Wine Basics Flashcards
What is wine?
Wine is an alcoholic beverage made with fermented grapes.
What species of grape is most wine made from?
Vitis vinifera
How many grape cultivars are used in commercial wine production?
1,400. Only about 100 of these varieties make up 75% of the world’s vineyards.
What are examples of primary aromas?
Derived from the interaction between the grape and yeast and can include fruit, flower, and herb-like flavors.
What are examples of secondary aromas?
Derived from yeast and other microbes and may include aromas like yeast, cheese, cream, sourdough, or beer-like smells.
What are examples of tertiary aromas?
Derived from aging and oxidation (including aging in oak barrels) and may include vanilla, maple, browned butter, and nut-like aromas.
Viscosity
The tears that form on the side of the glass (“wine legs”) can tell us if the wine has high or low alcohol and/or high or low sugar. The thicker and more viscous the legs, the more alcohol or residual sugar in the wine.
Sweetness
Is the wine sweet or dry?
Acidity
How sour is the wine? A wine with high acidity will cause your mouth to salivate and tingle more than a wine with a low acidity.
Tannin
How mouth-drying is the wine? This is a trait found more so in red wines and less so in white wines. You can feel tannins on the middle and sides of your tongue as a mouth-drying, bitter sensation.
Alcohol
When you swallow, pay attention to the warming sensation in your throat. High alcohol wines will have a burning sensation.
Body
How big is the wine on your palate? Does it fill your mouth with flavor and richness or is it lean and lithe?
Finish
What flavor or taste does the wine finish with? Is it bitter? Sweet? Smoky? Oily? Salty?
Length
How long does it take until you can’t taste the wine on your palate?
Layers
Does the wine’s flavors and textures change over the course of a single taste? If so, the wine is layered.