Short Answer Study Flashcards
Below are 3 Chianti DOCGs. What is the minimum ageing for each? (3 Marks)
Chianti Classico DOCG
Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG
Chianti Classico DOCG has a minimum 12 months ageing.
Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva has a minimum 24 months ageing.
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG has a minimum 30 months ageing
Below are 4 DOCG Chianti´s. Describe how they differ from each other in term of the source of fruit. (4 Marks) Chianti DOCG Chianti DOCG & Sub-Region Chianti Classico DOCG Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOC
Chianti DOCG is typically a blend from any sub-region of Chianti.
Chianti DOCG & sub Region wine comes from the region on the label.
Chianti Classico DOCG is the original region that Chianti first originated from. It has its own DOCG and is not a sub-region of Chianti DOCG.
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG grapes must be sourced from a single estate in the Classico region.
Describe the style of Valpolicella Classico and any key wine making technique used to make it. (3 Marks)
Valpolicella Classico
Valpolicella Classico is a light fruity wine.
Valpolicella Classico is low in tannins.
Valpolicella Classico is high in acidity.
Valpolicella Classico is made using classic wine making with pre-fermentation maceration.
Valpolicella Classico is fermented to dry.
Recioto della Valpolicella (2 Marks)
Recioto della Valpolicella is a sweet wine.
Recioto della Valpolicella is made using grapes that are dried first (Passito), decreasing the water and increasing the concentration of sugar, acidity and flavour.
Recioto della Valpolicella´s fermentation stops naturally and a sweet wine is made.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Amarone della Valpolicella is a dry wine.
Amarone della Valpolicella is high in alcohol.
Amarone della Valpolicella is made using grapes that are dried first (Passito), decreasing the water and increasing the concentration of sugar, acidity and flavour.
Valpolicella Ripasso
Valpolicella Ripasso is a deeper version of Valpolicella Classico.
Valpolicella Ripasso is more tannic version of Valpolicella Classico.
The residual skins used to make Amarone are separated and added to Valpolicella Ripasso juice.
What effect on the wine do the soils of Valpolicella have in the northern foothills, where the soils are limestone, clay and volcanic?
Limestone and clay cool the soils. This slows down the sugar/acidity ripening. The wines are more acidic
What effect on the wine do the soils of Valpolicella have in the South, where the soils are gravel and sandy soils?
Gravel soils tend to heat up and speed up the sugar/acidity ripening. The wine will be fruitier and less acidic.
Compare Los Carneros with Rutherford with regard to climate influences and grapes typically grown
- Both are on valley floor
- Both are influenced by the morning cooling fog
- Carneros is cooler with cooling ocean breezes, cooler climate grape varities including Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
- Rutherford is warmer & produces Cab Sauv and Chardonnay in a richer, more powerful style
Compare and contrast Mt. Veeder to Howell Mountain
Compare:
- Both in Napa Valley
- Both have their own AVA
- Not affected by fog
- Both grow Cab Sauv
- Both are hills & slopes that protect from rain and frost
Contrast:
- Mt. Veeder faces East and is relatively cooler
- Howell Mtn faces west and gets more evening sun
- Howell mtn grapes are higher alcohol and full bodied
Describe natural factors comparing Rutherford and Mt. Veeder
- Rutherford is below the fog line, giving cooler mornings
- Mt. Veeder is above the fog line, giving bright sunshine all day long
- Mt. Veeder is facing towards the east, cooling during the heat of the day
Describe a high end wine from Saint-Emilion
- Red wine, merlot & cab franc
- Med to high tannin
- Soft, rich mouth feel
- red berry fruit and plum aromas that evolve into tobacco and cedar
What are the 3 grape varieties used in a Sauternes and what does each grape contribute to the blend
- Semillon : thick skin, susceptible to botrytis, capable of aging
- Sauv Blanc : acidity & fruitiness
- Muscadelle : aromas of exotic perfume
Name 3 premium New World regions that grow pinot noir
- Los Carneros/Sonoma - USA
- Yarra Valley - Australia
- Walker Bay - S. Africa
Selecion de Grain Nobles (SGN)
- Made only from ONE of the four noble varities
- made only in excellent vintages in small quantities
- always sweet
- must show botrytis
Vendages Tardives (VT)
“Late Harvest”
- Made from any of the 4 noble varieties
- dry, off-dry or med sweet
- grapes will have undergone passerillage
- may or may not show botrytis
How do growers deal with Mistral
- Vines are often tied to a single stake or a teepee like arrangement of stakes. This catches the wind less
- wines are often below a ridge on south-facing slopes protected from the mistral
Name the four common red grapes used in Bordeaux and describe where they are grown and what they give to the final blend
1) Cabernet Franc: prefers well drained soils, used in blends in St. Emilion. Gives vibrant fruit and floral notes when fully ripe. Lighter in body than Cab Sauv.
2) Merlot: prefers cooler clay soils, grown throughout Bordeaux but dominates Right Bank. Gives roundness to blends.
3) Cabernet Sauvignon: Left bank in Haut medoc and graves. Gives structure and black currant flavor to wines.
4) Petit Verdot: Left bank. Does not fully ripen each year. Gives deep color, tannins and spicy notes to a blend.
SO2 is widely used in the vineyard and during wine making, give two reasons to use it and an example of each
Anti Oxidant:
- such as powder, on newly picked grapes
- during winemaking, just before bottling
Anti Septic:
- Kill of stray bacteria
- Kill of wild, unwanted yeasts
Explain what bound SO2 is
Bound SO2 is SO2 that has been added to juice or wine and has reacted with oxygen. This has an anti oxidant effect on the wine.
Describe sedimentation and filtering, then discuss why they would or would not be suitable for a simple, cheap wine
- Sedimentation is the process of allowing any particles in the tank to slowly sink to the bottom
- Filtering is the process of removing particles from the wines through a filter
- Sedimentation takes too long, not suitable for cheap wines
- Filtering is suitable, quick and efficient
When does pre-fermentation extraction occur, how does it change the wine and is it suitable for a cheap, simple wine?
- Pre-fermentation extraction is where the crushed grapes are held at a low temp before fermentation
- Fruit flavors and color are extracted from the grape and passed to the juice with little tannin
- Would be suitable for a cheap, simple wine
Describe what a hybrid is. What are they often used for in vineyards and why are they suitable
A hybrid is a vine whose parents come from two different vine species, typically between vitis vinifera and American vitis species
It is more common to use a hybrid variety as a root stock
some may provide drought and pest resistance
What is cloning?
How will the fruit vary?
How do clones vary?
- A clone is a genetic identical copy of a parent plant
- The fruit from a newly planted vine will produce genetically identical fruit and the plant will have the same characteristics as the parent
- Over time, clones may mutate and produce slightly different characteristics from other clones. If the new characteristics are desirable the mutation may be carried forward, this is known as clonal selection.
Describe how sugars are created
Then describe two ways after fruit set that a viticulturist could speed up the build up of sugar in the grapes
- Sugars are created by leaves in the plant through the process of photosynthesis and spread to the grape
- Canopy management: removed unwanted leaves and refocus sugar concentration into the grapes
- Green harvesting: remove under ripe or unwanted grapes
What happens shortly after Veraison but before Harvest?
Ripening happens before harvest but after veraison.
grapes swell and fill with water, sugar levels increase, acid levels decrease. Color, flavor, tannins all accumulate at this time.
For the vine describe what and when Veraison occurs?
Veraison is the time in the vineyard cycle when grapes begin to ripen and change color.
- Red grapes turn from green to red to purple
- white grapes turn from green to translucent and golden
it occurs 6-8 weeks after fruit set.
July - Sept in N. Hempishere
Jan - March is S. Hempishere
Describe carbonic maceration
- uses whole bunches of grapes placed into vats that are subsequently filled with CO2, removing all oxygen
- grapes begin intracellular fermentation and the sugar begins converting to alcohol inside the grape
- when alcohol reaches around 2% the grapes split, releasing the juice in contact with yeast
- color is extracted but tannins are not
What is the traditional gobelet pruning method
Gobelet is a form of bush vine
It is a spur pruned system with multiple spurs around the head of the vine
After bud burst, shoots are tied together to keep the vines vertical
Describe a Muscadet Sevre et Maine wine
White wine made from the Melon Blanc grape with a maximum 12% alcohol. The wine displays high acidity, light body and subtle green fruit flavors.