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WSET Level 2 > Section 1: Factors affecting wine style, quality and price > Flashcards

Section 1: Factors affecting wine style, quality and price Flashcards

main factors include variety, environment, harvest technique, winemaking and maturing technique

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1
Q

what does grape variety determine

A 
large part of the character
flavours and colour 
sugar (alcohol) 
acidity
tannins
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2
Q

what aspects of the environment impact grapes (overview)

A

climate, weather, sunlight, water, warmth, nutrients

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3
Q

what does a vine need in order to produce a healthy crop

A

CO2, sunlight, water, warmth and nutrients

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4
Q

what does climate mean in the context of vine environment

A

the weather conditions (temp, rainfall, sunshine) we can expect in a typical year

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5
Q

what are the three climate categories that wine production can be divided into

A

hot, moderate and cool

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6
Q

what determines the climate of a wine region (main one and two other factors)

A

the latitude

altitude and proximity to ocean

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7
Q

how does latitude affect climate

A

closer to the equator means warmer - eg comparing south africa to germany

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8
Q

how does altitude affect climate

A

a region at high altitude will have a cooler climate than a region closer to sea level, even if they share teh same latitude

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9
Q

influence of ocean on a wine region

A

dependent on temp of water eg. warm ocean in western europe compared to same cooler noth america (similar latitude)

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10
Q

what effect does climate have on the flavour of the grapes

A

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)

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11
Q

hot climate wine styles/flavour

A

more alcohol, fuller body, more tannin, less acidity

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12
Q

cool climate wine styles/flavour

A

less alcohol, lighter body, less tannin, more acidity

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13
Q

what does weather mean in the context of vine environment

A

the weather conditions, in particular in the growing/ripening season. unusually cold or hot weather can affect the style and quality

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14
Q

examples of extreme weather conditions and the effect on crops

A

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

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15
Q

what is more likely to happen when the grape skins have been damaged

A

they can be susceptible to rot

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16
Q

where are ‘vintages’ most important and why

A

regions such as bordeaux and champagne where weather varies greatly from year to year

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17
Q

how to counteract differing vintages

A

modern growing and winemaking techniques

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18
Q

how do you keep style and quality consistent from year to year

A

blending varieties, sites, villages or regions (especially important for branded wines)

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19
Q

why is sunlight important to the grape and winemaker

A

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

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20
Q

how do regions far away from the equator get enough sunlight

A

plant the vines on sloes that angle them towards the sun, or above rivers that reflect sunlight

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21
Q

where does water in the vineyard come from

A

rain, ground or irrigation

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22
Q

what does too much water lead to

A

bloated grapes, bigger crops but diluted flavour and sugar - less alcohol, body and flavour

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23
Q

what do vineyards do in areas of high rainfall (ie much of europe)

A

vineyards are on slopes or soils that drain water away quickly (gravel or chalk)

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24
Q

what do vineyards do where there is insufficient rainfall (ie most of the new world)

A

irrigation - high quality wines only a little is supplemented to ensure sugar production. lower quality wines irrigation increases size of the crop

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25
Q

why is warmth needed in the vineyard

A

producing sugar (not too much or too little)

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26
Q

which zone are most of the worlds vineyards found in (+ latitude)

A

temperate zone between 30 and 50 degrees from the equator

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27
Q

how does a vine keep itself cool

A

evaporating water through its leaves - more rapidly in hot, dry conditions

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28
Q

what are the main factors affecting warmth

A

climate and weather

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29
Q

how do soils vary their ability to absorb or reflect warmth

A

dry, stony soils are warmer than wet clay

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30
Q

where do the added nutrients come from

A

the soil - poorer soil quality result in better quality wine

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31
Q

what are the two main factors that affect the quality and style of the raw grape (within the vineyard year)

A

care taken in the vineyard and the control of yield

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32
Q

what vineyard activities help all the grapes ripen fully and at the same time

A

pruning, controlling number of bunches on each vine, positioning of the leaves (increase or lower temp of bunch), degree of exposure to light

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33
Q

what impact do the vineyard activities have on the quality and cost

A

require expensive and extensive labour which increases the cost and the quality

34
Q

alternative option to labour intensive vineyard work and where this can be done

A

minimal pruning and maximum mechanisation - only appropriate in regions with large, flat vineyards

35
Q

how does yield affect quality

A

lower yields generally result in riper grapes with more concentrated flavours

36
Q

what does reducing yield affect

A

takes time, each kg crop costs more to grow and will need to sell for higher price

37
Q

alternate option of maximising yield - how and why

A

irrigation to fill the grapes with water - flavours and sugars diluted. cheap and not very interesting

38
Q

impact of pests and diseases on production of healthy grapes

A

very bad for production

39
Q

animal pests - eg and what they do

A

birds and insects - damage shoots, buds and leaves, may eat the grapes

40
Q

fungal disease - eg and what it does

A

mildew or rot - damage green parts of the vines, can spoil grapes

41
Q

what causes long term diseases and what can happen

A

fungi, bacteria or viruses. this can reduce yields, inhibit ripening and sometimes kill the vine

42
Q

when does harvest occur

A

when the grapes have ripened

43
Q

true or false; top quality wines can only be made from hand harvested grapes

A

false - can be from machine harvested too

44
Q

what is the most important part of the winemaking process and why

A

fermentation-where the alcohol is produced

45
Q

what is fermentation

A

when yeast feed on sugars in the grape juice

46
Q

what does fermentation produce

A

alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat

47
Q

what colour is the flesh of almost all grape varieties

A

white

48
Q

how is the colour of red and rose varieties obtained

A

soaing the coloured skins in the fermenting juice

49
Q

what grape colour is rose made from

A

black

50
Q

what grape colour is white wine made from

A

black or white

51
Q

what grape colour is red wine made from

A

only black

52
Q

overview of white wine process

A

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

53
Q

where does sweetness in white wines come from

A

unfermented sugar

54
Q

overview of red wine process

A

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

55
Q

why do you punch down or pump over

A

to keep the juice in contact with the skin

56
Q

what determines the amount of colour and tannin in the wine

A

amount of time the wine is kept in contact with the skins

57
Q

how long is skin contact in rich wines eg bordeaux

A

2+ weeks

58
Q

how long is skin contact in light wines eg beaujolais

A

as little as 5 days

59
Q

what temp is the fermentation in white wines

A

12-22 (low)

60
Q

what temp is the fermentation in red wines

A

20-32 (higher)

61
Q

overview of rose wine process

A

black grapes, similar process to red wine but fermented at lower, white wine, temp (12-22)

62
Q

average length of skin contact in rose

A

12-36 hours

63
Q

how is oak contact achieved in fine wines

A

fermenting or ageing wine in oak barrels

64
Q

alternative ways to oak wine

A

oak chips or staves

65
Q

cheapest method of adding oak flavours

A

oak essence

66
Q

american oak vs european oak

A

french/european is more expensive, more subtle, toast and nutty flavours, smoother tannins
american is cheaper, sweet coconut and vanilla flavours, harsher tannins

67
Q

why is oaked wine at a premium

A

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

68
Q

which wines are most often fermented in oak vs aged

A

chardonnay (including burgundy) is often fermented, red wine is not fermented in barrels, only aged

69
Q

where does maturation take place

A

barrels, large neutral wooden or stainless steel vats. also bottle after bottling

70
Q

what are the most important changes that occur during maturation

A

slow chemical reactions that allow complex flavours to develop

71
Q

maturation with oxygen - how and why

A

oak vats are porous, allowing small amounts of oxygen to dissolve in the wine
this soften the tannins in the red - making it smoother

72
Q

what flavours develop from oxygen maturation softening the red wine

A

toffee, fig, hazelnut, almond, walnut, coffee

73
Q

maturation without oxygen - how and why

A

bottles, cement and stainless steel vats are airtight adding no flavours - chemical reactions occurring are different to the ones in oak

74
Q

maturation changes in large stainless steel vats

A

wine flavours are unchanged for months

75
Q

changes in flavour in bottles

A

much faster - absence of oxygen

fresh fruit -> cooked fruit, vegetal and animal

76
Q

do wines improve in the bottle

A

no - attractive fruit flavours fade away to nothing

developing vegetal and animal flavours are unpleasant

77
Q

factors affecting cost, overview

A

vineyard, winery, packaging, distribution and sale

78
Q

how does the vineyard affect cost

A

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

79
Q

how does the winery affect cost

A

winery equipment and efficiency
cost of barrels or other forms of oak flavouring
ageing - expensive storage facilities, ties up capital

80
Q

how does packaging, distribution and sales affect cost

A 
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
81
Q

ultimate factor determining selling price

A

how much the consumer is willing to pay - quality must be relative to price

WSET Level 2 (6 decks)

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