Section 1: Factors affecting wine style, quality and price Flashcards
main factors include variety, environment, harvest technique, winemaking and maturing technique
what does grape variety determine
large part of the character flavours and colour sugar (alcohol) acidity tannins
what aspects of the environment impact grapes (overview)
climate, weather, sunlight, water, warmth, nutrients
what does a vine need in order to produce a healthy crop
CO2, sunlight, water, warmth and nutrients
what does climate mean in the context of vine environment
the weather conditions (temp, rainfall, sunshine) we can expect in a typical year
what are the three climate categories that wine production can be divided into
hot, moderate and cool
what determines the climate of a wine region (main one and two other factors)
the latitude
altitude and proximity to ocean
how does latitude affect climate
closer to the equator means warmer - eg comparing south africa to germany
how does altitude affect climate
a region at high altitude will have a cooler climate than a region closer to sea level, even if they share teh same latitude
influence of ocean on a wine region
dependent on temp of water eg. warm ocean in western europe compared to same cooler noth america (similar latitude)
what effect does climate have on the flavour of the grapes
ability to ripen. some grapes need a lot of heat to ripen fully (cab sav). others need a moderate or cool climate to avoid over ripening (pinot noir and sav blanc)
hot climate wine styles/flavour
more alcohol, fuller body, more tannin, less acidity
cool climate wine styles/flavour
less alcohol, lighter body, less tannin, more acidity
what does weather mean in the context of vine environment
the weather conditions, in particular in the growing/ripening season. unusually cold or hot weather can affect the style and quality
examples of extreme weather conditions and the effect on crops
hail, high wind, floods, late frosts - size and quality of crop
hail causes damage to grapes and vines - once skins have been damaged they are very susceptible to rot
what is more likely to happen when the grape skins have been damaged
they can be susceptible to rot
where are ‘vintages’ most important and why
regions such as bordeaux and champagne where weather varies greatly from year to year
how to counteract differing vintages
modern growing and winemaking techniques
how do you keep style and quality consistent from year to year
blending varieties, sites, villages or regions (especially important for branded wines)
why is sunlight important to the grape and winemaker
source of energy for converting carbon dioxide and water into sugar in the grape
sugar is most important part of the grape - ferments into alcohol
how do regions far away from the equator get enough sunlight
plant the vines on sloes that angle them towards the sun, or above rivers that reflect sunlight
where does water in the vineyard come from
rain, ground or irrigation
what does too much water lead to
bloated grapes, bigger crops but diluted flavour and sugar - less alcohol, body and flavour
what do vineyards do in areas of high rainfall (ie much of europe)
vineyards are on slopes or soils that drain water away quickly (gravel or chalk)
what do vineyards do where there is insufficient rainfall (ie most of the new world)
irrigation - high quality wines only a little is supplemented to ensure sugar production. lower quality wines irrigation increases size of the crop
why is warmth needed in the vineyard
producing sugar (not too much or too little)
which zone are most of the worlds vineyards found in (+ latitude)
temperate zone between 30 and 50 degrees from the equator
how does a vine keep itself cool
evaporating water through its leaves - more rapidly in hot, dry conditions
what are the main factors affecting warmth
climate and weather
how do soils vary their ability to absorb or reflect warmth
dry, stony soils are warmer than wet clay
where do the added nutrients come from
the soil - poorer soil quality result in better quality wine
what are the two main factors that affect the quality and style of the raw grape (within the vineyard year)
care taken in the vineyard and the control of yield
what vineyard activities help all the grapes ripen fully and at the same time
pruning, controlling number of bunches on each vine, positioning of the leaves (increase or lower temp of bunch), degree of exposure to light
what impact do the vineyard activities have on the quality and cost
require expensive and extensive labour which increases the cost and the quality
alternative option to labour intensive vineyard work and where this can be done
minimal pruning and maximum mechanisation - only appropriate in regions with large, flat vineyards
how does yield affect quality
lower yields generally result in riper grapes with more concentrated flavours
what does reducing yield affect
takes time, each kg crop costs more to grow and will need to sell for higher price
alternate option of maximising yield - how and why
irrigation to fill the grapes with water - flavours and sugars diluted. cheap and not very interesting
impact of pests and diseases on production of healthy grapes
very bad for production
animal pests - eg and what they do
birds and insects - damage shoots, buds and leaves, may eat the grapes
fungal disease - eg and what it does
mildew or rot - damage green parts of the vines, can spoil grapes
what causes long term diseases and what can happen
fungi, bacteria or viruses. this can reduce yields, inhibit ripening and sometimes kill the vine
when does harvest occur
when the grapes have ripened
true or false; top quality wines can only be made from hand harvested grapes
false - can be from machine harvested too
what is the most important part of the winemaking process and why
fermentation-where the alcohol is produced
what is fermentation
when yeast feed on sugars in the grape juice
what does fermentation produce
alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat
what colour is the flesh of almost all grape varieties
white
how is the colour of red and rose varieties obtained
soaing the coloured skins in the fermenting juice
what grape colour is rose made from
black
what grape colour is white wine made from
black or white
what grape colour is red wine made from
only black
overview of white wine process
grapes are CRUSHED to break skins
PRESSED to separate the juice (must)
add YEAST to must (often, not always) to FERMENT for 2-4 weeks
where does sweetness in white wines come from
unfermented sugar
overview of red wine process
black grapes are CRUSHED to release juice
juice and skins are FERMENTED together
alcohol helps EXTRACTION of colour, tannins and flavour
FREE RUN and PRESSED wine is produced
why do you punch down or pump over
to keep the juice in contact with the skin
what determines the amount of colour and tannin in the wine
amount of time the wine is kept in contact with the skins
how long is skin contact in rich wines eg bordeaux
2+ weeks
how long is skin contact in light wines eg beaujolais
as little as 5 days
what temp is the fermentation in white wines
12-22 (low)
what temp is the fermentation in red wines
20-32 (higher)
overview of rose wine process
black grapes, similar process to red wine but fermented at lower, white wine, temp (12-22)
average length of skin contact in rose
12-36 hours
how is oak contact achieved in fine wines
fermenting or ageing wine in oak barrels
alternative ways to oak wine
oak chips or staves
cheapest method of adding oak flavours
oak essence
american oak vs european oak
french/european is more expensive, more subtle, toast and nutty flavours, smoother tannins
american is cheaper, sweet coconut and vanilla flavours, harsher tannins
why is oaked wine at a premium
barrels/good quality oak is expensive - particularly new oak. highest quality air dried staves and expert cooperage is expensive. looking after barrelled wine is labour intensive when avoiding spoilage
which wines are most often fermented in oak vs aged
chardonnay (including burgundy) is often fermented, red wine is not fermented in barrels, only aged
where does maturation take place
barrels, large neutral wooden or stainless steel vats. also bottle after bottling
what are the most important changes that occur during maturation
slow chemical reactions that allow complex flavours to develop
maturation with oxygen - how and why
oak vats are porous, allowing small amounts of oxygen to dissolve in the wine
this soften the tannins in the red - making it smoother
what flavours develop from oxygen maturation softening the red wine
toffee, fig, hazelnut, almond, walnut, coffee
maturation without oxygen - how and why
bottles, cement and stainless steel vats are airtight adding no flavours - chemical reactions occurring are different to the ones in oak
maturation changes in large stainless steel vats
wine flavours are unchanged for months
changes in flavour in bottles
much faster - absence of oxygen
fresh fruit -> cooked fruit, vegetal and animal
do wines improve in the bottle
no - attractive fruit flavours fade away to nothing
developing vegetal and animal flavours are unpleasant
factors affecting cost, overview
vineyard, winery, packaging, distribution and sale
how does the vineyard affect cost
land cost - potential for quality
amount of mechanised work (impossible in steep vineyards)
cost/availability of labour and equipment
yield size and degree of selection of grape mateiral
how does the winery affect cost
winery equipment and efficiency
cost of barrels or other forms of oak flavouring
ageing - expensive storage facilities, ties up capital
how does packaging, distribution and sales affect cost
exchange rates for exported bottles packaging and cartons - unusual is more \$\$$ transport costs (minimal - sea is cheap) efficiency of distributor profit margins taxes and levies
ultimate factor determining selling price
how much the consumer is willing to pay - quality must be relative to price
