Other wine types Flashcards
What is sparkling wine?
Wine with excessive CO2 dissolved in it.
Predominantly made using white/rose
There are examples of red e.g. Australian sparkling shiraz
What is the only type of wine not experiencing a wine glut - wine regions uprooting vines?
Sparkling wine
What are the 4 ways sparkling wine can be made?
- Traditional/ methode classique/champenoise
- Charmat method
- Injection with co2 (cheaper sparkling’s)
- Ancestral method
What is the main technique for making champagne?
Methode Classique - more expensive than charmat
What is the methode classique? how is it carried out?
Wine is fermented normally in a barrel and then undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle with the addition of liqueur de tirage
What is liqueur de tirage?
Yeast, sugar and nutrients
What is riddling in the methode classique?
After wine is sparkling. bottles are inverted so the lees can be removed - gradual process = riddling
What happens to the spent yeast in the methode classique?
It moves to the top of the bottle where it is frozen.
The bottle is opened and the yeast cap is disgorged by the pressure in the volume
What happens when the spent yeast is removed from the bottle in terms of volume during the methode classique?
Volume is replaced as well as an amount of sugar to add sweetness to wine (dosage)
What is the order of champagne in terms of dosage to least amount of sugar added to most?
Brut < Dry < Demi Sec < Doux
How long is non - vintage champagne stored on the lees for?
15 months
How long is vintage champagne stored on the lees for?
3 yrs
When was the charmat method invented?
1860
How is the charmat method undergone?
Wine is mixed in stainless steel pressure tank together with sugar and yeast.
When required pressure is reached, yeast is filtered out and the wine is bottled
What method of making sparkling wine is predominantly used in the US and for making prosecco?
Charmat
What method of sparkling wine production is used to make lower grades of sekt in Germany?
Charmat
Why is the charmat method cheaper than the methode classique?
Because wines are undergoing secondary fermentation in a pressure vessel instead of in individual bottles
- less individual control
What is the Ancestral method of making sparkling wine and how old is it?
200 yrs older than classique
- Main fermentation process halted using cold temps
- Wine is then bottled and fermentation process proceeds
- When fermentation is complete wine is then riddled and yeast cap disgorged as normal
What is not added during the ancestral method of making sparkling wine?
Sugar
- relies on original sugars in wine
What are the negatives of the acesteral method of making sparkling wine?
- hard to control
- low alcohol wine produced (around 6%)
What type of grapes/wine is champagne made from?
Mainly:
- Chardonnay
- Pinot noir
- pinot meunier
Small amounts of:
Pinot blanc, pinot gris, arbane and petit meslier
Why is champagne a protected term?
It is sparkling wine made specifically in the champagne region of france using the methode classique
How are champagne vineyards classified?
According to the ‘ladder of growth’
- sets the price and quality of graps
What is the grand crus and how many have this title?
- the best of the best champagne grape regions
- 17/300 villages
What is the premier crus?
- AKA 1st cru
- 43/300 Villages for making champagne grapes
What is the no cru or 2nd cru?
- All the remaining villages for making champagne grapes
What happens if a champagne uses grapes exclusively from the grand crus and premier crus?
It is stated on the label
What type of grapes do vintage champagnes have to made from?
Grapes from a single year (a single vintage)
- this will be placed on the bottle
Who determines if a grape harvest is worthy of a vintage?
The master blenders
- They will also determine the extra attention and secondary fermentation time that is required
What is blanc de blanc?
Champagne made only from Chardonnay grapes
What is cuvee?
Generally applies to the first generally pressing of the grapes (the free run) but is not a protected term so can be used for any sparkling wine
What is the largest village in the champagne region and what is its status?
Aÿ
100% grand cru - all vineyards in the village were grand crus
What is the grape makeup of Aÿ?
89% Pinot noir
8% Chardonnay
3% Pinot Meunier
Give examples of some of the champagne houses controlling the vineyards of Aÿ
Bollinger (based in Aÿ)
Moët and chandon (Dom perignon)
Roederer (Cristal)
What grapes is English sparkling wine made?
Sevalle blanc
Grown in: sussex, kent, surrey and Hampshire
Is Brit Fizz protected?
No but industry is applying for protected title for sparkling wine using grapes grown in England, Wales and Scotland
What other names have been suggested for Brit Fizz?
Merret
Britagne
Albion
What is Brit Fizz competing with?
Champagne in terms of price and flavour
What are resinated wines?
Prior to transportation in wine barrels, wine was sealed in amphoras (pottery vessels) using tree resins (usually pine) to stop oxygenation.
During transport wine would become flavoured with the resin which would impart a distinct pine aroma and flavour
- overtime wine was intentionally resinated
What is the most famous intentionally resinated wine?
Greek white wine Retsina
- awarded DOP status
What is good Retsina said to taste of?
Peaches and apples with a slight pine aroma, taste and flavour
What is bad Retsina said to taste of?
Pine scented hospital cleaner
What is mulled wine?
Red wine that is warmed with ‘mulling’ spices, sugar and dried fruit (raisins and citrus)
When was wine first recorded as being spiced and heated?
2nd Century in Rome
What do mulling spices include?
Cinnamon Cloves Allspice Nutmeg - also used when making hot apple cider
What are the different names for mulled wine across europe?
Gluhwein - Germany
Glogg - Scandinavian
Cooked wine - Eastern European countries
What is an alternative to mulled wine served in the UK around xmas?
Mulled Ale
What is dessert wine?
Wines high in sugar but low in alcohol 7-15%
How are dessert wines so sweet?
Sugar is not all converted into alcohol - termed residual sweetness
What grapes can be used/ what can be done to them to produce dessert wines?
- Late harvest of grapes
- Botrytizing
- Freezing
- Sun Drying
When can sugar be added to dessert wines?
- Before fermentation (chaptalization)
- After fermentation (sussreserve)
How is dessert wine served?
- chilled in small volumes
What are the characteristics of a late harvest wine?
Generally sweeter - paired with desserts
Why are late harvest wines sweeter?
Grapes will dehydrate and shrivel on the vine
sugar in the grapes are fully developed while acidity levels have dropped
What type of grapes can late harvest wines be made from
Red or White Best from: - Riesling - Vidal Blanc - Sauternais (noble rot) - Musca
What are Botrytized wines?
Noble rot/Botrytis Cinerea is a fungus that infects fruits, flowers and vegetables
- Grapes infected with this produce excellent desert wines
What does the noble rot fungus add to grapes?
- Sweetness (dehydrates grapes while retaining sugar content) - more grapes for same volume = sweeter more viscous wine
- More flavour (fungus adds notes of honey, ginger, raw sugar, nuts and wax) - most likely due to increased conc of phenylacetaldehyde
When is the noble rot fungus most common?
During harvest season
- overwinters in dead grapes and plant hosts and then releases spores in spring
What does botrytis require to grow?
Moist conditions (misty mornings + sunny days) however if weather stays wet then grey rot can form = lose whole crop
What happens if the conditions for botrytis are right?
Fungus will pierce skin and go dormant during the day allowing water to evaporate
What is Ice wine?
A dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine
This concentrates sugars and flavours as only the water freezes
What temperature do grapes freeze?
-8 C
Where are ice wines produced?
Limited to worlds coldest vineyards
-75% = canada
Why is ice wine production risky?
Grapes can be lost to rot before the frost comes.
If freeze is too severe then no juice can be extracted
What are the characteristics of ice wine?
Very sweet
Refreshing due to high acidity
Can have low alcohol content
What is verglas?
From stoneboat Vineyards in British Columbia
BOTH
botrytized and ice wine
Made from frozen botrytis effected grapes
What is raisin wine?
AKA straw wine
- Made from air dried grapes in warmer climates to concentrate their juice
- Traditionally achieved by collecting clusters of grapes on straw and leaving in the sun - hence straw
What are the characteristics of raisin wines?
Typically sweet to very sweet white wines
Flavour said to include notes of fresh and burnt citrus, stone fruit honey
What alcoholic strength are raisin wines?
Low
What is the cost of raisin wines?
High - due to intensive production method and low volume of juice produced
What is sussreserve?
Sweetened wine
- Resered grape juice without microbes is added, lowers alcoholic strength and increases sweetness
- No more than 15% of final vol is made up of reserved juice - will be mix of glucose and fructose
What is chaptalization?
Sweetened wine
- Sometimes referred to as enrichment, sugar is added prior to fermentation to increase alcoholic strength
- in general, it’s legal in regions producing grapes with low sugar content
- Can also refer to the addition of calcium carbonate to neutralise the acid
What are fortified wines?
Wines that spirits have been added to = fortifying them (usually around 20% ABV)
E.g. port, sherry, madeira and vermouth
What is vermouth?
An aromatized wine (botanicals are added along with spirits)
Alcohol is added during production, served before meals
What is madeira?
One of the oldest fortified wines.
A portuguese wine which was fortified with neutral grain spirits to top wine spoilage on long voyages.
What is sherry?
Spanish fortified wine made from white grapes grown in jerez and fortified with a grape spirit.
Ranges in colour depending on how long it’s barrelled for.
What is port?
A Portuguese fortified wine.
- starts as a sweet red wine that is fortified with neutral grain spirit called aguardente.
- Generally served as dessert wine
What type of grape is port predominantly made from?
Red
You can now get white/rose expressions
Where is port made?
All over the world but only port from portugal can be called port
Name 4 varieties of port
Ruby - drunk young (choc and raspberry)
Tawny - very sweet, barrel aged for 2 yrs (nut + caramel)
Muscat/Muscatel - from muscat grapes (xmas cake flavour)
Topaque - from muscadelle grapes, fortified and barrel aged (toffee flavour)
Why has the port market reduced?
Due to increasing strengths in table wines
What were wines used as in history and by who?
Herbal remedies - Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, Romans
How were herbs in wines useful?
Higher strength of alcohol would have extracted beneficial compounds from herbal mixtures macerated in the wine
What were the herbs used in herbal wine?
Balm (melissa) Senna (cassia) Coriander (coriandrum) germander (teucrium mint (mentha) sage (salvia) Thyme (thymus/thymbra)
What do herbal wines usually use a base of?
Red wine or mead - referred to as tonic wines/tinctures
What are herbal wines used for today?
drinking (parsley wine)
medicinal use (basil wine)
cooking aid (rosemary wine)
still sugar and grape base
What is country wine?
AKA fruit wine
Made from fruits (other than grapes), flowers and herbs
What are common fruits used in country wines?
Stone - cherry, peach, plumb etc
Berries - strawberry, raspberry, elderberry etc
Tropical - pineapple, mango, banana etc
Citrus - Orange, mandarin, grapefruit
What is palm wine?
Possible the oldest produced alcohol in existence
Where would you find palm wine?
Africa
Caribbean
South America
Asia
What is palm wine produced from?
Fermented sap of the fan palm, date palm or coconut palm
How is palm wine made?
Palm flower is tapped and a container attached
- within 2 hours natural yeasts in the air ferment the sap producing 4% wine
What happens if palm wine is fermented for longer than 2 hrs?
- begins to sour
How long is the shelf life of palm wine?
Very short
What is japanese plum wine?
AKA umeshu
- made by steeping unripe green plum in alcohol and sugar- plums remain in bottle when sold
- Popular as cocktail ingredient or on its own
What alcohol and plums are used to produce japanese plum wine?
Specific plums that are sour and not consumed raw
Steeping alcohol = shochu
How popular is Umeshu?
Increasingly popular
Japan exported $18 mil in 2011
$38 mil in 2014
What is the Korean version of umeshu?
Maesil-ju
What is the Chinese version of of umeshu?
Meijiu
What is the flavour and alcoholic % of umeshu?
Sweet and sour taste
10-15%
How is umeshu made at home?
1kg fruit
750g sugar
1.8L alcohol
Macerate for 6 months (min 3)
What step is found in country wine manufacture but not in commercial wine manufacture?
Flavour extraction
What is the aim of flavour extraction in country wine manufacture?
To extract flavour compounds or precursors to an appropriate concentration in the solution to be fermented
What are the characteristics of grape juice that make it good for wine making?
- Right amount of sugar
- Right amount of acids to promote fermentation - and right type of acids
- Yeasts tolerating alcohol contents to 14%
- Appropriate concentrations of easily extracted flavour compounds
- Appropriate tannin levels
How are plant pigments extracted in country wines?
- more soluble in hot water
- some more soluble in dilute alcohol
How are flavour compounds/precursors extracted for country wines?
- more soluble in hot water
- some more soluble in dilute alcohol
- they may be essential oils
What are the 4 methods of extracting flavour in country wines?
Boiling
Cold water extraction
Hot/warm water infusion
Fermentation on the pulp
How does boiling extract flavour in country wines?
Efficient in terms of contact time and hot water is a better solvent than cold water.
However, loss of volatile compounds (essential oils) and inactivation of enzymes (pectinases)
How does cold water extraction extract flavour in country wines?
Less efficient
Volatile flavour compounds are not lost, enzymes still active
How does hot/warm water infusion extract flavour in country wines?
A compromise to achieve a more efficient extraction whilst still maintaining some enzyme activity and to minimise volatile losses
How does fermentation on the pulp extract flavour in country wines?
The must (containing crushed skins/juices/seeds) ferments to alcohol which acts as a solvent for flavour compounds - much longer contact times - can get excessive tannins and undesirable flavour extraction
What is a pectin haze?
When pectins in country wines cause it to be cloudy
How can a pectin haze be removed from country wines?
Using enzymes - PECTINASE
What fruits have a low level of pectin?
Grapes
Strawberries
Cherries
What fruits have a high pectin level?
Citrus
Tropical
What removes pecitn from red wine?
Mainly yeasts
pectinase if present will remove pectin from must
How can a haze be tested and seen if it is caused by pectin?
By the addition of methylated spirits - if gelatinous clumps form then it is pectin causing the haze
What are the criteria needed to make wine (ones that juices other than grape will often fall short of)?
- insufficient sugar content
- insufficient malic and tartaric acids (required to promote fermentation and aid maturation and balance)
- No suitable yeast/enzyme naturally present
- Too high tannin, undiluted juice very astringent and unpleasant
- often difficult to extract flavour compounds
What are the precursors of flavour compounds?
- Many compounds contribute to flavour development during maturation
- Although such compounds do not immediately contribute directly to flavour, act as precursors or building blocks for production of flavour compounds during maturation
Give examples of the precursors to flavour compounds
Glycosides - strawberries, raspberries, cherries and stone fruits all contain
Flavourless compounds which are fermented to aglycones which form flavour compounds
What are sources of precursors and flavour compounds ?
Alcohol from:
- fermentation products
- long chain waxes (alcohols) on fruit skins - issue in taking something waxy into aqueous solutions
Sources of organic acids from:
- the fruit
- oxidation of alcohols
- additions to the must
What roles do phenolic compounds play in winemaking?
- pigments
- contributors to flavour
- Contributors to quality
- Contributors to tannin agents
Where do phenolic compounds come from?
Extracted from seeds, skins, stems, flowers and plants
What do alcohols undergo oxidation to?
Aldehydes
What can aldehydes oxidise to?
Organic acids
These can increase acidity of the wine
= can either soften wine or make it harsher
What do aldehydes + alcohols oxidise to?
Acetals
Can be used as a mark tor the age and oxidation of a wine
Adds aromas and flavours to wine
What can organic acids + alcohols oxidise to?
Esters - important class of flavours
Why does maturation rate increase?
With temperature but at reduced quality
Why is a dark cool cellar preferred for maturation?
Temp and UV light can degrade alcohol
