for Vin Jaune
High Acid
Med Body
Med Alcohol
Med (-) LAP
This white variety makes both conventional white wine and wine in oxidative styles including Jura’s most distinctive wine, Vin Jaune While many white wines in Jura are conventional white wines, it also produces the distinctive Vin Jaune and related styles. Vin Jaune is made by fermenting Savagnin grapes to dryness and then ageing in barrels with a headspace. A thin layer of a flor-type yeast develops, here called le voile or the veil (for further details on flor, see the chapter on Sherry in D5: Fortified Wines). The wine has
to remain under flor for a minimum
of five years within a total ageing requirement of six years in the barrel.
JuRa 151
Producers may choose to
inoculate the wine with selected
yeasts to create the flor or allow
the process to happen naturally by
making sure the barrels are placed in
a well-ventilated cellar with seasonal
temperature changes. The barrel-
ageing cellar location and conditions
are considered crucial to how the veil
forms and how these wines develop
in barrel. As the level of flor is thin and there is no fresh wine added (in contrast to making Fino Sherry), the wines develop the aromas of both biological and oxidative ageing. The alcohol level rises by about 1 degree up to 13.5%–15% abv due to the transpiration of water through the barrels.
Vin Jaune is typically medium lemon to medium gold in colour and has pronounced aromas of bread dough, almond, ginger and green apple with high acidity. The wines are dry, often with high alcohol and are medium bodied. They are very good to outstanding in quality and premium to super-premium in price. They are renowned for being able to age for several decades.
Poulsard
Buds early (spring frost)
Ripens early (avoid autumn rain)
Thin skinned
& so Vulnerable to all fungal
Coulure
Pale Ruby
Low intensity A&F
Red fruit
Lower alcohol
Low tannins
*High acid
Light body
Quality G/VG
Price mid/prem
Jura region
Trousseau
Thick skinned
(& so good fungal resistant)
Vigorous
Needs warmth to ripen
Botrytis bunch rot
Coulure
Low intensity Red cherry
Med/ high acid
Low/med tannins
Lower side medium alcohol
Light/med (-) body
Quality G/VG
Price mid/prem
Jura region
Riesling
Late budding
Late ripening -
needs full sun, good drainage, long GS to ripen fully
Good quality even at high yields (70 hL/ha)
Good disease resistance
Thick wood resists frost
High acid even if really ripe
High levels of sugar (in right conditions)
(Possible) pronounced intensity
Aromatic complexity
Green fruit / Tropical / floral
Age—honey, toast, petrol
In Alsace, Riesling A/F med -pronounced intensity, citrus/stone fruit/stony character/high acid/medium alcohol/unoaked, typically dry. Q-good-out: $ -mid-premium
In Clare Valley(SA) , Eden Valley (SA)-altitude, HDR, sunshine- Riesling crisp, lime, petrol, zesty
Great Southern (WA) Canberra (NSW) Tasmania
Müller-Thurgau
Used in Liebframilch (with Kerner)
Earlier ripening (than Riesling)
Riesling x Madeleine Royal
Medium Acid- (lower than Riesling )
High yields
Simple floral/ fruity early drinking
Used in Libfraumilch
Spätburgunder
Pinot Noir in Germany
High quality with oak aging
**Improving b/c:
•better clones,
•better canopy management,
•whole bunch fermentation (adds tannins)*
careful with harvest dates
Dornfelder
Germany’s 2nd most BGV
Important German cross
Especially good in Rheinhessen & Pfalz
Deep colour
High acid
Fruity and floral notes
2 styles: easy drinking with some RS and age worthy (lower yield, oak, structure)
Silvaner/Sylvaner (Alsace)
Less acid/ less aromatic than Riesling
Simple green and tropical fruit
Mostly German bulk wine but could be high quality (in Franken—better structured and earthy quality
Grauburgunder
Medium acid
Stone fruit / tropical
Dry, medium body to Sweet, Full body,
Grauburgunder (and Weissburgunder) which
have grown considerably in popularity since the 1990s. -
-significant plantings in Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Baden.
-Both varieties can produce very good quality wines,
-some aged in oak.
Grauburgunder particularly likes heavier soils
can produce wines with medium acidity and aromas of stone fruit and tropical (sometimes dried) fruit and honey.
In style: range- dry/MB-FB to
Sweet wines (labeled Rulander)
Increase experiment with Lees contact and
NEW OAK experiment with
Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder
Chardonnay
Enrichment common
De-acid with High Volume
Portugieser
Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier)
Trollinger (Schiava)
Lemberger (Blaufrankish)
All black varieties in Germany that make FUFDY wines—simple, fruity, young drinking red wines especially in Württemberg )
Scheurebe
German cross
Full bodied wines
Intense grapefruit / peach
Less acid than Riesling
Still age worthy
Also high quality sweet wines
Kerner
German cross (like Scheurbe)
Cross Riesling & Trollinger (aka Schiava)
Used in Liebfraumilch blend
Good quality wines
High acid
Up to high Pradikat levels
A/F profile similar to Riesling
Gamay
Early budding (spring frost)
Early ripening (can pick before rain)
Thin skinned/vulnerable to rot
Millerandage
Vigorous — need control yields for quality
Quality largely depends on topography and soil of site
Warm Granite / good sunlight interception gives intense fruit character (not green leafy) key is ripening of skins and seeds.
Red berry fruit
Crus / Village in N -granite/schist/sand/fast/S/SE facing/harvest earlier than rest of Beaujolais
in Beaujolais express different nuances depending on (L) AAST - varying levels of tannins and fruitiness.
KEY to difference: RIPENESS of the grapes, skins and seeds. Grapes grown on slopes with very good drainage, sites with very good sunlight interception and warm granite soils can create intense fruit character compared to the green leafy character often seen in less-ripe examples.
Gamay is a productive grape and yields need to be controlled for it to produce concentrated, ripe grapes.
Traditionally vines were trained as bushes (giving some protection from the wind) and this is still the case on the steeper slopes. However, increasingly and where possible, vines are trained on trellises to aid mechanisation, especially where the aim is to make inexpensive wine
Schiava
4 separate varieties
High yields (use pergola)
Pale Ruby
Violet, Strawberry
Light-Med bodied
Low Tannins
Can be blended Lagrein
Main RGV : Alto Adige
Lago di Caldero DOC
Lagrein
High yields
Mid-late ripening
Deeply coloured
Medium tannin
G/VG quality
Inexpensive / mid price
a lot of sun ☀️to full ripe
Poor fruit set(& :: poor yields)
A/F- Red cherry 🍒 black plum
Can be bitter finish (needs less maceration & oak aging)
Deep colour (+ for Rosés)
Alto Adige & Trentino
Teroldego
High Yields (hx used pergolas for training and managing yields-now quality uses Guyot)
Clone choice - impt for intense aromas (142/152)
Mid-late ripening
Deeply coloured
Medium tannins
G/VG quality
Inexpensive -med price
Drying stems
Deep colour
Black cherry
Most RGV: Trentino
Teroldego Rotaliano DOC
Outside
the geographical area of Teroldego Rotaliano DOC and despite being the most grown black variety in the province, Teroldego cannot be bottled as Trentino DOC but as Vini delle Dolomiti IGT (which includes wines from both Trentino and Alto-Adige).
Marzemino
High yields
Mid-late ripening
Deeply coloured
Medium tannin
Good-VG quality
Inexpensive / mid price
Red cherry
Best; Ziresi sub zone of Trentino DOC b/c full 🌞☀️soils: calcerous clay
Prone to BBR & PM
Tannat
Mid-ripening (can pick before autumn rain)
Deep Ruby
High Tannin so much so it affects winemaking decisions
High Acid
Full body
Med/High Alcohol
Pronounced A/F Blackberry/Black Current/Oak
Soften by: microxygenation,
Blending, Oak aging
High yields
$-MID-PREM Q/ VG-OUT
Relatively FUFDY wines also made
Drought Resistant Grapes
Grenache Noir
Grenache Blanc
Greco (di Tufo/Campania)
Touriga Nacional (Douro DOC)
Piedirosso (Campi Flegrei DOC & Vesuvio DOC)
Negroamaro (ONLY in Puglia)
Inzolia (Various Sicilian docs)
Moscato aka Zibibbo
Carignan
Cinsaut
Graciano
Savatiano (Greece
Verdejo (Rueda)
Bobal (Utiel-Requena)
Tempranillo
Many other names
(Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero) (Tinta de Toro in Toro considered to be Thicker skinned Tempranillo)
Tinta Roriz N. Portugal/ Aragonez S. Portugal)
Early ripening and therefore
best in warm climates with cooling influences cool —winds/altitude
Medium to high yielding
Can produce reliably high yields but not hq
Keep yields low for quality structured wines
In Rioja-best in Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta b/c cooler high altitude with cool clay soils than Rioja Baja
Moderate to full-bodied, Tempranillo generally shows moderate tannins with moderate to low acidity.
Temperate climates (or those with good diurnal temperature shift) such as Rioja and Ribera del Duero produce long-lived, structured, often elegant wines.
In warmer climates, the variety can take on a darker fruit aspect with high alcohol, high tannins and low acidity.
Oak and Tempranillo marry well together. American oak is the traditional choice of winemakers in Rioja, and Tempranillo’s flavor profile integrates well with the vanilla and coconut notes imparted by new American oak barrels.
Further west in Ribera del Duero, use higher % French and used-oak barrels to allow Tempranillo’s fruit to shine with a focus on more spiced oak flavors.
the two styles have been gradually consolidating and the consumer can now find complex wines made with an oak regime combining all of these options. As is the case with Garnacha (Grenache),
Tempranillo lends itself well to cultivation in bush vine or “goblet” form, which is how it has traditionally been grown across Spain 🇪🇸
Bush vines are thought to encourage the development of the resulting wines’ fruitier flavors while also providing effective leaf shade for the bunches during Spain’s long summer days.
Malbec (Cot in Cahors)
Mid ripening AND Vigorous -*needs very careful canopy management *
Deep colour
Body: Full
Alcohol: high
Tannins: high Nature: soft
A/F: blackberry black plum
** if cooler climate, like Cahors, then fresh red fruit and violet / herbal
Coulure susceptible
deep ruby colour “black wine
Works well with oak
Capable of age
In Argentina
Argentina’s signature variety 20 per cent of the total vineyard area.
-Plantings increased almost 350 per cent between 1995–2018, initially reflecting a domestic change in focus to high-quality black grape varieties
then driven on by its huge success on the export market.
vigorous, mid-ripening grape. In warm, sunny conditions it produces deep- coloured, full-bodied wines with high levels of soft tannins, high alcohol and flavours of ripe blackberry and black plum.
range of styles of wine, from inexpensive or mid-priced, FUFDY to structured, age-worthy wines can command premium and super-premium prices.
-in Argentina still used in blends, usually with Bordeaux varieties, Bonarda and also with Syrah. Again, range from inexpensive FUFDY to some of Argentina’s most expensive wines.
And, it can produce fresh, fruity rosés. Quite a range…
-increasing understanding of how different microclimates can affect style:
Malbec from cooler sites (e.g. high altitude or relatively high latitudes) tends to have lower alcohol, medium (+) acidity, firm, medium (+) tannins and fresh fruit flavours often with a mixture of
red and black fruit characteristics, and floral or herbal aromas.
Those from warmer sites (e.g. relatively low altitudes and latitudes) are usually fuller-bodied with riper fruit characteristics, lower acidity and softer tannins.
BLENDS- Producers with vineyards in more than one area often
blend wines to take advantage of those different characteristics OR single vineyards are increasingly common as producers want to highlight the style and quality of wines coming from certain sites.
CLONAL RESEARCH Cuttings of Malbec taken in France arrived in Argentina before phylloxera devastated the vineyards in France contributing to a diversity of high quality of planting material, which has further been honed by clonal research and massale selection.
In general, Malbec clones in Argentina have been found to have smaller berries and bunches and softer tannins than those in France.
Bonarda Argentina
2nd BGV Argentina
Late ripening
Vigorous
Deep colour
Red /Black fruit
Med: acid, tannin, alcohol
Good for blending w/CS, Malbec
NG w/Oak (overwhelm it)
Torrontes
High yields
Early ripening (don’t let it get overripe or gets high alcohol/flabby/bitter)
Cross of Muscat of A&
Criolla Chica
Floral / lemon/peach
Zinfandel
High yielding
Accumulates sugar quickly so harvest date is important
Aka Primitivo (Puglia) * bunches at looser and berries smaller in Puglia
Inconsistent ripening within the bunch & so combo of fresh flavors and jammy notes/needs sorting
Needs heat and sun
In ÇA: acid:med + , body: med/full: tannins: med +;
A/F: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry— soft, jammy style
American oak -overt vanilla
Early budding/early ripening In Puglia old bush vines (provide shade)
CA: some Old vines >100
White Zin/Central Valley/stop fermentation
Bobal
Planted Utiel -Requena DO (70%)—
-well suited to continental climate b/c drought resistant
AND
Retains acidity even in hot climates
AND
High yielding —need to limit for quality
Late buddding
Ripens unevenly (grippy tannin)
Deep color—good for blends - high anthocyanins
2 STYLES
1.) FUFDY
Light body
Tannin Medium
Semi-carbonic
OR
2.) STRUCTURED
Tannin Med +
Full body
High acid
Blackberry, black cherry/chocolate
Q } Accept - VGood
$} inexpensive -mid
Mourvèdre/Monastrell (Alicante DO)
Late budding
Late ripening
Low yields
Thick skins
Deep colour
Dry
Acid: Med/Med +
High tannins
Alcohol: High
Body: Full
A/F: meaty/ herby/
ONLY thrives warm/hot climates
Needs high temperature at end of season to fully ripen
75% of vines Alicante DO in Valencia
This is a late budding and late ripening variety that only thrives in warm to hot climates.
needs high temperatures at the end of the season to ripen fully and therefore can be under ripe if the late summer is not hot. -not drought resistant but requires small but regular amounts of water, for example from deep calcareous soils that stores water.
- best pruned short and
can be grown either with a cordon system or on bush vines.
prone to mites, leafhoppers and sour rot (a disease that affects ripening bunches due to insect or bird damage to grapes, which then become prone to bacteria and fungi). In the winery, it is strongly prone to reduction and therefore care has to be taken to make sure the must has adequate access to oxygen. It is typically aged in old oak, which adds a small amount of cost.
The wines are almost always used as parts of a blend in the Rhône where Mourvèdre contributes deep ruby colour,
intense aromas of blackberries, blueberries and violets,
-high alcohol and high, firm tannins.
By contrast, it is the principal variety in the red and rosé wines of Bandol AOC in Provence.
Rioja Aging Requirements
geographical delimitations sit alongside the traditional ageing categories. In Rioja, the required period of time in oak vessels must take place in barrels of 225 L (barriques).
Cf: National Aging—in some cases just more oak time & specifies bottle aging
