LOIRE VALLEY AND BEAUJOLAIS

Question 1

Name a risk associated with weather in the Loire Valley and describe why it is a problem in the vineyard: (4 mark)

Answer 1

Risk: Rainfall
Problem: Can cause problems with fungal disease such as powdery and downy mildew and can affect the green parts of the vine including the grapes. If the grapes are affected, they lose their fruity flavour and can give the wine a mouldy bitter taint.

Question 2

Name the grape variety(ies) of this wine (1 mark)
Muscadet Sevre et Maine

What is the climate of the region where this wine is produced? (2 marks)

Name two reasons why this grape variety is well-suited to this regions? (2 marks)

Answer 2

Melon Blanc /Melon de Bourgogne

Cool maritime

Reasons why this grape variety is well-suited to this regions

1. It ripens early
2. It is frost resistant

Question 3

In this village where would the best site to be located to maximise quality and why? (4 marks)
Menetou-Salon

Answer 3

The best sites would be located next to rivers to benefit from the warmth stored in the
water plus light reflected from the river. They will be found on south-facing mid-slopes to
gain from more sunlight exposure and good soil drainage.

Question 4

Name three winemaking methods that would use to create a fuller and more powerful wine (6 marks)

Answer 4

1. Blending with more rich and rounder grape varieties such as Semillon
2. Introducing lees contact or MLF for more yeast or dairy characters and more texture
3. Oak fermentations/maturation to gain both oxidative notes and secondary notes

Question 5

The grape variety Gamay can often produce simple and light wines in Beaujolais. From the vineyard how would you ensure a more complex and structured wine? (4 marks)

Answer 5

As Gamay is a high yielding variety you would source the fruit from low nutrient granitic soils found in the mountain foothills in the north west of the region, which would produce lower yields of more concentrated wines.

Question 6

This wine is light in body and tannin with red berry fruit, kirsch, banana and sweet spices.
In the winery what method of production would you employ to achieve this style and describe this process ( 8 marks

Answer 6

Semi carbonic maceration. An open vat is filled with whole bunches of grapes and the Pressure crushes the berries at the bottom of the vat. The ambient yeast then begins fermentation giving off CO2 and the vat is sealed to produce an anaerobic (without O2) environment and the remaining grapes undergo a carbonic maceration also known as intracelluer fermentation. The intact berries begin to spit and release their juice. The free run juice is vatted off and fermented with yeast from the skins and the press wine is left on contact with skins- the longer time for more complex wines