Winemaking Flashcards
Define Vins Clairs
Vins Clairs and neutral base wines used for producing Champagne.
What is Remontage?
Remontage is the French term for pumping over.
Define Rebêche.
Rebêche is the juice from the third pressing of Champagne grapes. It is used for still wine, spirits, or vinegar.
What is the system to calculate sugar concentration in Germany and Switzerland
The system to calculate sugar concentration in Germany and Switzerland is the Oechsle system. Oechsle = (density of grape must-1) x 1000.
What is the system for measuring sugar content in wine in France?
France uses the Baumé unit of measurement for sugar. It is the potential alcohol level in milliliters per 100 milliliters of wine.
What is Mistelle?
Mistelle is a wine made by fortifying a wine before, or slightly after, it begins to ferment.
What does débourbage mean?
Débourbage is the French term for juice settling after pressing.
What is Délestage?
Délestage is the French term for rack and return.
What is the system for measuring grape sugar concentration used in the United States?
Sugar concentration is measured in degrees Brix using a refractometer (or hydrometer).
How do you determine the potential alcohol level of a wine by using a grape’s Brix value?
The conversion factor is 5/9. Multiply the Brix value by .55. A wine with a Brix of 24° will yield a wine with a max of 13.3% ABV if fermented dry.
How do you calculate the potential abv of a wine using a Baumé value?
A Baumé value is equal to the potential abv of the wine, eg. a grape juice with 12° Baumé will produce a wine with a max of 12% alcohol if fermented dry.
How does potential alcohol content of a wine correlate with the Oechsle value?
Oechsle ABV
89 12%
110.4 15.4%
114.9 16%
What is must?
Grape juice to be fermented.
What is enrichment?
Adding grape juice of concentrated grape sugar (RGCM).
What is chaptalization?
Adding sugar to grape must before fermentation.
What does catalyzed mean?
Brought about.
What is an enzyme?
An organic substance capable of causing a chemical change.
What percentage of grape sugars usually are fully converted into ethanol?
90%. The rest are broken down into other products like acids, other alcohols, etc.
What is the most common yeast used in winemaking?
Different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
What is the optimal temperature range for fermenting white wine?
50°-60°F
What temperature is too high for fermentation to continue?
100°F
What are the pre-fermentation steps in white wine making (in order)?
Sorting
Crushing/Destemming
Pressing
Must Adjustments
Juice Settling
What are the possible post-fermentation steps in white wine making?
Malolactic Fermentation
Lees Contact
Clarification
Aging
Blending
Cold Stabilization
Bottling
What are some common methods of clarification?
Racking
Fining
Filtering
Centrifuge
What temperature is used in cold stabilization, and how long does it typically last?
Around 25°F
1-3 Weeks
What are the pre-fermentation steps for red wine making?
Sorting
Crushing
Destemming
Must Adjustments
Cold Soak
At what temperature is red wine fermented?
For light styles (eg Pinot Noir), from 60°F - 70°F
For heavier styles (eg Cabernet Sauvignon) from 85°F - 95°F
What does a warmer fermentation temperature do?
Leads to an increased extraction of phenolics, creating a good foundation for robust, age-worthy reds.
What are the post-fermentation steps for red wine making?
Extended Maceration
Malolactic Fermentation
Pressing
Clarification
Oak Aging
Blending
Bottling
Bottle Aging
When is clarification done in red wine production?
After pressing.
What is micro-oxygenation?
An inexpensive alternative method to attempt to simulate the effects of barrel aging. A tiny amount of oxygen is bubbled into the wine.
What is the saignée method?
A method of rosé production where red grapes are crushed and vatted for between 2-20 hours. A certain amount of the juice is run (or bled) off to make rosé. The remaining stays with the skins and is made into red wine.
What is pigéage?
The French term for punching down.
What does vin gris on a label mean?
In France, it means that it is a rosé produced using the direct press method. Outside of France, it is not regulated and may mean a rosé produced using other methods as well.
What are the most common varieties of grapes used for making Eiswein (Ice Wine)?
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc, and for reds, Cabernet Franc.
What is the maximum amount of sulfur dioxide that can be added to still be certified organic in the US?
Less than 100 parts per million in the finished wine.
How much sulfur is allowed for a wine to be labeled as organic in Europe?
30-50% less added sulfur than nonorganic wines.
What is an orange wine?
Juice from white grapes spends a significant amount of time in contact with the grape skins to extract tannin and color. Could be for days or weeks, even months.
What are the steps (in order) for the production of sparkling wine using the traditional method?
Base wine production
Blending
Fining/racking/cold stabilization
Second fermentation
Lees Aging
Riddling and Disgorging
Dosage
Bottle Aging
What is a tête de cuvée?
A brand’s very best wine, also known as a Prestige.
What is assemblage?
The French term for the blending stage in traditional method sparkling wine production. Also refers to blending in Bordeaux.
What is a Réserve in traditional method sparkling wine production?
A still wine from earlier vintages, used in blending.
What is liqueur de tirage?
A mixture of yeast and sugar added to the cuvée to begin the second fermentation process during traditional method sparkling wine production.