Intro To Wine

Question 1

Wine gets its flavors from which 3 main sources

Answer 1

Grapes
Fermentation
Maturation and aging

Question 2

Most wine is made from the European grape species …

Answer 2

Vitis vinifera

Question 3

What is terroir

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Sugar+______=______+CO2

Answer 4

Yeast/alcohol

Question 5

What is tannin and where does it come from in wine making?

Answer 5

Type of phenol acts as a natural preservative. Comes from skins, pits, stems and oak

Question 6

What are the typical flavors of sauv blanc

Answer 6

Grapefruit
Grass
Hay
“Green flavors”

Question 7

What are the typical flavors of cab sauv?

Answer 7

Cassis
Blackberry
Violets

Question 8

What are the typical flavors of Pinot noir?

Answer 8

Perfumed
Raspberries
Red cherry
Acidity

Question 9

What are the main tastes in wine?

Answer 9

Sweet, sour and sometimes bitter

Question 10

Name 3 grapes that are high in tannin

Answer 10

Nebbiolo
Cab sauv
Syrah/Shiraz

Question 11

What does “Brix” refer to?

Answer 11

Winemakers measure of sugar in grapes

Question 12

What is phylloxera

Answer 12

A grape louse. 1870 almost destroyed all the vineyard in Europe

Question 13

What is “noble rot”

Answer 13

Some wines are intentionally rotted with botrytis cinerea that decreases water content making flavors more intense and imparting a distinctive honeyed flavor

Question 14

What is the Abv range of table wine, sparkling wine and fortified wine?

Answer 14

8-15%, 8-12%, 17-22%

Question 15

What is must?

Answer 15

The skin and juice mixture that come from the grapes

Question 16

How is white wine made from red grapes?

Answer 16

Skins are removed Immediately after grapes are picked

Question 17

What is maceration

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What is chaptalization?

Answer 18

The addition of sugar to correct under ripe grapes. Increases alcohol not sweetness

Question 19

What factors can you use to judge if a wine will last over 5 years?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What is “corked wine”?

Answer 20

Musty aroma from trichloroanisole (TCA) smell similar to wet or mildewed cardboard

Question 21

How is sulfur dioxide used in winemaking?

Answer 21

Used to prevent unwanted oxidation and inhibit bacteria and wild yeast. Over use results in a “burnt matches” aroma

Question 22

What is horizontal/vertical tasting?

Answer 22

Tasting wines from the same vintage/ comparing wines from different vintages

Question 23

What happens to the color of white wines as they get older?

Answer 23

They go from pale yellow to gold to brown

Question 24

What happens to the color of red wines as they get older?

Answer 24

They become lighter and more pale then start turning brown

Question 25

What is the difference of bouquet and aroma?

Answer 25

Bouquet is the total smell of a wine. Aroma is the smell of the grapes

Question 26

What are the 5 qualities of wine from the “wine bible”?

Answer 26

Alcohol, acid, tannin, fruitiness, and dry/sweet