Red Wines Flashcards
Too Cool Climate Pinot Noir
- excessive vegetal (cabbage, wet leaves)
Cool to Moderate Pinot Noir
- red fruit (strawberry, raspberry, red cherry)
- vegetal and animal nuances (wet leaves, mushroom, game meat)
Hot Climate Pinot Noir
- loses delicate flavours
- excessively jammy
Oak Aging Pinot Noir
Wood (toast, vanilla)
Oak can easily overpower delicate aromas.
Pinot Noir Regions
Burgundy (Bourgogne, Gevrey-Chambertin, Beaune, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard)
Germany (Pfalz, Baden)
USA: California (Sonoma County, Carneros, Santa Barbara County), Oregon
Chile: Casablanca Valley
South Africa: Walker Bay
Australia: Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula
New Zealand: Marlborough, Central Otago
Key Facts for Cabernet Sauvignon
- moderate or hot climate
- deeply coloured with high levels of tannins and acidity
- pronounced aromas
- produces wines for aging
- oak often used for maturation
Moderate Climate Cabernet Sauvignon
- black fruit (black current, black cherry)
- herbaceous (bell pepper)
Hot Climate Cabernet Sauvignon
Black fruit (black currant, black cherry, blackberry)
Cabernet Sauvignon in Blends
- adds colour, acidity, tannin and aromatic fruit
- Merlot
- Shiraz
- local varieties
Key Facts for Merlot
- moderate or hot climate
- medium acidity and tannins
- medium to high body and alcohol
- oak often used for maturation
Moderate Climate Merlot
- red fruit (strawberry, red cherry, red plum)
- herbal (mint)
- maturity (cedar, tobacco)
Hot Climate Merlot
- black fruit (black cherry, blackberry, black plum)
- fruitcake
- chocolate
Merlot in Blends
- adds softness and body
- makes wines easier to drink
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- local varieties
Key Facts for Pinot Noir
- cool or moderate climate
- thin skins - low levels of tannins, light colour
- most wines are best consumed when young and fruity
- weak variety, hard to grow
Key Facts of Syrah/Shiraz
- moderate or hot climate
- deeply coloured
- medium acidity, medium to high levels of tannins and usually full-bodied
- oak often used for maturation
Moderate Climate Syrah
- black fruit (blackberry)
- herbaceous
- smoked meat
- spice (black pepper)
Hot Climate Syrah
- black fruit (blackberry) - stewed, jammy and cooked
- dark chocolate
- sweet spice (liquorice)
Mature Syrah
- animal (leather)
- vegetal (cooked peas and cabbage)
Key Facts of Grenache
- hot climate
- thin skins (lighter in colour than Syrah)
- full-bodied with high levels of alcohol and low acidity
- used for the production of rosé wines
- known as Garnacha in Spain
Hot Climate Grenache
- red fruit (strawberry, raspberry)
- spice (white pepper, liquorice)
Maturity Grrnache
- animal (leather)
- toffee
Rosé Grenache
- red fruit (strawberry, raspberry)
- best consumed young
- oak not often used
Syrah in Blends
- boosts colour, tannin and acidity
- adds dark fruit character
Grenache in Blends
- increases alcohol level
- lowers tannins and acidity
- adds a red fruit character
- adds extra spice flavours
Gamay
Beaujolais (France)
- moderate climate
- low tannin, medium to high acidity, light to medium-bodied
- pronounced red fruit (strawberry, raspberry, cherry), spice (cinnamon, pepper)
- best consumed young and fruity
- usually unoaked - coarse skin tannin, fragrant enough without oak
- fresh, fruity and drinkable
- will age but usually made for immediate consumption
Tempranillo
Rioja DOCa
- moderate climate
- medium acidity, medium to full-bodied and medium tannins
- red fruit (strawberry, plum)
- often aged in oak (softer tannins, sweet coconut and vanilla flavours)
- maturity (savoury animal (meat, leather), and vegetal (mushroom))
- blended with Garnacha (Grenache), supplying alcohol, spicy notes and lighter tannins.
Ribera del Duero DO
- 100% Tempranillo
- premium-quality red wines
- black fruit notes (blackberry, plum)
- oak (toast)
Catalunya DO
- good-quality reds in a range of styles using Tempranillo, Garnacha and international varieties
- near Barcelona
Douro DO
Portugal
- hot climate
- high-quality red wines
- grape: Touriga Nacional
- high acid and tannin, deep in colour
- intense flavours of dark fruit (blackberry, black current), spice (pepper, liquorice)
- usually aged in oak
Nebbiolo
Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG (Piemonte)
- Nebbiolo is the variety
- high acidity, tannins, and alcohol, full-bodied
- red fruit (plum), floral and earthy character
- maturity (tobacco, mushroom, tar)
- Barbaresco ripens 3 weeks earlier
Barbers
- variety
- high acidity, light to medium tannins, medium-bodied
- red fruit (red cherry), spice (black pepper)
- often oak-aged (toast, vanilla, sweet spice)
Sangiovese
Chianti Region - chalky and minerally
- 13.5-14.5% alcohol
- high tannins and acidity
- medium to full-bodied
- red fruit (plum, red cherry), earth, herbal (green tea), spice
- long oak aging
Chianti DOCG (including Chianti Classico)
Grape: Sangiovese Region: Tuscany - small portion of other varieties can be used - a lot of inexpensive wines - 12 months aging
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
100% Saingiovese
5 years aging
Valpolicella and Valpolicella Classico DOC
Region: Veneto
Grape: Corvina
- variety of styles from a blend of grapes
- pale to medium colour
- high acidity, light bodied and low tannins
- sour red cherry
- premium examples: high concentration and complexity of baked fruit flavours (plum, dried red fruit, prunes)
Amarone Della Valpolicella DOCG
- partially dried grapes
- 16% alcohol
- may be off-dry
- dried 6 weeks (reduce water by 35%)
Recioto Della Valpolicella
- dried for much longer than Amarone and is much sweeter
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
Grape: Montepulciano
- deep colour, high acidity
- medium to high tannins and alcohol, medium to full-bodied
- red and black fruit (black cherry, blackberry, plum), spice (pepper)
- oak- aged
Aglianico
Southern Italy In Campania and Basilica - deep colour - high acidity and tannins, full-bodied, complex - intense flavours of black fruit
Primitivo and Negroamaro
Puglia, Southern Italy
- medium colour, acid, tannins
- full-bodied
- jammy black fruit and liquorice
- Primitivo is same variety as Zinfandel
Zinfandel
California
- rich, high alcohol, full-bodied
- black fruit (blackberry), dried fruit (prune, raisin), sweet spice (cloves, liquorice)
- most intense from old vines
- off-dry fruity rosés (White Zinfandel)
Pinotage
South Africa
- a close relative of Pinot Noir
- moderate to hot climate
- rich, full-bodied, medium tannins
- red fruit (strawberry, raspberry, cherry), vegetal, animal (tar, leather)
- often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Carmenère
- Bordeaux variety introduced into Chile
- warm, sunny sites
- deep colour, medium to high acidity and alcohol
- medium to full-bodied, high tannins
- black fruit (blackberry), spice (pepper)
- under-ripeness: vegetal (green bell pepper, green beans)
- often blended (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
Malbec
- Bordeaux variety introduced into Mendoza, Argentina
- full-bodied, medium to high tannins
- black fruit (blackberry, black plum), spice (clove, pepper)
- suitable for oak ageing
- often blended (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
