Red wines and Rose wines Flashcards
What is the focus of many choices in red winemaking?
The extraction of anthocyanins, tannins, and flavors from grape skins.
What are three factors that affect extraction?
- temperature
- time on skins (and mixing of skins with juice/wine)
- medium in which extraction takes place (tannins more in alc, anthocyanins more in water)
What makes anthocyanins more stable, and what speeds this reaction?
- Combination with tannins
- O2 facilitates this combination
What are two ways in which anthocyanin can be lost if not bound to tannins?
- SO2 additions (which bleach it)
- adsorption by lees (i.e., anthocyanin can form a film on lees)
What are three uses of heated maceration?
- for making inexpensive or mid-priced wines consumed shortly after production
- a blending component for higher quality wines (bringing juicy/fruity flavors)
- subsequently fermented on the skins for some time to extract more tannins
What are four reasons to use cap management techniques?
- Extraction would gradually stop, as juice around skins would become saturated
- A dry cap would permit acetic acid bacteria to grow (as they need O2)
- Helps aerate the must to avoid reductive sulfur compounds
- Helps distribute heat produced by ferm
What are the four variables can be altered in cap management?
- Technique of cap management
- Frequency
- Timing of mixing (beginning: more color, less tannin; end: more color, less tannin)
- Temperature
What are five methods of cap management?
- Punching down
- Pumping over
- Rack and return
- Ganimede tanks
- Rotary fermenters
- Describe punching down
- When done manually, what vat is required and what is the cost?
- What varieties is it used on?
- A plunger is used to submerge the cap
- Small vats when done manually
- Labor intensive when done manually, so used with low-vol premium wines
- Gentle, so done on a range of varieties
- Describe pumping over
- Is it gentle? Why?
- Is it aerobic or anaerobic?
- About 1/3 - 1/2 of the juice/wine from near the bottom is sprayed over the cap of skins
- It is very gentle, as the juice just extracts as it passes through the cap, rather than breaking it up
- It can be aerobic (lots of splashing) or anaerobic (if in a closed vessel)
As to pumping over:
* What other cap management techniques are used with it, and why?
* What varieties, price points, and qualities is it used for?
- It’s so gentle that it needs to be done with punching down or rack and return for sufficient extraction
- Done with all black varieties, at all price points and qualities
- Describe rack and return
- How does it compare to other cap management techniques?
- Juice pumped into another vessel, which makes the cap drop and get broken up. Juice then sprayed on top of cap.
- More extractive than pumping over or punching down–can only be used 1-3 times
Rack and return:
* What varieties is it used for?
* What are the cost components?
- Reds with me to high levels of flavor/color/tannins desired (e.g., Cab Sauv or Syrah)
- Labor (cannot be automated) and requires a separate, clean vessel
- Describe use of Ganimede tanks
- How does it compare to other cap management techniques?
- Specialized tank that bubbles CO2 up through must/wine. Pressure builds until the cap bursts.
- Extractive like rack and return
Ganimede tanks:
* What varieties is it used for?
* What are the cost components?
* What is a variation?
- Reds with me to high levels of flavor/color/tannins desired (e.g., Cab Sauv or Syrah)
- Tanks are slightly more expensive, but can be automated
- O2 can be used to increase O2 during ferm
- Describe rotary fermenters
- How does it compare to other cap management techniques?
- Horizontal, closed, stainless steel tank that rotates, and internal blades break up cap
- Very effective at extracting
Rotary fermenters:
* What varieties/wines is it used for?
* What are the cost components?
- Reds with me to high levels of flavor/color/tannins desired (e.g., Cab Sauv or Syrah)
- High-vol, inexpensive or mid-priced (as it is not gentle and difficult to control level of extraction)
- Easy to automate, but equipment costs are high
Other than cap management, what are two other ways to increase color, flavor, and/or tannins of a red wine during ferm?
- Must concentration (via saignée)
- Co-fermentation
- Describe co-fermentation
- Two potential advantages?
- One potential disadvantage?
- fermenting a small
proportion of white grapes (typically up to 5 per cent) within a red wine fermentation
Potential advantages:
* can increase color intensity and stability through binding of white wine phenolic compounds with anthocyanins
* can contribute aromas (like terpenes in Viognier)
Disadvantage: Research shows mixed results, and too much can lead to dilution of color
What 4 effects does lack of oxygen have on whole berry/bunch ferm?
- Grapes change from aerobic respiration to anaerobic metabolism (converting some sugars to alc)
- Malic acid is broken down to create ethanol (reducing malic acid by up to 50%)
- Glycerol increases, adding texture
- Distinctive aromas created (kirsch, banana, bubble gum, cinnamon)
- What is an important requirement for using whole bunch ferm?
- What varieties are not often used for whole bunch ferm?
- Stems of bunches must be fully ripe (else they would give unpleasant green flavors and bitter tannins)
- High tannin varieties, like Cab Sauv
What is the cost of using whole berry/bunch ferm?
It is not costly, but other parts (e.g., hand harvesting) may be
What are the three forms of whole berry/bunch ferm?
- Carbonic maceration
- Semi-carbonic maceration
- Whole berries/bunches with crushed fruit
Describe carbonic maceration in 6 steps
- only whole, uncrushed bunches in vessel filled with CO2
- intracellular ferm produces 2% alc
- then either (i) grapes crushed or (ii) grapes start to split and grapes release juice
- juice drained immediately, and pressed
- free run and press juice usually blended
- yeast completes ferm off skins
- What are characteristics of wines made from carb mac?
- What quality/price of wines is this used for?
- Low tannin (as grapes pressed at 2% alc)
- Distinctive carb mac aromas, alongside aromas from variety (not very complex)
- Acceptable to good; inexpensive to mid-priced
When can carb mac improve grapes?
- when grapes grown at high yields
- when grapes have not reached full ripeness
Describe semi-carbonic maceration in 6 steps
- Similar to carb mac, but vessel not filled with CO2
- Grapes at bottom are crushed
- Ambient yeast begins ferm, filling vessel with CO2
- Remaining uncrushed grapes undergo carbonic mac
- As intact grapes begin to split, grapes pressed
- Yeast completes ferm off skins
How can semi-carb mac be change to produce a wine with more ageing capacity?
- Ferm can continue on the skins
- Punching down or pumping over
- Can be followed by post-ferm mac or oak maturation
- Results in greater integration of carb mac aromas with varietal aromas
What varieties is semi-carb mac with ferm on the skins used for?
Fruity styles of Pinot Noir, Malbec,
Tempranillo, Gamay and Carignan, among other grape varieties
- Describe whole berries/bunches with crushed fruit ferm
- What varieties/qualities/prices is it used on?
- Mix whole berries/bunches with crushed grapes at start of ferm
- Whole berries/bunches submerged, and therefore undergo carbonic maceration
*Wide range of varieties and qualities and prices
What is the effect of whole berries/bunches with crushed fruit ferm?
- Hard to define given many ways it is used
Generally:
* Smoother texture
* More vibrant and fresh primary aromas
What are two benefits to fermenting red wines in oak?
- rounder mouthfeel
- better integration of oak compounds during maturation
Why is ferm in small oak barrels limited to premium and super-premium wines?
Extremely labor intensive
What are the benefits of post-ferm maceration?
- Further extract tannins
- Encourage polymerization of tannins (improving tannin structure and texture, and wine’s ageing potential)
What are the two primary cost components of post-ferm maceration?
- Tank space
- Time
Is pressing with red wines done protectively as with white wines?
Less commonly, as reds are more protected against oxidation
How is pressing related to quality in red wines?
- Gentle pressings from high quality grapes can enhance tannin structure
- Pressings from lower quality grapes or with rougher pressing can increase bitterness
Why might a winemaker press just before the end of ferm, so ferm finishes in barrels?
Thought to provide:
* Better integration of oak flavors
* Rounder mouthfeel
The majority of what price levels of red wines will be matured in oak, and for how long?
- Mid-priced, premium, and super-premium
- Typically 6 months - 2 years
What is the trend with respect to use of oak in reds?
Less new oak, so more subtle oak flavors alongside primary fruit
What is one advantage and one disadvantage for lees ageing in reds?
- Advantage: soften tannins
- Disadvantage: reduce color intensity
Is lees stirring common with reds?
No
For red wines, what are six potential steps from newly made wine to packaging?
- Blending
- Maturation in oak
- Lees ageing
- Blending
- Stabilization
- Clarification
What are two examples of wines made with short maceration?
- Traditional Spanish styles
- Tavel
What is an example of a direct press rose?
Provence
What is the typically desired profile of a rose?
- Med to high acid
- low to med alc
- fresh fruit flavors
Where do grapes for good to outstanding-quality rose wines tend to be grown, and how?
- Cool or mod regions (or cool to mod sites within warmer regions)
- Yields higher than red wines (slowing ripening, creating less concentration)
- In warmer climates, picked early
What varieties are easier to make into the currently fashionable style of rose?
Low to med color and tannins, because roses that are pale with med tannins are popular
What is a danger of picking grapes for roses early, for short maceration?
With short maceration, the tannins need to be ripe (less important with direct press)
What is an advantage of whole bunch pressing of grapes intended for rose wines?
Juice is low in color
What temps are rose wines fermented at?
cool (12 - 16 C)
What two ways are sweet styles of roses made?
- Stopping ferm
- Blending in sweetening component
What are some less typical, but still done, techniques with roses?
- Short period in oak barrels
- Short period on lees
How is clarity assured in roses?
Fined and filtered
