Wine Flashcards
Burgundy White Wine
Chardonnay
Burgundy Red Wine
Pinot Noir
Terroir Definition
Environmental conditions of a soil and climate for the wine region. The total impact of any growing site. 1. Soil: geological composition of the soil 2. Slope: drainage 3. Sun exposure / hours of sunshine 4. Elevation 5. Rainfall / irrigation 6. Frost 7. Humidity 8. Wind 9. Latitude: old world vs. new world
AOC
Appellation d’Origine Controle = Comes from a specific place
Beaujolais - Gamey =
Red wine from Beaujolais
Beaujolais Nouveau
- New Beaujolais - drink young
2. Inexpensive Wine
Bourgogne
Is also known as Burgundy:
Burgundy is an administrative and historical region of east-central France. Burgundy comprises four departments
Class 1: The soil, the grape and winemaker
A. How to taste wine:
- Look - color, clarity, viscosity (legs)
- Smell - Identifying primary and secondary aromas, identifying any off notes to the wine (TCA, etc.)
- Taste - Acidity, fruitiness, tannin, body
B. The Winemaker - making white wine
White grapes run through the stemmer crusher > Filtered (centrifuge) > must (juice) > natural yet or added yeast > Ferment at 50 to 65 degrees to preserve freshness > racked off lees or not > possibly cold stabilized > possibly put into barrels to age > fined or filtered > Wine is bottled
B. The Winemaker - making red wine
Making red wine: Must (whole red grapes, some stems and seeds)>Maceration> Ferment at 85º or below > ambient yeast attack sugar in juice and convert to alcohol + CO2 until desired alcohol levels are reached > Malolactic Fermentation> filtered > then bottled or aged in barrels > if in barrels racking > Fining (clarifying) > filtering and bottling
The Class white Grapes in wine
The classic white grapes:
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Semillion
- Chenin Blanc
The class red grapes in wine
The classic red grapes:
- Pinot Noir
- Syrah
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
What are the 2 grape varietals in Burgundian wine:
White: Chardonnay
Red: Pinot Noir
Bordeaux Wine
Geography:
Major Historical Port, exit for two major rivers, the Garonne and Gironde. Heavily wooded areas along the coast lien that helps shelter the flat land leading to Medoc
Wine from Area referred to as “Claret” by Britains. Claret refers to a light red wine. Not so light in color and body any longer.
- Property usually on front of label
- Post Renissance castle which are more like large estates.
- By law, Red Bordeaux wines must be made from one or more of the 5 grapes.
- Tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon provide preservatives for aging.
- Use reverse osmosis in red wines where the wine is passed under pressure through a membrane that separates water molecules from alcohol. This creates a more densely concentrated wine.
- The red grapes of Bordeaux
a. Cabernet Sauvignon - provides tannin structure
b. Cabernet Franc
c. Merlot - provides flesh and roundness
d. Malbec
e. Petit Verdot
The White Grapes of Bordeaux
- Sauvignon Blanc - astringent/crisp
- Semillon - More full/dry, deeper in color
- Muscadelle - adds light floral character
- Ugni Blanc - neutral/added to inexpensive white wine.
Bordeaux Left bank Wines
Rivers flow downhill, when looking downhill, left back is on the left, right on the right
1. Left is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon varietal.
2. First International Wine
Regions:
1. Graves - whites and reds
a. Known for gravely soil
b. Noble Rot Wines
c. Botrytis
2. Medoc - mostly cabernet
3. Entre Deux Mers - whites and reds
4. Sauternes/Barsac - Semillion with Noble Rot or Botrytis
Bordeaux Right bank Wine varietals
Regions: 1. Libournais: St Emillion & Pomerol (More Merlot Based) Right river bank is dominated by 1. Merlot 2. St Emillion 3. Chateau Chenin blanc 4. Chateau Ausone 5. Pomero 6. Petrus
There are 5 Grand Cru Classe Wines
The premier wine in Bordeaux
- Chateau Margaux
- Chateau Mouton Rothschild
- Chateau Lafitte Rothschild
- Chateau La Tour
- Chateau Haut Brion
Italian Wines - Piedmont Barolo and Barbaresco - Nebbiolo grape varietal
Closer to France in it’s wine making style than Tuscany. Produces Single Varietals.
- Nebbiolo and Barbera are the Red Grape Varietals.
- Barolo and Barbaresco (higher end)
a. Made from the Nebbiolo grape which is known for it’s forceful tannin. Single variety much like Pinot Noir is to Burgundy.
b. Barolo (The King) Grapes grown in the Langhe hills: robust, austere and masculine
By law, must be aged at least 3 years between barrel and bottle. 5 years for Barolo riserva.
c. Barbaresco (The Queen) Grapes grown in the Langhe Hills: more graceful than Barolo. Half or less production than Barolo wines.
By law, barbaresco must be aged at least 2 years between barrel and bottle. 4 years for Barbaresco riserva.
Nebbiolo: comes from the “nebbia” (the fog that often settles over Piedmont in late October during harvest.
Other wine regions of note for Nebbiolo are:
Bonarda and Vespolina blending grapes along with primary Nebbiolo grape:
a. Nebbiolo d’Alba
b. Gattinara
c. Ghemme
d. Spanna
Barbera and Dolcetto
- Barbera is made from the barbera grape. Most widely planted grape variety.
a. Barbera d’Alba
b. Barbera d’Asti
b. Dolcetto is made from the dolcetto grape and is a juicy quaffing wine and a bitter edge.
c. Brachetto d’Aqui (sweet slight effervescent)
Italian Wines - Piedmont White Wines
White Wine Varietals--->Regions a. Cortese ---> (Gavi di Gavi) b. Arneis--->Roero Arneis b. Moscato---> d'Asti and d'Alba d. Spumanti - Same grape as the french muscat blanc a petits grains. A semisweet sparkling wine known fort's fruity-musky flavor. They are Frizante (fizzy)(
Piedmont information
“Foot of the mountain”
a. Largest region of the Italian mainland.
b. Not the largest producer of wine.
c. Most vineyards are along the two southeaster ranges of Langhe and Monferrato.
d. Terrain: High Alps to rolling hills
e. Rivers: The Po and the Tanaro
f. Key cities: Torino, Alba, Asti and Allessandria.
Also known for white truffles from Alba.
DOC and DOCG and IGT Italian Wines
Wine regulation began in the 1960’s.
- area of production
- the permissible grape varieties
- the maximum yield of grapes per hectare. 4. The minimum degree of alcohol the wines must possess,
- vineyard practices
- winemaking practices
- aging requirements.
- DOC: Denominazione di Origine Controllata
a. 300+ with status
b. Frist wine given status was Vernaccia di San Gimignano in 1966 - DOCG:Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita
a. 21+ with status
b. First wines given status were Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
c. Barolo and Barbaresco in 1980. - IGT: Indicazione Geografica Tipica (less stringent than DOC and DOCG
a. 120+ with status
b. Started in 1992 as a result of the Super Tuscan Movement
VdT - Vino de Tavola (table wine)
Tuscan Wines - Red Grape Varieties
Sangiovese is indigenous to Tuscany and is primary grape.
- Super Tuscan (IGT) created in 1992
a. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend - Clones of Sangiovese
a. Brunello
- Brunello di Montalcino( TOP WINE)
- Rosso di Montalcino
b. Prugnolo
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
- Rosso di Montepulciano
c. Sangiovese Grosso - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Canaiolo.
- Carmignano
a. Wines are dry reds based on a standard modern Tuscan blend of Sangiovese (at least 50% of the final blend), Canaiolo Nero (up to 20%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (10–20% each).