Standard Options in Sparkling Wine Making Flashcards
What is the best climates for sparkling wines?
cool climates where grapes struggle
What is the most important structural elements of the grape juice?
High acidity and low sugar
What happens to sugar in cool climates?
It is slow to develop in cool climates
Why is low sugar needed in sparkling wines?
Low potential alcohol of 9-11% after first fermentation but 1-2% abv is added after the second
Trentodoc, Sonoma and England have cool climates, give reasons why each has one?
Because of high altitude, coastal maritime influences and location at greater latitude
Compare sparkling wine styles from cooler and warmer regions.
Warmer regions give riper fruit and lower acidity than in cooler regions
When is a warm region’s style of sparkling wine appropriate?
short aged wines (tank) or those spending shorter time on the lees (transfer and traditional methods) - fruit driven wines for early consumption
What are the most common two varieties for making sparkling wine?
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What is autolysis?
breakdown of dead yeast cells
How is chardonnay suited to autolysis?
pomaceous and citrus flavors complement the flavors od autolysis
What is released during autolysis?
amino acids, peptides, proteins, fatty acids, polysaccharides etc
What flavor compounds are produced during autolysis?
toffee, nuttiness, brioche, toast
What does autolysis do to the mouthfeel of a wine?
polysaccharides can increase the weight on the palate
Why is early ripening of chardonnay an asset in sparkling wine from cool climates?
it will ripen enough in cool climates to avoid unappealing underripe flavors
The chardonnay grape is at risk of which complications in the vineyard early in the season?
Early in season :spring frost, coulure, millerandage,
The chardonnay grape is at risk of which complications in the vineyard late in the season?
- Botrytis bunch rot
- powdery mildew
- grapevine yellows (bacterial pathogen)
In the best years, what kind of quality does high yield provide with chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes?
High quality grapes for chardonnay and poor quality grapes for Pino Noir
When does Pinot Noir bud and ripen?
Early budding and early ripening making it suitable for cool climates
What are the disadvantages of Pinot Noir early in the season?
Prone to Spring Frost and coulure
To what diseases are Pinot Noir prone?
- Very prone to DOWNY mildew
- powdery mildew
- botyrtis bunch rot
- fan leaf
- leaf roll
What factors in a grape effect the style of sparkling wine produced?
- aromatic intensity
- acidity levels
- affinity to autolysis (autolysis produces bready smells in chardonnay and smoke in xarello)
How do high yields effect aromas and why is this desirable in some sparkling wine styles?
It makes the aromas light and delicate which means it won’t outcompete autolytic aromas
In cool climates with high disease risk, why do they like high sparkling grape yields?
Guarantee of at least some disease free crops even in the coolest years given the high yields in the vineyards
Name 4 considerations when picking training and trellising techniques for grapes
- region regulations
- climate
- grape variety
- soil nutrition status
What happens to the flavor if unhealthy fruit are used?
Effervescence enhances the aromas present. This includes off flavors
What is laccase?
An enzyme in botrytis effected grapes
What does laccase do?
It causes the wine to oxidise - browning the color
Why must only healthy fruit be used in quality sparkling wines?
unhealthy grapes may have off flavors and cause poor wine colouring
When does harvesting occur compared to still wines?
earlier than with still wines
Why are grapes harvested early for sparkling wine?
- maintain the high acidity
- avoid autumn rainfall and disease pressure
What is the risk of harvesting grapes too early?
-unripe flavors which increase as the wine matures
What are the advantages of hand harvesting grapes?
- sorting at picking and post harvest to remove unhealthy grapes
- picking and placing in small containers avoids crushing , splitting and therefore oxidation (altering color and reducing freshness) and extraction (tannin and anthocyanin)
What are the disadvantages of hand harvesting grapes?
- slow
- expensive
What are advantages of machine harvesting grapes?
- fast
- cheap
- night harvesting easier
How are healthy grapes selected if using a machine harvester?
-by hand in the vineyard before the machine harvest
Why harvest at night?
- grapes have high acidity when picked during the cool of the evening
- oxidation is slowed in the grapes as they are cooler
What are disadvantages of machine harvesting grapes?
- the harvester doesn’t sort as it picks
- grapes can be split and subject to crushing as they are shaken from the vine (risk of oxidation and tannin/pigment extraction)
