L2: Winemaking Basics Flashcards
What is a winemaker’s job (according to Keith)?
“Get the wine in the bottle”
What are the steps of wine making (red wine):
1) Crush: Gently press the grapes to separate the must
2) Move wine to fermentation tanks
3) Begin fermentation (add in yeast of choice)
4) “Work wine” - pump down / pump over (amount of times = choice); total fermentation 3-4 weeks
5) Press off - Press off juice from skins, etc… to move into starage tanks
6) Maturation - mature in storage tanks.
**Gross lees - need to move wine off or can rot
** Racking - transfering from one vat
** Sur Lee aging = choice
**Malolactic Fermenation
7) Blending
8) Filtering and Bottling
What does higher alcohol levels do to: a) Aroma; b) Body; c) Acidity; d) Sweetness
Higher alcohol:
a) Reduces aroma (smells less like wine; less aroma)
b) Makes wine feel heavier
c) Reduces perceived acidity (mutes the acid)
d) Makes wine seem sweeter
What is the impact of higher alcohol on wine?
Rule 1: Higher alcohol creates less aroma
Rule 2: Higher alcohol makes everything feel heavier (e.g., more body)
Rule 3: Higher alcohol mutes the acidity (e.g., perception of acid is lower)
Rule 4: Higher alcohol gives a perception of sweetness
What smell does Malolactic fermentation produce in Chardonnay?
Butter
What happens with lower skin contact time?
Color is less
Red fingerprints (e.g., dark fruit) emerge only after extended skin contact
What is Saignee
Bleeding off of juice after several hours of skin contact to make rose
What are the differences between French and American Oak
American oak is generally more powerful, , less vivid.
American hallmarks: Vanilla, Milk Chocolate, often overpowers fruit
French hallmarks: Vanilla (less than American), Spices, more elegant, retention of fruit notes
American oak has larger pores
What creates a corked wine?
Presence of TCA (2,4,6-Tricloranisole), which derives from mold growing on cork
What is the difference between a wine flaw and a wine fault
Flaw: Minor attributes that deviate from what is perceived as normal characteristics; sometimes enhance character in small amount
Fault: Flaws in excess such that wine is undrinkable to most tasters
What is volatile acidity
Off odor due to acetic acid–smells like vinegar. Arises from poor hygiene or inadequate topping off. Bacteria caused.
What is oxidization?
Oxygen, in controlled amounts, can benefit wine during fermentation and the aging process. However, an excess of oxygen exposure can lead the main alcohol in wine, ethanol, to turn into acetaldehyde. This imparts a nutty, or Sherry-like characteristic on the nose, and lessens the brightness of the wine in the glass.
What is Brettanomyces
Finally, microbes are also the culprit for a major wine fault known as Brettanomyces, or “Brett”. Brett can infect all of a winery’s production once introduced from poor hygiene in the winery or inadequate topping. It lends a sharp, pungent odor of mouse or horse blanket and deadens the primary aromas in wine. Beer drinkers are often familiar with it in sours, where it is a desirable trait. In small doses, some wine drinkers consider Brett desirable because of the complexity it adds to certain red wines, even though it is technically a flaw.
What are tartarate crystals?
Once fermentation is completed, the quantity of tartaric acid slowly decreases in small amounts. This results in salt-like crystals on the cork or at the bottom of the glass. (See “Sight” in Lesson One for a discussion of tartrates.) Most winemakers will take steps to ensure that tartrates do not remain in the bottled wine. This process is called “cold stabilization”: first the wine is chilled so that crystals form, then it is filtered before bottling.
