Intro To Wine Flashcards
Wine gets its flavors from which 3 main sources
Grapes
Fermentation
Maturation and aging
Most wine is made from the European grape species …
Vitis vinifera
What is terroir
The quality a wine gets from its “somewhereness” of a particular region or vineyard and is a synergy of climate, soil type, nearby plants, angle and amout of sunlight etc
Sugar+______=______+CO2
Yeast/alcohol
What is tannin and where does it come from in wine making?
Type of phenol acts as a natural preservative. Comes from skins, pits, stems and oak
What are the typical flavors of sauv blanc
Grapefruit
Grass
Hay
“Green flavors”
What are the typical flavors of cab sauv?
Cassis
Blackberry
Violets
What are the typical flavors of Pinot noir?
Perfumed
Raspberries
Red cherry
Acidity
What are the main tastes in wine?
Sweet, sour and sometimes bitter
Name 3 grapes that are high in tannin
Nebbiolo
Cab sauv
Syrah/Shiraz
What does “Brix” refer to?
Winemakers measure of sugar in grapes
What is phylloxera
A grape louse. 1870 almost destroyed all the vineyard in Europe
What is “noble rot”
Some wines are intentionally rotted with botrytis cinerea that decreases water content making flavors more intense and imparting a distinctive honeyed flavor
What is the Abv range of table wine, sparkling wine and fortified wine?
8-15%, 8-12%, 17-22%
What is must?
The skin and juice mixture that come from the grapes
How is white wine made from red grapes?
Skins are removed Immediately after grapes are picked
What is maceration
When skins and sometimes stems are allowed to soak to extract aromas, tannins and increases mouthfeel and texture. Can happen before and/or after fermentation
What is chaptalization?
The addition of sugar to correct under ripe grapes. Increases alcohol not sweetness
What factors can you use to judge if a wine will last over 5 years?
Color and the grape (red is best)
The vintage (the better the weather conditions the better it will age)
the vineyard some have optimum conditions
Vinification
Wine storage conditions
What is “corked wine”?
Musty aroma from trichloroanisole (TCA) smell similar to wet or mildewed cardboard
How is sulfur dioxide used in winemaking?
Used to prevent unwanted oxidation and inhibit bacteria and wild yeast. Over use results in a “burnt matches” aroma
What is horizontal/vertical tasting?
Tasting wines from the same vintage/ comparing wines from different vintages
What happens to the color of white wines as they get older?
They go from pale yellow to gold to brown
What happens to the color of red wines as they get older?
They become lighter and more pale then start turning brown
What is the difference of bouquet and aroma?
Bouquet is the total smell of a wine. Aroma is the smell of the grapes
What are the 5 qualities of wine from the “wine bible”?
Alcohol, acid, tannin, fruitiness, and dry/sweet
