vilification Flashcards
maturation
finishing, period following fermentation when the wine settles down, loses it’s rough edges
fermentation
period when grape juice turns into wine
time
3 months or 5 years or longer
oak barrels
60 gallons in size
800$ per barrel if it comes from French oak
gives wine nice aromas and flavors
vary in origin of oak, the amount of toast (charring on inside), how often it’s been used (diminishes w use)
barrel fermented vs barrel aged
barrel fermented:
unfermented juice went into barrels and changed into wine there
mostly white wines bc solid skins messy to clean out of barrel
when a red wine has been barrel fermented it’s been partially fermented already in steel and had the skins removed
actually taste less oaky than wine thats been aged in oak bc juice interacts differently w oak than wine
barrel aged:
fermented wine went into barrel for maturation period, aging - months to years
stainless steel
most fermentations
“fermented in stainless steel” means
not oaked at all: common for many aromatic styles like riesling to preserve grape’s flavor
wine was barrel aged rather than barrel fermented
the winery wants you to know it paid a lot for equipment
lees
various solids such as dead yeast cells that precipitate at the bottom of wine after fermentation
can interact w the wine and create more complex flavors
white wine w extended lees contact is usually richer in texture and tastes less overly fruity than it otherwise would
ML (malolactic)
secondary fermentation that weakens acid in wines, making it softer
either naturally or by winemaker
pH
measurement of acidity
low pH (3.4 or less) means stronger acidity
soft tannins
“good kind” of tannins
achieved by harvesting fully ripe grapes, controlling fermentation time and temp and using other techniques
microxygenatipn
feeding minuscule controlled amounts of oxygen into a wine during or after fermentation
can mimic gentle steady exposure to oxygen barrel aged wines receive in wood
fining and filtering
near end of maturation period
purpose is to clarify wine - remove any cloudiness or solid matter and stabilize it - remove any yeast, bacteria or other microscopic critters
some believe it strips wine of character
blending
usually grapes are fermented separately and then wines blended together
purpose: dilute costs (expensive Chardonnay w something less expensive) or improve quality of wine by using complementary grapes whose characteristic enhance each other: red Rioja, red Bordeaux, du pape, champagne
words that mean nothing
handcrafted
artisanal
limited edition, selection, release
vintners select, anything select
