Sparkling & Fortified Wines Flashcards
What is base wine?
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
What is second fermentation in sparkling wine making?
When sugar and yeast are added to base wine. Must occur in a sealed vessel to capture the resulting CO2
What is bottle fermentation in traditional method sparkling wine making?
When sugar and yeast are added to the base wine and bottled so second fermentation occurs in the bottle
What are examples of sparkling wine made using the traditional bottle method?
Champagne and Cava
What is tank method in producing sparkling wine?
When the base wine secondary fermentation occurs in a tank
What is an example of sparkling wine made using the tank method?
Prosecco
What is the Asti method of making sparkling wine?
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
Where is Asti DOCG made?
Piemonte in NW Italy
What three varietals is Champagne typically a blend of?
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Meunier
Where is Cava made?
Spain, primarily Catalunya
What varietal is Prosecco DOC made from?
Glera
What varietal is Asti DOCG made from?
Moscato
What is the labeling term used for bottle fermented sparkling wine from South Africa?
Methode Cap Classique
What is yeast autolysis?
When the yeast sediment called lees that build up during fermentation begin to breakdown
What flavors can less/yeast autolysis impart to sparkling wine?
Bread and biscuit flavors
What is riddling?
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
What is disgorgement?
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
What is dosage?
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
What does the labeling term Brut on sparkling wine indicate?
Brut indicates a small of sugar has been added during dosage - the wine is dry
What does the labeling term Demi-Sec on sparkling wine indicate?
Demi-Sec indicates more sugar has been added during dosage - the wine is medium-sweet
What does the labeling term non-vintage (NV) mean?
The base wine is made from a blend of vintages
What is sherry?
Sherry is a fortified wine produced from the Jerez de la Frontera a town in Southern Spain
What are the three dry styles of Sherry?
Fino
Oloroso
Amontillado
How is Fino Sherry aged?
It is aged under a layer of thick white yeast known as flor - this process is called biological aging
How is Oloroso Sherry aged?
It involves fortifying a dry base wine with additional alcohol and is fortified to around 17% ABV
How is Amontillado sherry aged?
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
What does the term “Pale Cream” indicate with?
Pale Cream indicates sweetened Fino Sherry
What does the term “Medium” indicate with sherry?
Medium indicates sweetened Amontillado Sherry
What does the term “Cream” indicate with sherry?
Cream indicates sweetened Oloroso Sherry
What is PX (Pedro Ximenez)?
is a sweet Sherry made from white Pedro Ximinez grapes that have been concentrated by sun-drying. the wine is fortified and aged oxidatively
What is the solera system?
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
What is port?
Sweet fortified wine produced from grapes grown in the Upper Douro region of Portugal
How is port fortified?
Fermentation is stopped by adding grape spirits to the wine, killing the yeast and resulting in a sweet, high alcohol wine
What are the 3 styles of port?
Ruby
Vintage
Tawny
What is a ruby-style port?
Deeply colored and fruity
After fortification they age in large vessels, traditionally the vessels are old oak casks
What is Vintage-style Port?
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
What is Tawny-style port?
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
