Winemaking

Question 1

What is the process for making red wines?

Answer 1

1) Crushing
2) Alcoholic Fermentation
3) Draining
4) Pressing
5) Storage or Maturation
6) Packaging

Question 2

How does the process of making white wines differ from making reds?

Answer 2

The grapes are pressed before alcoholic fermentation; grapes are directly pressed, and malolactic fermentation does not always occur

Question 3

What 3 elements do yeast produce when they feed on the sugars in grapes?

Answer 3

1) Alcohol
2) CO2
3) Heat

Question 4

What is the sugar leftover after fermentation called?

Answer 4

Residual sugar

Question 5

True or false: Rose wines are rarely stored in oak

Answer 5

True

Question 6

What is the ‘cap’ during fermentation?

Answer 6

When grape skins float to the top of the fermenting grape juice; it must be disturbed to extract colour and tanins from it

Question 7

What is punching down and why is it needed?

Answer 7

In red wine fermentation, a plunger is used to push the ‘cap’ down into the fermenting liquid to draw tanins and color from it. Another method is pumping over

Question 8

What is Pumping Over and why is it needed?

Answer 8

In red wine fermentation, liquid from the bottom of the fermentation vessel is pumped up through a hose and sprayed over the cap in order to draw tanins and color from it. Another method is plunging.

Question 9

What is short maceration?

Answer 9

To make a rose wine, fermenting wine is drained away from the wine skins after only a few hours, then fermentation will continue at white winemaking temperatures.

Question 10

What are the methods of rose wine production?

Answer 10

short maceration

blending

Question 11

At what temperature are red wines typically fermented at?

Answer 11

20-32 C (68-90F)

Question 12

What are the techniques for making sweet wines?

Answer 12

1) Concentrating Grape Sugars (extra-ripe, botrytis-affected, or frozen grapes) - Tokaj
2) Removing yeast (using extremely sophisticated filters) - White Zin
3) Killing the yeast through fortification/adding alcohol (above 15% abv kills the yeast) - Port
4) Adding sweetness (juice, conentrated liquid, or blend a dry wine with a sweet wine)

Question 13

At what temperature are white wines typically fermented at (and rose wines after short maceration)?

Answer 13

12-22 C (54-72 F)

Question 14

What 3 characteristics of an oak barrel impact how an it adds flavour to wine?

Answer 14

1) How the barrel is made (level of toasting)
2) The size of the barrel
3) The age of the barrel/how often it has been used

Question 15

What impact does oxygen have on tannins?

Answer 15

It softens them

Question 16

True or False: Large oak vessels are often used to give oak flavours in wine

Answer 16

False; small oak barrels are used to impart oak flavours as they have more surface area in contact with the wine

Question 17

What is malolactice conversion?

Answer 17

After fermentation, bacteria convert the acids in the wine, lowering acidity and giving it buttery flavours

Question 18

True or False: In red winemaking, malolactic conversion nearly always happens

Answer 18

True, but the buttery flavours are not noticable

Question 19

What are lees?

Answer 19

A layer of dead yeast cells that forms at the bottom of the fermentation vessel

Question 20

What does a red wine need in order to mature in the bottle?

Answer 20

High Acidity, High Tannin Levels, sufficient concentration of flavours

Question 21

What is the appassimento method?

Answer 21

The grapes are dried indoors before producing wine in order to concentrate the flavours and sugars

Question 22

Which two grape varieties are commonly used in the appassimento method?

Answer 22

Corvina (black) and Garganega (white)