Wine Composition & Chemistry Chapter 1 Flashcards
The most prevalent of the acids found in grapes and wines.
Tartaric Acid
The component that makes up 80-90% of the volume of most wines.
Water
Can appear in a wine glass due to high levels of alcohol or sugar.
Legs
Has little or no sensory impact on the majority of quality wines.
Citric Acid
The component that makes up 10-15% of the volume of most wines.
Ethyl Alcohol
A type of secondary alcohol.
Glycerol
A sharp-tasting acid often associated with green apples.
Malic Acid
An acid produced via the conversion of malic acid.
Lactic Acid
An acid with a slightly bitter, slightly salty flavor.
Succinic Acid
The acid found in most types of vinegar.
Acetic Acid
Of the six main acids found in wine, list the three that are typically found in unfermented grapes.
Tartaric acid, malic acid, citric acid
Of the three main acids typically found in grapes, which one is found in very small quantities, so much that it requires specialized equipment to measure?
Citric Acid
Of the three main acids typically found in grapes, which one is known to create crystals known as “white diamonds”?
Tartaric Acid
What is the name of the wine-making process that, in addition to changing a wine’s acid components, often provides wines with a creamy texture and a “buttery” aroma?
Malolactic Fermintation
What measurement is used to define the volume of all the acids present in a wine?
Total Acidity (TA)
What does pH measure?
Combined [chemical strength] of acids
What is a typical pH measurement range of wine?
2.9 - 3.9
What pH measurement would you expect to find in a low-acid wine? A high acid wine?
3.9 / 2.9
What are the two main fermentable sugars found in white grapes?
Glucose and Fructose
What term is used to describe a wine that does not contain detectable sugar?
Dry
Yellow pigments found in white wine.
Flavonols
An aromatic compound found in oak barrels.
Vanillin
A compound found in wine believed to be beneficial to human health.
Resveratrol
One of the most common esters found in wine.
Ethyl Acetate
The specific component that gives fino Sherries their distinctive aroma.
Acetaldehyde
The compounds that give red wine its red, blue or purple haze.
Anthocyanins
Bitter compounds found in the skins, seeds and stems of grapes.
Tannins
Molecules that result from the joining of an acid and an alcohol.
Esters
Substance formed via polymerization.
Sediment
A preservative widely used in wine making.
Sulfur
This is a type of molecule (oxidized alcohols) result when wine is exposed to air.
Aldehydes
Promotes the release of the wine’s aromatic compounds.
Carbon Dioxide
Sulfites must be identified if they are over what amount
10ppm
