Wine Folly Flashcards
Wine bottle - ml? Wine glass - ml?
750ml, 150 ml (5/bottle)
Wine - def
Wine is an alcoholic beverage made with fermented grapes
Wine grape - Latin name?
Vitis vinifera (Normal grape is called vitis labrusca)
Wine - when is harvest in the southern hemisphere?
Feb-April
Vintage - def
Refer to the year the grapes were harvested
Nonvintage - def
Wines that are a blend of several harvests
Single varietal wine - def
A wine made with one grape variety, i.e. Pinot noir
Wine blend - def, example
Wine made by mixing several wines together, i.e. Bordeaux blend
Regions with cooler climates makes wines that taste more or less tart (sour)
More
Split bottle - def
187,5 ml
Demi/half bottle - ml?
375 ml
Jenine bottle - ml?
500 ml
How is wine labeled? (3)
- By grape variety (I.e. riesling)
- By region (I.e. Bordeaux superieur - known for growing primarily Merlot and Cabernet sauvignon and blending them)
- By name (I.e. «The harbinger»)
- More often than not, a named wine is a blend of grape varieties that is unique to the producer
Each country requires a minimum percentage of the (grape) variety in the wine for it to be listed on the label. Name for 1. USA/Chile, 2. Argentina, 3. Everyone else (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Portugal, NZ, South Africa, Australia)
- 75% (USA, Chile)
- 80% (Argentina)
- 85% (Everyone else - Europe, NZ, Australia, South Africa)
Which countries usually name wines by regions? (4)
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal
5 taste characteristics
- Sweetness / fruit
- Acidity
- Tannin
- Alcohol
- Body
Sweetness - At the same sweetness level, how does the acidity level affect the sweetness sensation?
Wines with lower acidity tend to taste sweeter than wines with higher acidity.
What is sweetness in wine derived from?
Residual sugar - the leftover when not all the grape must (‘druemost’) is fermented into alcohol.
Sweetness - How to describe range
1-5
- Bone dry
- Dry
- Off-dry
- Sweet
- Very sweet
Which pH range is wine in?
pH 2-4.5
(Lemon is 2.5 and yogurt is 4.5)
How does ripening affect the acidity in wine?
As grapes ripen, they become less acidic.
Thus, a wine from where it’s hard to ripen grapes will produce wines with higher acidity.
Tannin - Derived from?
Stems, skins, seeds + new wood barrels.
Tannin - def
Naturally occurring polyphenol found in plants.
Contains high levels of antioxidants.
Tannins - % content in white wine compared to red?
Zero since white wines ferment without skins.
What type of oak barrel impart more tannin?
New oak barrels
Tannin - describe taste
More like a texture. Astringent/drying.
-A high tannin wine will remove proteins from your tongue, causing drying and puckering sensation.
High tannin - effect with food?
High tannin wines act as palate cleansers to rich, fatty, meats; cheeses; and pasta dishes.
-This is why they are often served with food.
Alcohol - taste/sensation
Often described as a temperature because of how it feels in your throat - ‘warm’, ‘burning’.
- A ‘hot’ wine has higher alcohol
- Often felt in the back of the throat
Fortifying - def
Adding alcohol to a wine.
Alcohol - effects in the wine/taste (2)
- Plays an important role in wine aromas - It’s the vehicle by which aromas travel from the surface of the wine to your nose
- Adds viscosity and body to wine
Alcohol strength - classification with name and %
- Low - < 10%
- Medium-low - 10-11.5%
- Medium - 11.5-13.5%
- Medium-high 13.5-15%
- High >15%
Body - def & what affects ‘boldness’
How ‘thick’ a wine is.
-Think of the difference between whole and skimmed milk with ‘light-bodied’ and ‘full-bodied’ wine
The four characteristics of sweetness, acidity, tannin, and alcohol each affect how light or bold a wine will taste.
Lighter wines - Taste characteristics (4)
- Acidity - more
- Alcohol - lower
- Tannin - less
- Sweetness/fruit - less
Bolder wines - Taste characteristics (4)
- Acidity - Less
- Alcohol - higher
- Tannin - more
- Sweetness - more
4-step wine tasting method - steps
- Look
- Smell
- Taste
- Conclude
How to taste wine - look - What to look for?
- Color
- intensity
- Opacity (gjennomsiktighet)
- Viscosity - including ‘legs’/‘tears’
- Swirl
How to taste wine - look - intensity - tips (2)
- Pour half a glass (75 ml)
- Attempt to view the wine with natural light over a white surface such as a napking or piece of paper with the glass tilted
Viscosity - determinants (2)
- Higher alcohol
- Higher residual sugar
Intensity - determinants (3)
- (grape) Variety
- Production
- Age
(Observe the wine from the rim to the middle. You will see small differences in color and clarity of a wine.)
Pale platinum wines (A nearly clear white wine that refracts in the light) - What can typically be said about them?
- Young
- Not aged in oak
