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.
Describe the following sparkling wine methods: Traditional (Champagne), Ancestral, Tank
Traditional: more expensive and involved. Can only be used when making champagne. Fizzier and brioche notes due to greater lees contact. Tirage: sugar and yeast
Ancestral: less bubbles and cheaper. Less consistent than champagne (pet net). Primarily fruit notes.
Tank:
What does “Sekt” stand for?
Sparkling in German
What does “extra brut” mean?
Dry
What are lees?
Lees are the byproduct of sugars in the wine. Deposits of dead yeasts.
Where was vitis vinifera first domesticated?
Georgia (the country)
What is the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas and flavors?
Primary aromas are derived from the interaction between the grape and yeast and can include fruit, flowers, and herb-like flavors. Secondary aromas are derived from yeast and other microbes and may include aromas like yeast, cheese, cream, sourdough, or beer-like smells. Tertiary aromas are derived from aging and oxidation, and may include vanilla, maple, browned butter, and nut-like aromas.
What happens to the color of white wines as they age?
They get deeper/darker
What happens to grapes in high elevations?
More moderate temps means higher acidity and more tart
What happens to grapes in warmer climates?
They are more fruit forward
What pairs well with fat?
Acidity and tannins
What pairs well with spices?
Sweet
Why is a single vineyard more expensive?
All of the grapes have been grown on a single plot of land that is considered superior.
