Viniculture, Vinification & Cooperage

Question 1

Wine is aged in wood barrels to…

Answer 1

1. Extract Components from the wood, which enhance aroma and mouth feel
2. Expose wine to air, allowing the wine to develop

Question 2

Why oak?

Answer 2

1. Strong and durable yet resilient and workable
2. Lacks undesirable aromas (i.e. other wood imbibe bad smells)
3. Tightly grained, which minimizes wine loss through evaporation
4. High in tannins

Question 3

Factors which influence extraction and development in the wine…

Answer 3

1. Type of wood (American or French)
2. Age of the barrels (how many times it has been used)
3. Stave thickness (Burgundy staves are 23mm v. 19mm for Bordeaux)
4. Length of aging period (Longer aging = more $)
5. Toast level (heavy, medium, light)

Question 4

American V. French Oak

Cost (Approximate)

Answer 4

American-$400.00

French-$850.00

Question 5

American V. French Oak

Originally used for…

Answer 5

American- Bourbon

French- Wine

Question 6

American V. French Oak

Traditional method of drying staves

Answer 6

American- Kiln

French- Air ( 1-2 years)

Question 7

American V. French Oak

Traditional method of toasting staves

Answer 7

American- Blast furnace (Char)

French- Fire

Question 8

American V. French Oak

Traditional method of bending staves

Answer 8

American- Steam

French- Fire

Question 9

American V. French Oak

Sensory characteristics

Answer 9

American- More aggressively oaky, more vanilla, coconut

French- More subtle bodying, less vanilla but still there.

Question 10

American V. French Oak

Commonly used for

Answer 10

American- Rioja, Australia, Silver Oak, BV George de Latour, ZD, Rombauer, Chardonnay

French- Bordeaux, Burgundy, California

Question 11

What is a fortified wine?

Answer 11

Wine that has had alcohol added to it.

Question 12

What is an aromatized wine?

Answer 12

Wine that has had some flavorings added.

Question 13

What are the four major influences that affect the final characteristics of a wine?

Answer 13

1. The grape variety used to make the wine.
2. the climate in the vineyard, including weather conditions during the growing season.
3. The soil in the vineyard
4. The winemaker and vineyard manager, who makes decisions all through the grape-growing and winemaking process.

Question 14

What is the bloom?

Answer 14

The bloom is the whitish coating that covers grapes when they are ready to be harvested. It is the largely composed of microorganisms many of which are “wild” or “natural” yeasts.

During the pressing process of making white wine the juice comes into contact with the skins-therefore the yeast strains covering the grapes so the wine will ferment regardless if the wine is in actual contact with the skins or not.

Question 15

What is Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Answer 15

a large proportion of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae accumulates on the grape skin when it is ready for harvesting. It has many forms but it is largely recognized as the yeast strain that converts grape sugars into alcohol.

Question 16

Sugar + Yeast = ?

Answer 16

Alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Question 17

What processes does a winemaker employ to achieve different distinct styles of wine?

Answer 17

1. Pressing or crushing of grapes (almost all wines).
2. Controlled fermentation (almost all wines).
3. Malolactic Fermentation (some wines).
4. Aging (some wines).
5. Clarification (almost all wines).

Question 18

What does “vendange” mean?

Answer 18

It is the French word from which vintage derives from, meaning wine harvest.

Question 19

What does it mean when a wine is Nonvintage (NV)?

Answer 19

It is when wines are made of a blend of several different vintages of the same wine. Winemakers do this to provide the consumer with a product that will taste the same every time.

Question 20

Please explain the pH scale and how it relates to wine.

Answer 20

When growing grapes the level of pH in the grapes can be measured on a scale from 0-14.

0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline.

A low pH indicated that a wine will be resistant to BACTERIAL SPOILAGE. The acid in the wine acts as a preservative in which microbes are less likely to grow well.

Question 21

Please explain the pros and cons of hand picking vs. mechanical picking.

Answer 21

HAND PICKING can claim that the grapes are more carefully handled. Pickers will only pick the best quality fruit and the bins that they use to place the grapes in are small making it so that the grapes won’t accidentally get crushed under their own weight. On very steep hillsides handpicking is almost mandatory, since machines cannot work steep slopes. Negative aspects include small vineyard sizes and irregularities in the wine. The picking is not uniform therefore the wine is also not.

MECHANICAL PICKING- mechanical picking creates more uniform qualities in the wine also you are able to cover a wider span of the vineyard. One major bonus is that the winemaker can also pick at night when the temperatures are lower-therefore there will be less uncontrolled natural fermentation and less extraction of bitter components, such as tannin from the skins. Some people believe that mechanical picking results in wines with lack of character and that the process of picking this way can result in bruised oxidized juice.

Question 22

What is Chaptalization?

Answer 22

The process of adding sugar (usually beet or cane sugar) to wine- especially in regions that have cooler weather patterns. It is used to produce higher levels of alcohol in the wine.

Question 23

What is the governo process?

Answer 23

The governo process is used in some parts of Italy which allows winemakers to add a small percentage of dried grapes to already fermented wine. The introduction of the concentrated sugar in the dried grapes can the wine to referment, increasing the alcohol content and, coincidentally, providing a higher level of glycerol in the wine with creates a richer, smoother tenure and fuller body.