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

(5cL)

Question 3

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

Answer 3

1. Clarity
2. Intensity
3. Color

Question 4

What is meant by ‘color intensity’?

Answer 4

How saturated the color of the wine is.

Question 5

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

Answer 5

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 6

What are the 5 colors used to describe white wines?

Answer 6

1. Lemon-Green
2. Lemon
3. Gold
4. Amber
5. Brown

Question 7

What are the 5 colors used to describe red wines?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

What are the 3 colors used to describe rosés?

Answer 8

1. Pink
2. Pink-orange
3. Orange

Question 9

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

Answer 9

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 10

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

Answer 10

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 11

What does acidity do to your mouth?

Answer 11

Acidity makes your mouth water.

Question 12

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

Answer 12

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 13

What effect do tannins have on the palate?

Answer 13

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 14

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

Answer 14

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

Question 15

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

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What structural components contribute to a wine’s body?

Answer 16

• Sugar
• Alcohol
• Acidity
• Tannin

Question 17

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

Answer 17

• Higher acidity
• Lower tannin
• Lower alcohol

Question 18

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

Answer 18

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

Question 19

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

Answer 19

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 20

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 20

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 21

Fill in the blank:

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

Answer 21

fruit

Question 22

Fill in the blank:

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

Answer 22

lower, higher

Question 23

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

Answer 23

From highest quality to lowest:

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

Question 24

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

Answer 24

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.