Viniculture Flashcards
What is viniculture
the decisions made and procedures performed in the winery to shape flavors, quality, and characteristics of wines
What is table wine
a wine that is mostly dry and still. Little to no sugar and no carbonation
What are the 6 stages of winemaking
Harvest
grape processing
fermentation
bulk aging
clarification and conditioning
bottling
What is the harvest
Picking grapes when they are determined to be the right ripeness
When is a grape ripe
When the grape has the right sugar and acidity according to the wine maker
What is involved in grape processing
Crushing
Pressing
What is the crush
Gently breaking the skins of the grapes to release their juice
What is the must
the mixture of grape juice and grape solids
What does a destemmer do
removes the stems and large particles that contain tannins.
Primarily done for red wines and some whites.
What flavor profiles do stems usually contain?
green-vegetable flavors
What is oxidation
The result of oxygen acting on a substance. Degrades the quality of the must
What do sulfites do
Usually added (if at all) prior to crushing or to must after crushing
Acts as preservative, slowing oxidation and inhibiting the growth of unwanted bacteria and yeasts.
What is pressing
Removing the grape juice from the solid matter before fermentation begins. Used with white wines.
What is free-run juice
Juice that occurs before the press process begins
What are characteristics of wine made from free-run juice
Softer characteristics
More pure flavors
What is the difference between white and red wines
White is fermented with no skin contact
Red is fermented with skin contact
How is a blush or rose wine produced
After crushing the grape juice is allowed to stay in contact with the solid particles of the grape until appropriate pink color has been achieved. It is then pressed.
Rose fermented like a white wine
What is saignee
A process to make rose wine.
Winemaker bleeds off some of the pink -colored wine during the early periods of fermentation.
What are important factors for fermentation
Wild or cultured yeast
Fermentation temperature
Material for fermentation
What is the temperature range for premium wine production
50 - 95 degrees
How long is a normal warm fermentation
1 - 2 weeks
How long is a normal cold fermentation
2 weeks - 1+ months
What is the temperature for a cool fermentation
50 - 60 degrees
What type of wine is made with cold fermentation
delicate white wines
What are the materials used for fermentation
Stainless-steel (most common)
oak barrels (CA chardonnays)
What is bulk staging
the time period between fermentation ending and bottling
What are reasons for bulk staging
Maintain consistency
Blending
Allowing flavors to mellow/mature
Harmonizing flavors
Manipulating the wine
What is a nonreactive material
Stainless steel
concrete vats
glass-lined tanks
wood barrels lined with paraffin wax
What is oak aging
Bulk aging in barrels made from oak
What does oak aging do
adds to the complexity of wine
Why is oak the best type of wood for bulk aging
Physical - hard wood that is nonporous, malleable and contains tannins
Available - lots of oak trees around
Taste - flavors of oak or oxidation
What are oak flavors
Oak
Cedar
Pencil Shavings
Sawdust
Cigar box
Warm vanilla notes
cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
Black Pepper
toasted coconut
dill
smoke
campfire
toasted bread or nuts
coffee
dark chocolate
What are oxidation flavors
usually reminiscent of caramelization
caramel
butterscotch
honey
brown sugar
burnt sugar
molasses
What is angel’s share
wine lost to evaporation
What factors affect the strength and type of oak flavors
Length of aging - longer more
New vs used oak - less flavor from used
french vs american - french more baking flavors
barrel size - larger less flavor
level of toast - more char equals roasted coffee beans or dark chocolate
What is barrique
standard size wine barrel (50-60 gallons)
When do conditioning, clarification and blending occur
at end of bulk aging
What is conditioning
Acidification - adding acid to mine
Sur Lie Aging - allowing wine to stay in contact with spent yeast
Battonage - stirring the wine so spent yeast is suspended in wine
Malolactic Fermentation - bacteria break down malic acid
What does malolactic fermentation do
Soften the acidity of wine and add rich, buttery flavors.
Most reds and Chardonnays go through this process
What is clarification
Removing any cloudy or haziness from the wine
What are the methods of clarification
Racking
Fining
Filtering
What is racking
Drawing wine (above the sediment) from the top of the aging vessel
What is fining
Adding compounds to the wine that bond with suspended particles.
Common options are egg whites, bentonite clay, Irish moss and gelatin.
What is blending
Combining batches of wine from grapes that were made using different grape varieties, vintages, winemaking practices and terroir.
What is bottle aging
After being placed in bottle small amount of oxygen resides in bottle. This oxidation continues to mature the flavors of the wine.
What wines should be aged for months
White - low acid/low alcohol (italian prosecco, portuguese Vinho Verde)
What wines should be aged for 1 - 3 years
White - High acid/Low alcohol (dry German Riesling or Italian Pinot Grigio)
White - low acid/high alcohol (California or Australian Chardonnay)
White - low acid/semisweet (Gewurztraminer)
White - low acid/sweet (Moscato d’Asti)
Red - low tannins, low acid, low alcohol (Beaujolais)
What wines should be aged for several years
White - high acid/high alcohol (White Burgundy or Alsatian Riesling or vintage Champagne)
White - semisweet/high acid (German Riesling (Kabinett and spatlese)
Red - low tannins, high acid, low alcohol (red burgundy, Oregon Pinot Noir)
What wines should be aged for decades
White - dessert with high acid (German Trockenbeerenauslese, French sauternes)
Red - high tannins/high alcohol (Italian Barolo, red Bordeaux, CA Cabernet Sauvignon)
Fortified dessert wine - extreme sweetness and alcohol content (madeira, vintage Port)
How do you speed up bottle aging
extend bulk aging stage
pump pure Oxygen into wine before bottling
What is sparkling wine
wine with dissolved carbon dioxide
What are names for sparkling wine
Petillant (France)
Frizzante (Italy)
What are methods for creating sparkling wine
Methode champenoise
Charmat method
transfer method
force carbination
What is Methode champenoise
Most common method for making sparkling wine
What are the steps for methode champenoise
Primary fermentation - create a base wine that is dry and still
Secondary fermentation - place base wine in bottle and add in liqueur de tirage (yeast and sugar mixture). Makes carbon dioxide in bottle
riddling - forcing lees (dead yeast) down into neck of bottle with constant turning of the bottles
Disgorgement - removal of the yeast plug
What is the charmat method
Primary fermentation - create a base wine that is dry and still
Secondary fermentation - in pressurized steel vats this happens not the bottle
bottled under pressure with no yeast plug removal necessary
What types of wine are made from the charmat method
Prosecco
Asti
Moscao d’Asti
German Sekt
many american sparkling wines
What is the difference between charmat and methode champenoise
Charmat has larger and less stable bubbles
what is the transfer method
Same as methode champenoise but bottles are blended together in vat and then rebottled
What is force carbonation
base wine put in pressurized tank and CO2 pumped into it.
What is a dessert wine
Wine that has >= 5 % residual sugar
What are the types of dessert wine
Fortified
sweetened
late harvest
botrytised
ice
What is fortified wine
Wine that has brandy added to it
Sweet - brandy added during fermentation stopping process
Dry - brandy added after fermentation
What is sweetened wine
Wine in which sugar (juice) has been added after fermentation is complete
What does late harvest mean
Wines made from grapes picked after most grapes are harvested
- Gives higher than normal sugar levels in grapes
What does Spatlese mean
German for late harvest
What does Vendange Tardive mean
French for late harvest
What is botrytised wine
Wine made from grapes that have Botrytis cinerea mold on them
- Removes water from grape and causes to have high sugar content
What is ice wine
Wine made from grapes that are harvested when partially frozen
- usually done at night after temps below freezing
