Vinification/Basics Of Tasting/Viticulture

Question 1

Five concepts of taste

Answer 1

Sweetness
Sourness
Saltiness
Bitterness
Umami
Kokumi (tbd)

Question 2

Steps of tasting

Answer 2

Consider the taste and flavor
Assess the aroma
Gauge the body/weight
Feel texture
Focus on the finish
Confirm colour

Question 3

Flaws and faults: canned asparagus

Answer 3

Grapes picked while unripe

Question 4

Flaws and faults: dirty socks

Answer 4

Ranging from bacterial contamination to uncleaned barrels

Question 5

Flaws and faults: fake butter/rancid vegetable oil

Answer 5

Excessive diacetyl produced in malolactic fermentation

Question 6

Flaws and faults: nutty aromas

Answer 6

Shows oxidation, often with premature brown cast

Question 7

Flaws and faults: volatile acidity

Answer 7

Vinegar aromas (commonly balsamic)

Acetic acid bacteria contact with oxygen

Question 8

Flaws and faults: wet cardboard or damp basement

Answer 8

“Corked” TCA (2, 4, 6 - trichloroanisole)

Detectable at 5-10 parts per trillion

Also potentially “light strike” - UV exposure

Question 9

Oak flavor compounds

Answer 9

Furfural - dried fruit, burned almond
Guaiacol - burn overtones
Oak lactone- woody, dill, coconut (US)
Eugenol - spices, cloves, smoke
Vanillan- vanilla flavors

Question 10

Ullage

Answer 10

Resulting space from evaporation within barrel

Potentially harmful oxygen, typically barrels are topped up to prevent

Question 11

Malolactic Fermentation

Answer 11

Same malic acid as in green apples

Secondary fermentation that transforms puckery malic acid into softer lactic acid

Question 12

Bâtonnage

Answer 12

Stirring the lees in barrels

Lees are the dead yeast left from fermentation

Question 13

Chaptalization

Answer 13

Addition of sugar to compensate for underripe grapes

Raises alcohol of final wine

Question 14

Phenols, phenolic ripening

Answer 14

Phenols are the complex molecules that contribute bitter flavors

Includes tannins

Transition as the grape ripens

Question 15

Phylloxera

Answer 15

Grape louse that destroys the root stalks of vines, killing the plant

Question 16

Jeroboam

Answer 16

3L - 4 bottles

Question 17

Rehoboam

Answer 17

4.5 L

6 bottles

Question 18

Salamanazar

Answer 18

9 L

12 bottles

Question 19

Balthazar

Answer 19

12 L

16 bottles

Question 20

Nebuchadnezzar

Answer 20

15 L

20 bottles

Question 21

Melchior

Answer 21

18 L

24 bottles

Question 22

Growing season for vines (range in days)

Answer 22

150-190 days

Question 23

Maritime Climate (W, R, TC, S)

Answer 23

Near large body of water
Narrow temperature changes (not varied)
Moderate winters, warm summers
High than average rainfall
Longer growing season

Question 24

Mediterranean Climate

Answer 24

Dry, warm summers, wetter moderate winters

Heat tolerant grapes

High than average rainfall

Question 25

Continental climate

Answer 25

Inland, far from large body of water

Cold winters, hot summers

Lower than average rainfall

Shorter growing season

Question 26

Macro \
Meso. |—-> Climates
Micro /

Answer 26

Macro - wine region

Meso - vineyard area

Micro - around the individual vines

Question 27

Smoke taint

Answer 27

Affect of forest fires near vineyards

Mostly dangerous when the grapes are in veraison

Smoky odors

Question 28

Major Vine Diseases

Answer 28

Esca+Eutypa dieback (vine trunk disease

Pierce’s disease (leaf hopper bacteria)

Leaftroll virus (red leaves)

Question 29

Organic vs. Biodynamic vs. Sustainable

Answer 29

All don’t use synthetic chemicals
Bio incorporates the idea of the vineyard as an ecosystem (mesoclimate)
Bio also uses the lunar cycles for harvest
Sustainable uses renewable energy sources

Question 30

Dry Farming

Answer 30

Never irrigate vineyards

Idea is that the soil is responsible to provide moisture

Forces vines to struggle and the roots to go deeper, become more resilient

Question 31

Stages of the vine growing season

Answer 31

1) budbreak (early spring at ~ 50 •)
2) leaves separate (10 days later)
3) flowering (late spring/early summer)
4) flowering effects (10-14 days later)
5) veraison (summer)
- softening grapes that turn red or yellow as they ripen

Question 32

Millerandage

Answer 32

Different sized berries on the same bunch

Cause of poor weather during flowering

Question 33

Cordon Trained Vines

Answer 33

Spurs are supported to grow vertically so they end up 1-6 feet above ground
Less risk of frost damage + grapes stay off ground
Advantage in higher yields
Disadvantage uneven ripening (apical dominance - high spurs take more resources)

Question 34

Head Trained Vines

Answer 34

Trained so all the spurs are above the “head” or trunk, 1-2 feet from ground

Used in south of France (goblet) and Australia (bush)

Need less irrigation

Question 35

Tons / acre vs. hectoliters / hectare

Answer 35

1 hectoliter = 100 liters = 26.4 gallons = 0.183 tons

1 acre (43,500 sq ft) = 0.405 hectares

2 tons/acre = 27 hectoliters/hectare

Question 36

Mutage

Answer 36

Process of arresting fermentation of VDN by adding a natural grape spirit to preserve sugar levels

Question 37

Appassimento

Answer 37

Process of raisinating the grapes by drying them

Can be on vine, in drying rooms or on straw mats

Makes dessert wines