Section 1: Understanding the label

Question 1

what is the vintage

Answer 1

year in which the grapes were harvested

Question 2

when are grapes harvested in southern hemisphere

Answer 2

feb - april

Question 3

when are grapes harvested in northern hemisphere

Answer 3

aug - oct

Question 4

hemispheres’ effect on age and what that means

Answer 4

SH wines are half a year older than NH wines of same vintage - particularly important with wines that need to be consumed young eg rose and fruity unoaked white

Question 5

what are geographical indicators

Answer 5

(GI) common to all wine regions - on most bottles. it is a designated vineyard area within a country eg bordeaux
nb can be a single vineyard

Question 6

true or false - GIs are tightly controlled, why

Answer 6

so consumer gets what they are paying for and the wine is made from the grapes grown in the location stated on the label. this is very complex but throughout the world wine is divided into two categories - wines with a gi or wines without a gi

Question 7

what two categories are the wines with GI in EU separated into

Answer 7

protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI)

Question 8

what are PDOs

Answer 8

smaller areas with more tightly defined regulations. in theory each PDO has a unique flavour that cannot be copied by any other wine because it must be made according to the laws.
PDO wines rarely state the grape variety on the label

Question 9

what are PGIs

Answer 9

larger areas with fewer regulations

Question 10

what do the GIs in EU define

Answer 10

geographical area and specific permitted vinegrowing and winemaking techniques and grape varieties

Question 11

France PDOs

Answer 11

AOC - Appellation d’Origine Controlee

Question 12

France PGI

Answer 12

VdP - Vin de Pays

or some prefer not to use it and go for IGP - Indication Geographique Protegee or Vin de France

Question 13

Italy PDO

Answer 13

DOCG (tighter) and DOC

Question 14

Italy PGI

Answer 14

IGT

Question 15

Spain PDO

Answer 15

DO and DOCa (tighter)

Question 16

Spain PGI

Answer 16

VdIT

Question 17

Germany PDO

Answer 17

Qualitatswein and Pradikatswein (sugar in must)

Question 18

New world wine labelling

Answer 18

‘wines with a GI’ - each country has their own way of labelling

Question 19

France quality heirachy (4)

Answer 19

regional, villages, premier cru, grand cru

Question 20

italian labelling terms (2)

Answer 20

classico and riserva

Question 21

how do spanish wine laws break down the criteria?

Answer 21

age - both bottle and in barrel

Question 22

order of increasing minimum age of wine categories in spain (4)

Answer 22

joven, crianza, reserva, gran reserva

Question 23

how do 6 subcategories of pradikatswein differentiate

Answer 23

sugar level content of grapes at time of harvest

Question 24

order of mimimum sugar level from lowest to highest (pradikatswein)

Answer 24

kabinett, spatlese, auslese, BA, eiswein, TBA

Question 25

barrel/barrique fermented definition, why, pro/con

Answer 25

white wine only - fermented in oak better integration of oak flavours in wine, more labour intensive and expensive

Question 26

barrel/barrique aged definition, why, pro/con

Answer 26

aged in oak prior to bottling

Question 27

oaked definintion

Answer 27

wine has been in contact with oak through ageing in oak vessels or staves and chips

Question 28

unfilteded/unfined definition

Answer 28

most wines are treated before bottling to remove anything that can cause haziness - filtration can strip away a lot of the character - more likely to have deposits and less likely to e clear

Question 29

what is noble rot

Answer 29

botrytis cinera - a fungus that attacks berries - can be used deliberately to make sweet wine

Question 30

what does cuvee mean

Answer 30

common labelling term used to indicate a specific blend or selection - can be a blend of anything (vintage, region, variety etc) often indicates better wine

Question 31

what does viellies vignes mean

Answer 31

old vines - lower yield, higher quality

Question 32

chateau/domaine/estate meaning

Answer 32

only uses grapes it has grown on its own land

Question 33

merchant/negociant meaning

Answer 33

blends wines or grape brought in from other winemakers and grape farmers

Question 34

what is a co operative cellar

Answer 34

winemaking facility whose ownership is shared by a number of grape farmers