Sparkling & Fortified Wines

Question 1

What is base wine?

Answer 1

The first step in producing nearly all styles is to make base wine - it is dry, high in acidity and low in alcohol

• usually a blend of different wines
• can be from different vintages, varieties or villages

Question 2

What is second fermentation in sparkling wine making?

Answer 2

When sugar and yeast are added to base wine. Must occur in a sealed vessel to capture the resulting CO2

Question 3

What is bottle fermentation in traditional method sparkling wine making?

Answer 3

When sugar and yeast are added to the base wine and bottled so second fermentation occurs in the bottle

Question 4

What are examples of sparkling wine made using the traditional bottle method?

Answer 4

Champagne and Cava

Question 5

What is tank method in producing sparkling wine?

Answer 5

When the base wine secondary fermentation occurs in a tank

Question 6

What is an example of sparkling wine made using the tank method?

Answer 6

Prosecco

Question 7

What is the Asti method of making sparkling wine?

Answer 7

A variation of the tank method - grape juice is put into a pressurized tank and begins to ferment. At first CO2 created is allowed to escape and then partway thru fermentation the tank is sealed so CO2 is retained

Question 8

Where is Asti DOCG made?

Answer 8

Piemonte in NW Italy

Question 9

What three varietals is Champagne typically a blend of?

Answer 9

Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Meunier

Question 10

Where is Cava made?

Answer 10

Spain, primarily Catalunya

Question 11

What varietal is Prosecco DOC made from?

Answer 11

Glera

Question 12

What varietal is Asti DOCG made from?

Answer 12

Moscato

Question 13

What is the labeling term used for bottle fermented sparkling wine from South Africa?

Answer 13

Methode Cap Classique

Question 14

What is yeast autolysis?

Answer 14

When the yeast sediment called lees that build up during fermentation begin to breakdown

Question 15

What flavors can less/yeast autolysis impart to sparkling wine?

Answer 15

Bread and biscuit flavors

Question 16

What is riddling?

Answer 16

Riddling moves the lees deposit into the neck of the bottle by moving the bottle very slowly from horizontal to an inverted vertical position to allow the lees to slide gradually into the neck of the bottle

Question 17

What is disgorgement?

Answer 17

Once riddled, the neck of the bottle is frozen and the lees are trapped in a plug of ice. When the crown cap is removed from the bottle the pressure from the dissolved CO2 forces the frozen lees out of the bottle

Question 18

What is dosage?

Answer 18

After disgorgement, dosage is the process of adding a mixture of wine and often sugar called the liqueur d’ expedition to the bottle before it is resealed

Question 19

What does the labeling term Brut on sparkling wine indicate?

Answer 19

Brut indicates a small of sugar has been added during dosage - the wine is dry

Question 20

What does the labeling term Demi-Sec on sparkling wine indicate?

Answer 20

Demi-Sec indicates more sugar has been added during dosage - the wine is medium-sweet

Question 21

What does the labeling term non-vintage (NV) mean?

Answer 21

The base wine is made from a blend of vintages

Question 22

What is sherry?

Answer 22

Sherry is a fortified wine produced from the Jerez de la Frontera a town in Southern Spain

Question 23

What are the three dry styles of Sherry?

Answer 23

Fino
Oloroso
Amontillado

Question 24

How is Fino Sherry aged?

Answer 24

It is aged under a layer of thick white yeast known as flor - this process is called biological aging

Question 25

How is Oloroso Sherry aged?

Answer 25

It involves fortifying a dry base wine with additional alcohol and is fortified to around 17% ABV

Question 26

How is Amontillado sherry aged?

Answer 26

It ages under flor for a period of time and is then refortified to 17% ABV which kills the flor and allows the wine to age oxidatively until it is bottled

Question 27

What does the term “Pale Cream” indicate with?

Answer 27

Pale Cream indicates sweetened Fino Sherry

Question 28

What does the term “Medium” indicate with sherry?

Answer 28

Medium indicates sweetened Amontillado Sherry

Question 29

What does the term “Cream” indicate with sherry?

Answer 29

Cream indicates sweetened Oloroso Sherry

Question 30

What is PX (Pedro Ximenez)?

Answer 30

is a sweet Sherry made from white Pedro Ximinez grapes that have been concentrated by sun-drying. the wine is fortified and aged oxidatively

Question 31

What is the solera system?

Answer 31

A system of old-oak casks containing wine from different ages. They are continually blended as they age ensuring a consistent and complex style of mature wine where sherry develops its distinctive flavors

Question 32

What is port?

Answer 32

Sweet fortified wine produced from grapes grown in the Upper Douro region of Portugal

Question 33

How is port fortified?

Answer 33

Fermentation is stopped by adding grape spirits to the wine, killing the yeast and resulting in a sweet, high alcohol wine

Question 34

What are the 3 styles of port?

Answer 34

Ruby
Vintage
Tawny

Question 35

What is a ruby-style port?

Answer 35

Deeply colored and fruity

After fortification they age in large vessels, traditionally the vessels are old oak casks

Question 36

What is Vintage-style Port?

Answer 36

Port made from the highest quality wines from a single exceptional vintage.
Can mature in bottle for at least 20 years
Not made every year, only declare in the best years

Question 37

What is Tawny-style port?

Answer 37

are called tawny due to their color which is developed from extended oxidative aging in small barrels. Oxygen turns the color from ruby to tawny - colors typically have an age indication of 10,20,30,40 years