Tasting Technique And Pairing Wine And Food

Question 1

What are the reasons for using the SAT (Systematic Approach to Tasting) ?

Answer 1

-to calibrate the palate
-to have a common language to describe wine
-to evaluate a wines appearance, nose, palate, quality

Question 2

What are some faults that affect the aromas and flavors of wine?

Answer 2

-cork taint
-closure damage
-heat damage

Question 3

What are the four main categories that make up the SAT?

Answer 3

-Appearance
-Nose
-Palate
-Quality

Question 4

When evaluating the appearance of a wine what three categories should you be assessing?

Answer 4

-Clarity (clear-hazy-faulty)
-Intensity (pale-medium-deep)
-Color (scales differ with type of wine)

Question 5

When evaluating the nose of a wine what three categories should you be considering?

Answer 5

-condition (clean-unclean-faulty)
-intensity (light-medium-pronounced)
-aroma characteristics (primary, secondary, tertiary)

Question 6

Explain the differences between primary, secondary and tertiary aroma characteristics.

Answer 6

-primary aroma characteristics come from the grapes or are created during the fermentation process

-secondary aroma characteristics are created post fermentation, can come from oak, malolactic conversion, or autolysis

-tertiary aroma characteristics are found in the aging process (can be oxidative or lack thereof)

Question 7

When evaluating the palate of a wine what 8 categories are you using to describe it?

Answer 7

1) sweetness
2) acidity
3) tannins
4) alcohol
5) body
6) flavor intensity
7) flavor characteristics
8) finish

Question 8

Describe what is meant by the body of a wine and what structural components affect it?

Answer 8

The overall mouthfeel, created by sugar, acidity, tannins and alcohol.

Higher acidity = lighter in body
Higher tannins = more full bodied

Question 9

When assessing the finish of a wine you should consider both desirable and undesirable characteristics true or false?

Answer 9

False. You should only count the persistence of desirable sensations when assessing finish.

Question 10

What four categories should be considered when assessing the quality of a wine?

Answer 10

1) Balance: are the elements in balance with one another? (Sugar/acid, alcohol/fruit etc)

2) Length/finish

3) Intensity- wine that is weak/dilute in flavor is seldom good quality however, more intensity doesn’t necessarily mean higher quality, some refer to intensity as concentration

4) Complexity- complex aromas and flavors are desirable features in many wines. However, a lack of range of flavors is not always a negative and not all premium wines are complex. In these instances purity and definition are what make a wine great (ex: ice wines)

Question 11

If food is sweet wine can seem

Answer 11

-more drying and bitter, more acidic, less sweet and fruity

Question 12

If food is umami wine can seem

Answer 12

-more drying and bitter, more acidic, less sweet and fruity

Question 13

If food is salty wine can seem

Answer 13

-less drying and bitter, less acidic, more fruity, more body

Question 14

If food is acidic wine can seem

Answer 14

-less drying and bitter, less acidic, more sweet and fruity

Question 15

What are some common tertiary flavors associated with red wines?

Answer 15

-dried fruit, leather, earth, mushroom, meat, tobacco, wet leaves, forest floor, caramel

Question 16

What are some common tertiary flavors associated with white wines?

Answer 16

-dried fruit, orange marmalade, petrol (Riesling only), cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, almond, hazelnut, honey, caramel

Question 17

What are some common tertiary flavors associated with deliberately oxidized wines?

Answer 17

-almond, hazelnut, walnut, chocolate, coffee, caramel

Question 18

What are the two components in food that tend to make wine taste “harder” (more drying/bitter, more acidic, less sweet/fruity) ?

Answer 18

1) sweetness
2) umami

Question 19

What are the two components in food that tend to make a wine taste “softer” (less drying/bitter, less acidic, sweeter/fruitier) ?

Answer 19

1) salt
2) acid