Tasting + Assessing Wine

Question 1

The optimal tasting environment will have:

Answer 1

• Good lighting
• No strong smells (perfume, lotion, foods, etc.)
• Space for glasses and note taking
• Spittoon

Question 2

What is the recommended amount of wine to be poured into glasses for tasting purposes?

Answer 2

1.7 fluid oz / 5cl / 50ml

Question 3

What is meant by ‘color intensity’?

Answer 3

How saturated the color of the wine is.

Question 3

What are the two things you look for when evaluating a wine’s appearance?

Answer 3

1. Intensity
2. Color

Question 4

When talking about color intensity, what’s the difference between “pale” and “deep”?

Answer 4

Pale
- a white wine that has a wide, watery, almost colorless rim
- a red wine that has a light hue and is mostly see-through from rim to core

Deep
- a white wine with color that reaches or almost reaches the rim
- a red wine that has deep, concentrated color and is near-impossible to see through

Question 5

What are the 3 colors used to describe white wines?

Answer 5

1. Lemon
2. Gold
3. Amber

Lemon= water-white to yellow in color
Gold= tinges of orange or brown
Amber= noticeable browning

Question 6

What are the 4 colors used to describe red wines?

Answer 6

1. Purple
2. Ruby
3. Garnet
4. Tawny

Purple= blue or purple tinted
Ruby = bright red
Garnet= Obvious brick/orange or browning, but the wine is still more red than brown
Tawny= More brown than red

Question 7

What are the 3 colors used to describe rosés?

Answer 7

1. Pink
2. Pink-orange
3. Orange

Question 8

What are the differences between primary aromas, secondary aromas, and tertiary aromas?

Answer 8

Primary
- aromas that come from the grapes themselves
aromas made during fermentation

Secondary
- aromas made after fermentation (e.g. vanilla from oak contact, butter from malo)

Tertiary
- aromas made from the aging process (e.g. caramel, hazelnut, dried fruits)

Question 9

Describe the 4 levels of the dry-to-sweet scale.

Answer 9

Dry
No sugar or no perceptible sugar

Off-dry
Barely-there or a kiss of residual sugar

Medium
Obvious sugar, but not sweet enough to pair with desserts

Sweet
Sugar is the main driver of the wine

Question 10

What does acidity do to your mouth?

Answer 10

Acidity makes your mouth water.

Question 11

What are two things to consider when tasting for acidity in wine?

Answer 11

1. What is the sugar level in the wine?
2. Is that tingling sensation alcohol or acidity?

Sugar level – Think about lemonade and how important it is to balance sugar and acidity. When in doubt, focus on how much and for how long your mouth waters.

Alcohol or acidity – Alcohol can sometimes trick your brain into thinking that sharp or searing sensation is acidity.

Question 12

What effect do tannins have on the palate?

Answer 12

1. Cause your mouth to dry and make it feel parched and scratchy like a cat’s tongue
2. Sometimes leave a bitter taste on the back of the palate

Question 13

What are the alcohol % levels for a low, medium, and high alcohol table wine?

Answer 13

Low: below 11% abv
Medium: 11% - 13.9% abv
High: 14% abv and higher

Question 14

What are the alcohol % levels for a low, medium, and high alcohol fortified wine?

Answer 14

Low: 15% - 16.4% abv
Medium: 16.5% - 18.4% abv
High: 18.5% abv and higher

Question 15

What structural components contribute to a wine’s body?

Answer 15

• Sugar
• Alcohol
• Acidity
• Tannin

Question 16

What structural components can make a wine appear lighter in body?

Answer 16

• Higher acidity
• Lower tannin
• Lower alcohol

Question 17

What three structural components will make a wine appear fuller in body?

Answer 17

• Higher alcohol (main factor)
• Higher tannin
• Higher sugar

Question 18

What does the ‘finish’ refer to in a wine?

Answer 18

How long you taste the wine after you’ve swallowed it or spat it out.

Finish is more about how long flavors remain on your palate and less about the structural components.

If a wine’s tannins are harsh and stick around your palate for a long time, you’d say the tannins are “persistent”. If the fruit and other tasty flavors stick around your palate for a long time, the finish is “long”.

Question 19

Fill in the blank:

A wine that is high in residual sugar will taste more balanced if the wine also has a lot of ______.

Answer 19

acidity

When considering these concepts, think about lemonade (an acidity to sugar ratio) for the first example, and fruity cocktails for the second example (the alcohol in cocktails is hidden by the fruity flavors of fruit juices).

Question 20

Fill in the blank:

A wine that is high in alcohol will taste more balanced if it has a lot of ______.

Answer 20

fruit

Question 21

Fill in the blank:

Generally, the shorter the finish the ______ the quality, and the longer the finish the ______ the quality.

Answer 21

lower, higher

Question 22

What are the 5 quality levels of wine used for the SAT?

Answer 22

From highest quality to lowest:

1. Outstanding
2. Very good
3. Good
4. Acceptable
5. Poor

Question 23

When would you use ‘outstanding’ as a quality level when evaluating a wine?

Answer 23

If the wine shows exceptional:

• Balance
• Length/finish
• Discernible characteristics + flavors (and the intensity of them)
• Complexity

If a wine shows well in 3 of the above categories, it’s Very Good;
If a wine shows well in only 2, it’s Good;
If a wine shows well in only 1, it’s Acceptable;
If a wine struggles for any positive attributes, it’s Poor.