SAT Flashcards
How do you describe a hazy wine?
a wine that has unusually high amount of suspended particles.
What does a ‘pale” white wine look like?
It has a broad watery rim when holding the glass at 45 degrees.
Describe a “deep” white wine?
The pigment reaches almost to the rim when being held at 45 degrees
What is the most common color for white wines?
lemon
What color is the wine if it has a noticeable greenness to the color?
lemon-green
What color is a white wine if it has a hint of orange or brown?
gold
What color is a white wine if it has a very noticeable level of browning to it?
amber or brown
What is the most common color for red wines?
RUBY
What color is a red wine with a noticeable blue or purple color?
Purple
Describe a garnet color red wine?
red wine with noticeable orange or brown, but still more red than brown
Describe a tawny color wine
a red wine with more brown color than red
Describe a brown color wine
a red wine with no red color at all
How do you describe a rose wine with a very pure pink color?
Pink
Describe a salmon or orange color wine
a rose wine with a hint of orange
Name 7 types of faults
- TCA
- Reduction
- Sulfur dioxide
- Oxidation
- Out of condition
- Volatile acidity (VA)
- Brettanomyces “brett”
What is TCA
Gives wine a scent of cardboard. Fruit flavors will be muted and wine will appear less fresh. Main cause is cork taint. Often referred to as “corked”
What is Reduction
a fault in wine that gives a “stinky” character - like rotten eggs, boiled cabbage, boiled onions, or blocked drains. In some cases it will dissipate when bottle is opened.
What is Sulfur Dioxide?
a fault in wine where the levels of sulfur dioxide are so high that it gives the wine an acid smell like recently distinguished matches. lower levels can mask the fruitiness. Insufficient SD can lead to oxidation.
What is oxidation?
a fault in wine that is opposite of reduction. caused by a failure of closure allowing unwanted oxygen to interact with the wine. Gives the wine a deeper color , more brown than it should be. may give aromas of toffee, honey, caramel, or coffee. Will lack fruitiness and freshness. Some wines made purposefully like this and it is not considered a fault
what is ‘out of condition’?
wine fault where wines have lost their freshness and vibrancy, they may taste dull and stale. this may be due to them being too old or store improperly (too hot, too bright, too variable). Could be elements of oxidation as well.
What is VA?
Volatile acidity - all wine have some. at low levels helps the wine seem more fragrant and complex. At high levels it gives wine aromas of wine polish remover or vinegar.
What is Brettanomyyces?
also known as “Brett”, a yeast that gives a wine a plastic or animal aroma. often are apparent even before sniffing. Can be reminiscent of sticking plastics, vinyl, smoked meal, leather, or sweaty horses.
Describe a pronounced intensity aroma?
if you place your nose in the glass and the aromas are apparent immediately without even sniffing
Describe a light intensity aroma?
if after sniffing you still find the aromas to be faint and hard to detect.
Describe a medium intensity aroma?
if it does not fall into the pronounced or light aroma categories.
What are primary aromas?
Aromas that exist after fermentation. some come from the grape and others happen during the fermentation process itself.
What are secondary aromas?
Aromas created post fermentation. Most common are the ones created from oak (vanilla or toast). They can also include buttery, or creamy from malacotic fermentation (MLF). It can also be yeasty or biscuit aromas that develop from lees contact or autolysis.
What are tertiary aromas?
Aromas that have origin in the aging process. could be oxidative which could be due to long periods on oak. This could cause aromas of coffee, toffee, or caramel . Long aging in the bottle could produce aromas of honey, petrol, or mushroom. In both cases, it changes the primary aromas where they are less fresh and more dried or cooked in character.
how do you describe a “youthful” wine?
a wine that is dominated by primary or secondary aromas
How do you describe a “developing” wine?
a wine that has aromas of primary and secondary but some tertiary aromas can be detected
How do you describe a “fully developed” wine?
a wine where the predominant aromas are tertiary.
How do you describe wine that is “tired/past its best”?
a wine that has deteriorated, the attractive aromas have faded and unpleasant aromas start to develop.
Describe a dry wine
Dry wine has no sugar or levels that are so low that they cannot be detected by the tongue.
Describe an ‘off-dry’ wine
if the wine has a tiny amount of detectable sugar
Describe “medium-dry’ and “medium-sweet’ wines
each have a distinct presence of sugar, but are not sweet enough to pair with desserts.
describe a sweet wine
a wine where sugar has become the prominent feature of the wine.
describe a luscious wine
very few sweet wines are described this way where the level of sugars are noticeably more viscous and the wine leaves the mouth and lips with a sticky sweet sensation after spitting or swallowing. (Sherries or Muscats)
name the main acids in wine
tartaric and malic (from the grape juice) and Lactic (converted from malic acid in all reds and many whites)
how do you detect acid in wine
most often detected on the sides of the tongue causing a sharp tingling sensation and makes the mouth water.
describe a wine with low acidity
a wine that feels broad, round and soft
describe a wine with high acidity
usually made from grapes ripened in cool conditions and are especially mouth watering
what is a tannin
an important structural component to red wines that are mostly extracted from the skins of grapes during fermentation. They bind to saliva and cause your mouth to dry up and feel rough while contributing to the textural richness of the wine
Describe a wine with low alcohol
a bit watery
describe a wine with high alcohol
heavier in the mouth, can also cause a burning sensation in the mouth
what is a low alcohol level
below 11% abv
what is a medium alcohol level
11-13.9% abv
what is a high alcohol level
14% abv and above
what is a low alcohol level for fortified wine?
15-16.4% abv
what is a medium alcohol level for fortified wine?
16.5-18.4% abv
what is a high alcohol level for fortified wine?
18.5% and above abv
what contributes to the body of a wine?
alcohol is main contributing factor, also sugar. High level of tannins.
acidity and low levels of astringent tannins can make it feel lighter.
What kind of wine is mousse used to describe?
sparkling
Describe a “creamy” mousse
enough to provide a lively sparkle on the palate without seeming to frothy or aggressive
describe an “aggressive” mousse
and extremely lively young sparkling wine that seems to explode on the palate then lose their bubbles in one quick blast.
describe a ‘delicate’ mousse
a sparkling wine that has aged extensively, bottled at a lower than typical pressure of dissolved carbon dioxide - have bubbles that are soft and fine
what type of aromas are more apparent on the palate then the nose, especially after warming?
earthy, spicy, toasty
what type of aromas are less apparent on the palate then the nose,
fruity and floral
What is considered a short finish?
for a basic quality wine pleasant flavors will disappear within a few seconds
What is considered a long finish?
for a fine quality wine the flavors can last for a minute or more
What goes into assessing the quality of wine?
balance, intensity, length, complexity, readiness for drinking
what are the two sides of the “balance scale” of wine?
fruit and sugar vs acidity and tannins
what three questions do you ask yourself when assessing wine?
- how is overall balance achieved?
- looking at overall balance, how well balanced is this wine?
- how well integrated are each of the wine’s components?
What does is also known as the wine’s concentration?
wine’s intensity
What is the wine’s ‘length’?
how long the finish is. Intense wines have long finish
What is wine ‘complexity’?
can come from primary aromas and flavors alone or a combination of these with secondary and tertiary characteristics
what is an ‘outstanding’ wine?
a wine that shows positively in balance, intensity, length, and complexity
what is a ‘very good’ wine
a wine that shows positively in 3 of the quality categories but falls short on one
what is a ‘good’ wine?
a wine that shows positively in 2 of the quality categories but falls short on the other 2
what is an “acceptable’ wine?
a wine that shows positively in 1 of the quality categories but falls short on the other three
what is a ‘poor’ wine?
a wine that has problems when judged on all four of the quality categories
what are the four categories of wine quality?
balance, intensity, length, and complexity
what is the first thing to consider when assessing readiness to drink?
whether the wine is made in a style that can benefit from aging at all
What would you call a wine that shows primary aromas and flavors with light acid or tannic structure?
drink now: not suitable for aging or further aging
What would you call a wine that should have been fruity with light tannin or acid structure but has lost its freshness
too old
What would you call a wine that is drinking pleasurably now but will improve positively in the next few years?
can drink now, but has potential for aging
What would you call a wine that will be so much better in a few years that it would be a waste to drink it now?
too young
what would you call a wine that has gone through an aging process but is close to the end of its drinkability life?
drink now; not suitable for aging or further aging
what would you call a wine that has declined so much that the negative changes have come to dominate the wine
too old
