Hints on Blind Tasting Flashcards
“ISO” stemware
International Standards Organization stemware
What happens when wine in a glass warms up?
As a wine rises in temperature, aromatic compounds (and ethanol) become increasingly volatile.
*Note: While this may improve the aroma of the wine in the short term, delicate nuances may be quickly lost, and the wine may develop poorly in the glass.
If a wine is too cold, what might you perceive most of on the palate?
Lower temperatures may suppress perception of sugar—there are conflicting studies on this subject—and cold enhances bitter and astringent phenolic sensations.
*Note: Cold temperatures also allow sparkling wines to retain effervescence for a longer duration. Higher temperatures cause the wine to show more alcohol and sourness.
Proper temperature to serve white and rose wines?
whites and rosés are best served slightly chilled but not cold (50-55° F)
Proper temperature to serve red wines?
Reds are best served between 58-65° F.
How do wines achieve their color?
Red and white wines extract color from various polyphenols in grape skins.
*Note: Oak usage, oxidation, age and other factors also impact color.
Main polyphenol in red wine that provides its color?
Red wine color results from the presence of “anthocyanins,” colored phenolic compounds present in many species of the plant kingdom, ranging in hue from orange to purple.
How does the relationship between anthocyanins and veraison work in red wine?
The accumulation of anthocyanins in red grapes during and after véraison is enhanced by sunlight, but actually inhibited by heat—cooler growing seasons may actually produce darker-colored wines than hot ones.
In terms of color in red wine, what is biggest take-away when inspecting wines that showcase black or red fruit?
Black fruits display particularly high anthocyanin content; therefore those fruits that ripen into darker-colored berries, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, will produce more deeply colored wines than red berries like Pinot Noir or Grenache.
What must a winemaker do to maintain longterm color stability for red wines that showcase high levels of anthocyanins?
Anthocyanins are the root cause of red color in grapes and must, but long-term color stability requires the formation of more complex pigmented polymers—aggregates of anthocyanins and other polyphenols (like tannins) in the wine.
Post fermentation, what does sulfur dioxide additions do to anthocyanins in red wine?
Post-fermentation sulfur dioxide additions bleach anthocyanins, stripping red wines of some depth of color.
What does high or low of pH levels do to the color of red wine?
Lower pH moves the pigments into the redder end of the spectrum, whereas higher pH causes anthocyanins to appear purple or blue.
Despite the association with pH, however, tasters are never advised to make predictions of acidity on color alone.
How do anthocyanins dissolve in water and how do winemakers use this in their favor?
Anthocyanins dissolve more readily in water than other polyphenols (e.g. tannins) and are thus extracted first.
Pinot Noir winemakers take advantage of the water solubility of anthocyanins to build color during pre-fermentation cold macerations. During fermentation, color extraction occurs before tannin extraction, which requires a certain level of ethanol to enhance solubility. Color will actually decrease during the longer macerations common in parts of Italy (e.g. Barolo and Barbaresco), but such wines will retain their level of color for a longer time in the bottle.
Between white and red wines, which ones color degrades (oxidizes) faster?
The degradation of color via oxidation is generally a slower process in red wines, and grape varieties can differ dramatically in their sensitivities to oxidation.
White wines darken as they oxidize, and over time shift from lemon to gold to amber to brown. Red wines, on the other hand, lose color intensity as they oxidize, shifting from purple to red to garnet and brown.
An enzyme produced by Botrytis cinerea that oxidizes a wide range of phenols in the must and is relatively unaffected by sulfur dioxide additions.
laccase
White wine color is generally the result of ______ rather than intrinsic _______, although yellow-, green- and orange-pigmented compounds present in skins and pulp may create slight variations in base white wine color, resulting in hints of green and other colors.
White wine color is generally the result of “exterior” factors rather than intrinsic “polyphenols,” although yellow-, green- and orange-pigmented compounds present in skins and pulp may create slight variations in base white wine color, resulting in hints of green and other colors.
Visually, how do white wines, typically, achieve their golden hue?
White wines aged in new oak barrels frequently display a golden hue.
What affects a wine’s clarity?
The clarity of wines is affected by density (concentration) of color and the liquid’s turbidity.
What does turbidity indicate?
Turbidity indicates a measure of haziness caused by microscopic solid particles in suspension within a liquid.
How do the presence of suspended solids affect a wine’s clarity?
Suspended solids affect a wine’s clarity, rendering the liquid translucent rather than fully transparent (clear) by altering its ability to refract light.
