Sparkling/Fortified Flashcards
What is the name for a French sparkling wine made in the traditional method outside of Champagne
Cremant
What creates the bubbles in Champagne
CO2 is created by a second fermentation in the bottle. A still wine is put in a bottle with yeast and sugar. When the CO2 develops it has no way to be released so it dissolves into the wine itself.
What is the average abv of a base wine in Champagne
11%
How much does a secondary fermentation raise the alcohol of a finished sparkling wine
1.5%
Put these in order from first to last: blending, autolysis, secondary fermentation, pressing
pressing, blending, secondary fermentation, autolysis
Explain the process of Remuage
aka - Riddling
Remuage happens when the lees are to be removed from the bottle and the wines released.
Historically, bottles are shaken and turned to slowly move the lees into the neck by hand.
Many estates still remuage by hand using A-frame racks called pupitre, and do this to
monitor the quality and add extra time on the lees. Most estates today, use a gyropalette
that can turn 504 bottles and have them ready for disgorging within 1-2 weeks. By hand it
can take 4-6 weeks
What styles of wine usually are made by the Charmat method
Prosecco
Lambrusco
Moscato
Put these in order from driest to sweetest: demi-sec, doux, brut nature, brut, sec
brut nature, brut, sec, demi-sec, doux
What styles of wine are fortified during fermentation
Port
Madeira
Marsala
VDN (Vins Doux Naturels)
What is the difference between Late Bottled Vintage Port and Vintage Port?
Vintage Port: Vintage Port is the most expensive and rare style of Port. A Port house will usually declare a vintage year only in exceptional harvests, usually 2-3 times a decade. This keeps the wines at a higher price point because of the limited amount made. Vintage Port can only be made when a Port vintage is declared by the IVDP, and will be aged for three years before being bottled. The wine will still be rough and tannic and is meant to be drunk after a minimum 5-10 years of aging to soften its character. Mature Vintage Port requires decanting, as it will develop a significant amount of sediment.
Late-Bottled Vintage Port: Late-Bottled Vintage Port (LBV) spends between four and six years in cask prior to bottling. It is a single vintage, but will go through more development before bottling so it can be consumed younger. These wines will be good quality, but will not be made with the top lots of wine like Vintage Port. These wines are usually filtered and are consumable upon release, but do benefit with extended aging. The better wines can be unfiltered. Such styles are often unfiltered, and carry the term Envelhecido em Garrafa,
indicating an additional minimum three years of bottle aging.
List five main grapes of red Port production
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Franca
Tinta Cao
Tinta Roriz
Tinta Barroca
Explain what an age indication means on a bottle of Tawny Port
Tawny with Indication of Age: Tawny Port may be labeled as 10, 20, 30, or 40 Years Old. These wines show a progressively more concentrated and developed character, reaching a pronounced oxidative, rancio state by forty years of age. These ports will be blended from many different lots to gain the desired flavor profile. The age indication is not an average age of the blended wines in the bottle, but rather an approximation: for example, the IVDP deems a Port labeled “10 Year Old Tawny” to taste like a 10 Year Old Tawny, regardless of the wine’s actual age.
List these in order from driest to sweetest: Malmsey, Sercial, Boal, Verdelho
Sercial, Verdelho, Boal, Malmsey
Explain “Rainwater” Madeira
maximum age of 10 years, made is a light style usually from Tinta Negra.
Explain the difference between the Estufagem and Canteiro processes
Estufagem: Stainless steel vats with heating coils inside. These coils heat and slowly “cook” the wine at 113-122°F for a minimum of three months. This process can cause slightly burnt notes in the wine if the sugars caramelize too much so the process is watched carefully. The
wine is then rested for a minimum of 90 days before aging in cask according to its designation.
Canteiro: The original method, and produces higher quality wines. These wines are placed in warm rooms, usually in attics and aged for a minimum of two years. The natural temperature fluctuations of the island slowly heat and cool the wines and produce classic “Madeira” flavors in a more delicate manner than the estufagem process. The best wines will be kept in barrels in these rooms for decades before bottling.
