White & Sweet Winemaking Flashcards
What does Georgia, Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia have in common?
• All are known to produce orange wines. These wines have had skin contact prior to pressing.
What is said about pressing whole bunches of uncrushed grapes for white and sweet winemaking?
• Reduces the risk of oxidation and can potentially lead to wines with more purity and delicacy.
Note - the other more widely used method is crush, separate free run juice send grape mass to press.
Why does the grape juice need clarification prior to fermentation?
• To clear out any fragments of pulp or skin that can cause unpleasant aromas.
Note - it’s said that keeping a small amount of these fragments makes the finished wine less susceptible to oxidation, adds complexity and texture. Although wines intending to show pure varietal character never have this due to the risk of off-flavors.
- What’s the optimum temperature for white wine fermentation?
- What aromas develops if it’s too cold?
- What happens if it’s too hot?
- Between 12C to 22C.
- Pear drop (think candy pear)
- Risk that varietal fruit characteristics will be lost.
From which climate do most inexpensive high volumes white wines come from?
• Warm or hot climates (acidification is the most common adjustment)
What is done to precisely control the residual sugar of an inexpensive high volume white wine?
• They are fermented dry then sugar is added by using RCGM or undermined grape juice.
• Describe Sauvignon Blanc from the categories - aromatic/non-aromatic, acidity, ripening times, suitable climate, aromas in cold versus warmer climates, suitable for aging, oak suitability.
• Give example where it grows.
• Highly aromatic, high acidity, early ripening, cold climate, cold aromas - green apple, asparagus, wet pebbles, warmer aromas - gooseberry, elderflower, grapefruit, passion fruit & some herbaceous.
• Pessac Leognan in Bordeaux (oaked)
• Sancerre in Loire Valley, fresh.
• Describe Riesling from the categories - aromatic/non-aromatic, acidity, ripening times, suitable climate, aromas in cold versus warmer climates, suitable for aging, oak suitability.
• Give examples where it grows
• Aromatic,buds late, mid to late ripening depending on the style, high acidity, suitable to cold climates, aromas in cold - green fruit and floral, aromas in warmer - citrus and stone fruit loses delicacy, renowned for ability to mature for decades, stainless steel.
• Germany, from dry to sweet.
• Eden valley - dry, lime.
Note - in Alsace they sometimes use large oak vessels (foudres) to allow for a small amount of oxidation.
What are the 3 ways to stop fermentation for sweet winemaking?
• Adding grape spirit (traditional way, fortified wines)
• Chilling the fermentation (kabinett, Spätlese, Asti)
• Adding a high dose of SO2 (kabinett, Spätlese, Asti)
Note - adding SO2 or chilling the fermentation requires filtration immediately afterwards to prevent fermentation to resume. This often results in low alcohol wine.
How are medium sweet wines made, particularly in Germany?
• By adding unfermented grape juice (süssreserve) or RCGM - done by filtering the juice before fermentation or by dosing it with SO2.
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- What does a day need to look like to create noble rot?
- How does the fungus infect the grape?
- What fungus causes it?
- What are some wines and flavors created by noble rot?
- Humid misty mornings and sunny dry afternoons.
- By puncturing tiny holes in the skin.
- Botrytis cinerea - same as grey rot.
- Sauternes, Tokaji,Beerenauslesen, Trockenbeerenauslesen. Apricot, honey, citrus zest.
Note - grapes are so sweet fermentation stops naturally as the yeast will die.
- What is it called to dry grapes on the vine?
- What is needed in terms of weather?
- What can it say on the label other than the name of the process?
- What are the characteristics?
- Passerillage.
- Dry warm autumns to avoid grey rot.
- Late Harvest.
- Dried and tropical fruits.
- How is passito wines made such as Recioto della Valpolicella?
- What conditions are needed?
- What is the characteristic?
- By drying grapes after picking.
- Conditions must be dry and warm.
- Raisiny.
How is Eiswein/Icewine produced?
• By freezing grapes on the vine. The water in the grape pulp turns to ice when winter arrives. Grapes are picked & pressed, ice remains in the press increasing the sugar content. These wines have a pure varietal character.
• Can also be done by artificially freezing grapes at a winery.
What is the key aim for less aromatic varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris?
• To enhance the base material provided by the grapes. Either by doing very little to keep the purity or a range of techniques to add complexity and texture.
