Sparkling and Fortified Wines Flashcards
Describe and explain two key considerations when growing grapes for sparkling wines. How does this affect vineyard location?
(1) They need to be lower in sugar, to account for the second fermentation that will increase the abv by 1.2-1.3%.
(2) They need to be high in acid (while still retaining sufficiently ripe—i.e., not green—flavors) to maintain a refreshing style.
As a result, vineyards tend to be located in the coolest regions—in warmer regions, you need to pick very early to have sufficient acidity, but the grapes often are overly green and herbaceous.
When might you choose to machine-harvest grapes for sparkling wines?
In warmer regions, where grapes need to be picked quickly before they accumulate too much sugar and lose their acidity.
Why are grapes for premium sparkling wines usually picked in whole bunches?
It is essential to gently extract pure fruit flavors while minimizing extraction of tannins and colors when pressing the wine, and whole bunches are helpful here. Crushing is avoided.
What is the transfer method? What are the two advantages over method traditionelle?
After the second alcoholic fermentation, the contents of the bottles are (1) disgorged into a **sealed tank under pressure **(2) **filtered **to remove lees; (3) treated with liqueur d expedition and (4) rebottled into a fresh bottle under pressure to avoid loss of fizz.
The transfer method avoids the costly and complex process of riddling and disgorgement and ensures a consistent quality and style even with large batches.
State at a high-level the seven basic steps of method traditionelle winemaking?
(1) Making the base wine (first alcoholic fermentation) (2) Blending (3) Second alcoholic fermentation (4) Riddling (5) Lees aging (6) Disgorgement and corking (7) Packaging (8) Bottle aging
How do you identify sparkling wines made with the transfer method?
Such wines are often labelled with the term “bottle-fermented”.
What are three key differences between the ancestral and traditional methods of sparkling winemaking?
(1) Only involves a single fermentation, whereby the fermenting juice is** bottled halfway through the fermentation** and finishes fermenting in bottle, capturing the CO2
(2) Wines are often** cloudy** if not disgorged
(3) Tends to be lower alcohol since only one fermentation.
What are two key winemaking choices when making the vin clair for traditional method?
(1) Whether to ferment and/or mature in oak or stainless steel (SS more common) and (2) whether to allow MLC
What are the three purposes of blending in sparkling wine production? How does this affect the winemaking process?
(1) Achieve a** house style**, especially for non-vintage wines (2) balance the wine (e.g. Pinot Noir brings more body while Chardonnay adds citrus fruit, finesse and longevity) and (3) enhance complexity (e.g. reserve wines can add dried fruit flavors; proportion of oak-matured wine can add texture and spicy flavors).
As a result, grapes for sparkling wine are often fermented in **multiple different parcels **to give blending options.
What is the usual bottle pressure created by second fermentation?
5-6 atm.
Describe the 4 steps that take place for the second alcoholic fermentation once the liqueur de tirage is added.
(1) Bottle is closed with a crown cap that includes a plastic cup insert
(2) Bottles are stacked horizontally in the cellars at a cool, constant temperature
(3) Slow fermentation occurs, raising the alcohol by 1.2-1.3% abv and generating CO2 that dissolves into the wine
(4) **Yeast die and break down, **releasing chemical compounds into the wine (autolysis) that contribute bread, biscuit and toasty notes
Describe the five steps of disgorgement and corking.
(1) Submerge neck of upturned bottle in a very cold solution to freeze wine and yeast “plug” in the neck
(2) **Invert **the bottle in an upright position, with the frozen wine holding the sediment in place.
(3) Remove crown cap seal, allowing the pressure from the dissolved CO2 to eject the frozen wine, sediment and plastic insert
(4) **Top up wine **with liqueur d’expedition
(5) Seal with a cork secured by a wire cage
What are the typical five components of the liqueur de tirage?
(1) Wine (2) Sugar (3) Yeast (4) Yeast nutrients and (5) Clarifying agent
How long does autolysis occur?
Most active in the first 4-5 years, but can continue several more years.
Explain the process of riddling. What are the traditional and modern methods of riddling?
Riddling involves slowly moving the bottle from a horizontal to an inverted vertical position to dislodge yeast sediment, which collects in the plastic cup insert in the crown cap.
Traditionally done by hand in an A-frame rack (pupitre) over up to 8 weeks. Modern method uses gyropalette, a cage holding 500 bottles on a hydraulic arm that is regularly rotated and inclined—takes a few days.
What is the tank method of sparkling wine production? Three advantages over traditional method?
The first fermentation takes place in temperature controlled SS tanks (retaining primary flavors) and the second fermentation takes place in a sealed tank. The wine is then filtered to remove the lees and bottled under pressure.
Advantages are (1) retaining primary fruit flavors of base wine; (2) cheaper; and (3) faster.
What is liqueur d’expedition? Name two related winemaking considerations.
Mixture of wine and sugar.
(1) Sugar level or dosage determines** final level of sweetness**, adjusting acidity and flavors
(2) Characteristics of **wine in the liqueur **are important—effectively a second blending operation
Tank-method sparkling wines do not display autolytic flavors. True or false?
Generally true because they usually do not spend extended time on the lees, but a few winemakers may use paddles to stir up the lees during 2F in order to create autolytic character.
What are the four main climactic features of Jerez?
1) Hot, sunny Mediterranean climate
(2) Coastal vineyards are cooled by humid westerly poniente wind
(3) Occasional levante wind from the east is hot and drying
(4) High annual rainfall compared with other Spanish regions
What is the main difference between the Asti method and the tank method?
Asti method involves only one alcoholic fermentation in tank.
Seven steps involved in Asti method?
(1) **Chill and store **juice as needed (Asti is fermented on demand)
(2) **Warm up **juice and ferment in pressurized tanks
(3) Allow Co2 to partly escape **
(4) Seal tank partway through fermentation to trap CO2 **
(5) Allow ferment to continue until it reaches approximately 7% abv and 4-5 atm,
(6) **Stop fermentation by chilling **the wine
(7) Filter under pressure prior to bottling
Which two coastal cities are crucial to port production?
Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, which lie on opposite sides of the River Duoro’s mouth.
Three sub-regions for port vineyards, and the quality differences between them?
1) Baixo Corgo—produces lightest wines
(2) Cima Corgo—home to the greatest number of top vineyards
(3) Duoro Superior—sparsely planted, but renowned for quality wine
What is the general climate of the port production area? (3 points)
(1) Warm continental climate
(2) Shielded from cooling rain-bearing Atlantic winds by the Serra do Marao
(3) But climate is not uniform—Baixo Corgo in the west is the wettest and coolest, with vineyards becoming hotter and dryer moving east
Four climactic threats for vineyard area?
(1) Spring frosts
(2) Heavy downpours that occasionally disrupt flowering and harvest
(3) Very high summer daytime temperatures
(4) Low rainfall during growing season
Key feature of the soils in port production area?
Schist bedrock, which fractures vertically allowing the vine’s roots to access deep water reserves built up by the winter rains.
