Last Year's exam

Question 1

How many hectares, roughly, is the surface area of the wold vineyard (including grapes for wine production, for table consumption, and for drying

Answer 1

More than 7 Million Hectares

Question 2

In Italy there is a large number of grape varieties; how much account for the ten most planted grapes out of the total plantings?

Answer 2

Less than 40%

Question 3

If we found an earthy character in a wine, because of the presence of geosmin, this probably would come from what??

Answer 3

Moldy Grapes

Question 4

The so called “reduction” off flavor in a wine is mainly due to?

Answer 4

A lack of nitrogen in the must

Question 5

If our wine has a cork taint and the analysis shows a TBA spoilage, which should probably be its origin?

Answer 5

The winery environment

Question 6

The wine aromas in the grapes could be in a non-volatile form, called precursors; roughly how many are such precursors, out of the total wine aromatic potential?

Answer 6

80% and more

Question 7

To enhance the aromatic profile of a wine, a tool available for the winemaker is to use…

Answer 7

Beta-Glycosidase enzymes after AF

Question 8

Pressing is a crucial phase for sparkling wine production;pressing the grapes with whole bunches allows for…

Answer 8

An optimal fractioning of the must

Question 9

What is the main aim for the so called “reductive winemaking” style

Answer 9

The expression of varietal fruit character

Question 10

Which are the most widely used additives in reductive winemaking?

Answer 10

Ascorbic acid and SO2

Question 11

Which are the basic rules of reductive winemaking?

Answer 11

Work fast and cold, while protecting the juice

Question 12

What is the “aromatic buffer” in a wine?

Answer 12

The base of wine aroma, containing ethanol and the main volatile compounds produced during fermentation

Question 13

In SB, the typical aromas are the volatile thiols; how are they present in the grapes?

Answer 13

As precursors bound to sulfur amino acids

Question 14

The sensation perceived as “minerality” in wines is mainly based on?

Answer 14

Both olfactory and taste sensations

Question 15

We can try to enhance the minerality of our wines by doing what?

Answer 15

Adopting specific vineyard or winery practices

Question 16

The barbera grape variety is characterized by high acidity, and often also by high alcohol. Imagine that at harvest you have these analytical data: pH: 3.05, TA 9.0 (as tartaric acid), and potential alcohol content of 14.5%. How would you manage AF, MLF, and aging with the aim to produce a full-bodied red wine, to be released on the market 2-3 years after the harvest with good aging potential.

Question 17

The spoilage yeast of Brettanomyces is a main issue for wine producers. Which are its main dangerous metabolites and how to manage Brett presence in the winery?

Question 18

Verdicchio is a very versatile white grape variety, able to produce sparkling, long aging and sweet wines. If you were a winemaker asked to produce these three styles of wine, which kind of grapes (e.g. analytical data) you would look for how you would carry on the winemaking process?