Producing Premium White Wines Flashcards
What is production of high quality wines at the expense of?
For PWW is there a precise formula?
Techniques are adopted according to what 3 factors?
Are both aromatic & non-aromatic varieties treated the same?
High production is at the expense of volume.
There is no precise formula.
Vintage conditions, vineyard plot, style of wine desired.
No
Aromatic Grape Varieties: Sauvignon blanc & Riesling
Aromatic grapes have what 2 features in common?
Name three other aromatic varieties?
Whats the two things the winemaker aims to preserve for these wines?
They all have pronounced aromas & flavours.
Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Torrontes
The winemaker aims to maintain the 1er fruit character & aromatic potential of the grapes in the final wine.
Sauvignon Blanc
Is it aromatic? What’s its acidity?
Why is it suited to cool climates? what does the cool help retail?
Yes, its aromatic and its high in acidity.
Its early ripening and so suited to cool climates?
The cooler temp helps retain the refreshing character of the wines.
Most Sauvignon Blanc is made to drink when?
With what flavour?
Young
fresh fruit flavours
What’s the two most famous world regions for Sauvignon Blanc?
What two qualities do Sancerre & Pouilly Fume show?
What flavours do the cool climate exhibit?
The Loire Valley and Marlborough, New Zealand.
They show elegance & restraint.
green apples & asparagus, with a hint of wet pebbles.
Name two new world countries that grow Sauvignon blanc apart from NZ.
Where in Australia makes a high quality, blended Sauvignon Blanc?
What region is this located in?
What’s is it often blended with?
What two effects does this have on the wine?
South Africa & Chile
Margaret River in Western Australia
Semillon
The wine is less aromatic and has a fuller body.
What is the temp zone of Marlborough, New Zealand?
What about the region gives Sauvignon Blanc its vibrant flavour?
What’s the 4+1 aroma’s?
Cool
Long hours of cool intense sunshine.
gooseberry, elderflower, grapefruit, passion fruit.
Maybe herbaceous also.
Which areas make Sauvignon Blanc in a more unusual way (with non-aromatic wine approaches)?
In this region, what is it blended with? What does this give it?
How is it fermented
What does this give the wine body? Flavour?
Pessac-Leognan makes Sauvignon Blanc wines with non-aromatic approaches.
Semillon gives body and richness to the wines
At least a proportion is fermented / matured in Oak
The oak gives it a rounder, fuller body. Toasty & spicy notes.
How do a small amount of new world producers differentiate their Sauvignon Blanc?
Name two countries that do this?
What’s Sauvignon Blanc called in California?
Ferment / mature the wine in Oak
New Zealand & California.
Fume Blanc
Barrel fermenting Sauvignon Blanc in California and Pessac-Leognan creates what style of wine?
What style of yeast is often used & why?
How are they often matured? How long?
During this time, what do they often undergo?
What Oak is used?
Creamy & spicy.
Ambient yeasts are added to add greater complexity to the wines.
They are often matured on their lees for a couple of months.
MLF
Some new Oak is used.
How many styles does Riesling produce?
What’s its winter tolerance like?
When does it bud? What does this avoid?
Where does this make it good for?
Riesling produces many styles in different locations.
It has a good tolerance to cold winters.
It buds late, so it misses spring frosts.
Cooler regions.
What flavours does Riesling exhibit in cooler regions?
What flavours does it express in warmer regions?
Green fruit flavours & floral notes.
Citrus, stone fruits but is less delicate.
When does Riesling ripen?
If its left on the vine what happens to two components?
What styles does this make it perfect for?
What other wine style is it used for?
Riesling is mid to late ripening depending upon the style being produced.
It accumulates more sugar whilst maintaining its naturally high acid.
This makes it perfect for wines across a number of sweetness.
Botrytised desert wines.
What is Rieslings aging profile?
How long can it mature for?
What flavours develop in mature Riesling?
What aroma can develop as Riesling ages?
Riesling is one of the most long lived white wines
It can mature for years and even decades.
Honey and toast and it maintains its acidity.
Petrol-like.
What country is the homeland of Riesling?
What is their sweetness levels? What tends to happen to the grapes of the sweet style?
Discuss the balance of these sweet wines?
So whats the style?
Germany is the homeland of Riesling.
A range of sweetness.
Botrytis grapes
The balance is perfect with high levels of acidity.
Concentrated and refreshing at the same time.
Where else in Europe do they make Premium Rieslings?
What is the wine sweetness style in Austria?
What are the styles in Alsace? When are sweet examples made?
What are the two sweet style?
Alsace & Austria
Whilst Austrian wines can be sweet, most are either dry or very sweet.
Alsace wines are mainly dry, but sweet wines are made when conditions are right.
Botrytis & late harvest
Australian Rieslings.
What are the two well known Australian regions for Riesling?
What is their usual style x 3
Clare & Eden Valley
Bone dry, refreshing high acidity, aroma of lime.
American Rieslings
Where in America are they also made? x2
Washington State
Finger Lakes in New York State
Aromatic Winemaking Choices
How must aromatic grapes & juice be handled to retain primary flavours?
What antioxidant need to be monitored
What’s loaded into the press?
Skin contact amount
What must be removed from the juice before fermentation? Why? How?
Carefully.
SO2
Either full bunches or crushed fruit.
Skin contact of either none or just a little.
Remove solids as they could mask the fruit flavours. Clarification by settling as its gentle
Aromatic Winemaking Choices
What vessels types are usually used for fermentation? Why?
What is the usual material? Why?
Whats used in NZ for the main two aromatics?
What’s often used in Alsace for Riesling? Why?
What are they called?
Inert as the vessel should not interfere with the pure primary flavours.
Stainless as its easy to cool.
Alsace: Large oak vessels. The small O2 amount adds texture & complexity.
foudres
Aromatic Winemaking Choices
What does cool fermentation do to it?
What does this encourage?
Who decides the yeast choice
It makes fermentation slow and steady.
Fruit aromas & flavours
The wine maker.
Aromatic Winemaking Choices
How far is Sauvignon Blanc usually fermented?
And Riesling?
How is premium sweet riesling fermentation stopped? x2
How about for botrytis wines?
SB is fermented to dry.
Riesling is fermented through a range of styles - dry to lusciously sweet.
SO2 or chilling.
They are so sweet they stop naturally.
Aromatic Winemaking Choices: Post fermentation decisions
Do aromatics see much post-fermentation wine making?
Why is MLF stopped?
When is it stopped? How?
Why also is it stopped?
no - very little.
MLF is stopped as high acid is required.
Straight after fermentation. SO2
Because the buttery aromas could over mask the fruit flavours.
Aromatic Winemaking Choices: Post fermentation decisions
Which aromatic grape can undergo lees contact? Why?
When are aromatic grape wines usually bottled?
Is oak used?
Where is oak sometimes used? Size? Type? How long?
Riesling, to add texture &flavour
ASAP
Oak is very rare with these grapes.
Alsace, large, old oak barrels for 1 year.
Is Riesling blended?
Is Sauvignon Blanc blended?
With what? Where? Why?
No blended is rarely blended
Semillon, Bordeaux & W-Australia. it adds body.
Other styles of Sauvignon Blanc
What is Sauvignon Blanc called in California?
What’s the style?
Where else is this style?
Fermented, what two techniques are employed? What do the create in the wine?
New or old?
How matured x 1 - what happens at the same time?
Fume Blanc.
Creamy & spicy.
Pessac-Leognan
Oak fermentation, ambient yeasts = greater complexity.
Lees maturation for a few months, with MLF
Is Sauvignon Blank early ripening or late ripening?
Sauvignon is early ripening
Less Aromatic varieties: Chardonnay & Pinot grigio
How do they compare in flavour intensity to Sauvignon blanc & riesling.
How is this from the wine makers POV?
What’s the key flavour aim for these varieties?
What’s the two different approaches?
Chardonnay / PG are more neutral.
This can be positive as it allows the winemaker to influence the style.
To enhance the base material provided by the grapes.
Firstly, keeping primary flavours. Secondly, apply a range of techniques to add more complexity & texture.
Less Aromatic varieties: Chardonnay
Where is Chardonnay easily grown & ripened?
When does it bud & where does it suffer?
Lots of different climates.
It buds early & so is prone to areas where spring frosts are common.
Less Aromatic varieties: Chardonnay
What’s Chardonnay’s cool climate flavour?
& in moderate climates?
& warm & hot climates?
What can happen in too warm?
Whats the solution
Green fruits and citrus?
Fleshy fruits - melon & white peach
Tropical fruits - pineapple & banana.
Overripe, looses acids quickly as it ripens.
Careful harvest timing.
Less Aromatic varieties: Chardonnay
What does Chardonnays blank canvass make it ideal for?
Burgundy styles. Chablis. Flavour style x3
Chablis other non-fruit flavour
Applying different techniques.
Chablis - high acidity, green fruits & citrus.
Wet stones & slate
Cote d’Or flavours? x2
Where is the Maconnaise comparatively?
Its flavours
Do many wines go through MLF?
And how else does the winemaker add flavour?
With aging what aromas develop?
Subtle stone fruits with creamy oak flavours.
South
More ripe & rounded with hints of toasty oak.
Most wines undergo MLF
Extended lees aging.
Aromas of nuts & mushrooms.
Outside of Burgundy, is Chardonnay style set by the traditions or the winemaker?
Is heavy oak still employed?
The winemaker
No - less oak is used now.
Name a premium Chardonnay region in…
California
Australia
New Zealand
Chile
Russian River Los Carneros
Adelaide Hills, Geelong & Mornington Peninsula.
Gisborne & Marlborough
Casablanca
Pinot Grigio
What’s it called in France vs Italy
Are the styles the same?
How does the winemaker indicate the style?
Is there much difference between premium and high volume?
Pinot Gris - Pinot Grigio.
No, they can be very different.
By using the different variety name.
Yes - premium and high volume are often unrecognisable.
Pinot Grigio
When does PG bud & ripen?
So what happens in warm climates, when it left on the vine?
Early to bed and early to rise.
accumulates high sugar, looses its acid
Pinot Grigio
What is the classic French region for PG?
What’s their sweetness.
…their texture
…their flavours x 3
Colour? Why?
Alsace
dry to off dry.
oily
ripe tropical fruits, ginger & honey.
A golden appearance, as the skins have a deep colour
New Zealand Pinot Gris
What varietal name do they use?
Mouth feel?
Acidity?
Fruits?
Sweetness
Pinot Gris
Same viscous and acidity as Alsace
More pure fruits
Slightly more than Alsace PG
Pinot Gris
Name two other regions (USA & Australia) that produce Premium Pinot Gris?
How does their flavour compare to the cheaper ones?
What three things are influential?
Oregon. USA
Tasmania, Australia
greater depth of flavour
Clone selection, climate, viniculture
Pinot Grigio
Name the two Italian Regions that produce high quality dry PG
Alto Adige, Trentino
Friuli-Venezia-Giulia
Pino Grigio
Where are the North alpine PG from?
What’s their physical difference?
What’s their taste differences?
Germany & France
Smaller berries
Greater flavour concentrations.
Pinot Grigio - high volume
How is the inexpensive clone different?
How is the wine different from premium PG?
What enhances this?
Paler skin & fleshier pulp
More neutral
Higher yields & early harvesting
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices (pg61)
Do the wine makers have much choice?
What decides the choices?
Whats the two conditions of the grapes loaded into the press?
Which variety is more common for whole bunches to be pressed?
When is controlled O2 exposure used and why?
Why is O2 exposure not used for Aromatic varieties?…
Yes - lots of choice depending upon wine style.
Either crushed or whole bunches
Chardonnay
During pressing, improves wines ability to age.
It reduces their desirable primary fruit flavours.
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
How is clarification likely to be carries out?
Does the maker ever leave some solid matter in the wine? Why?
Settling
Sometimes some is left in to add some complexity & texture.
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
Wny would stainless be used for fermentation?
What wines use stainless for this in…
Burgundy,
Italy,
New Zealand
When the maker wants to retain the fruit.
Chablis
NE Italy
Pinot Gris in NZ
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
What vessel is used for fermentation of Pinot Gris in Alsace?
What’s used in the Cote d’Or?
What flavours does it give?
What about temperature & yeast choices?
Large, old oak barrels.
Small new oak barrels
Toasty and a rounder texture.
Both are varied.
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
In NZ how does the maker achieve some residual sugar?
How?
How is this achieved in Alsace?
By stopping fermentation,
Chilling or SO2
High ripeness and sugar stops fermentation naturally, leaving residual sugar.
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
Does the maker have many post fermentation options?
Whats the fundamental maturation option?
What’s the secondary option about the quantity matured?
Whats the barrels called in the Cote d’Or
Where else in the world?
Greater range than pre-fermentation options.
Oak maturation.
Only some is matured in oak.
Barriques.
New world chardonnays
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
How is Chablis matured?
Pinot G can be matured the same way. What does it add to the wine?
Old oak & large barrels.
Gentle oxidation to add complexity.
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
What does MLF create?
Is MLF used in Burgundy? What wines?
What does it do in Chablis?
Why is MLF not used in fruit flavour wines?
A rounder, creamier mouth feel.
Yes. Almost all Premium wines.
Reduces the sharp acidity.
As it reduces the desirable acidity, and reduces the fruit.
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
In burgundy, is fine lees maturation used? What grapes?
What does it do for mouth feel?
Whats the name of the other lees technique used?
Yes for both Chardonnay and Pinot Gris
Richer & rounder.
Less stiring.
Less aromatic varieties winemaking choices
Are premium Chardonnay or Pinot Gris blended?
Nope
