Wset Level 3 Flashcards
What is Müller Thurgau a crossing of?
Riesling x Madeline Royale
What is Pinotage a crossing of?
Pinot Noir x Cinsault
Why can grapes grow successfully so close to the equator in places like Cafayate in N Argentina?
High altitude
What does the Humboldt current off Chile do?
Cools regions that might otherwise be too hot for grape growing
What impact does the Benguela current off South Africa have?
Cooking
What is the cooling ocean current off South Africa?
The Benguela current
What is the cooling ocean current off Chile?
The Humboldt
What is guyot training?
Replacement cane pruning. Where longer sections or one year old wood with 8-2 buds are retained and tied horizontally to a trellis for support usually on head trained vines.
Single guyot and double guyot
Requires large skilled labour force to choose suitable canes and train them
What would be the benefit of grinding vines high?
To avoid frosts
What would be the benefit of training vines low?
Benefit from heat retained by the soil
Why does cordon training take loner to establish?
Because of greater amount of permanent wood
What is a benefit of cordon training on costs?
More cost effective to manage - as machine harvesting easier to achieve due to sturdy permanent wood with shoots positioned along the length
What are untrellised vines NOT suitable for?
Mechanical harvesting
Why is head training and spur pruned - bush vines - systems best suited to warm, or hot, dry and sunny regions like Southern Rhône or Barossa Valley?
Extra shade protects the grapes from hot sun
In cool or wet regions the shade can impede grape ripening and the lack of airflow can encourage disease
What’s a benefit of an open canopy?
Maximise amount of light that can enter the canopy
Keep it well aerated to restrict spread of disease
Easy to mechanise picking
When does budburst generally begin?
March/April in N Hemisphere
Sept/Oct in S hemisphere
Generally begins when daily temperature exceeds 10°C
Varies by grape variety - Chardonnay/Pinot Noir bud at relatively low temps and are early budding varieties
Cab Sav needs warmer conditions and so is a late budding variety
Why are spring frosts a problem?
New shoots can be killed by spring frosts reducing yield significantly, particularly in early budding varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What can happen if there is unusually cold, cloudy or rainy weather during the pollination period?
Pollination can be disrupted reducing fruit set.
Fruit set off occurs when a flower starts to develop into a grape. Not every flower becomes a grape and after fruit set unpollinated flowers drop off.
If more flowers than usual fail to fertilise this condition is called coulure
Grapes can also form without seeds and remain small this is known as millerandage
When inflorescences start flowering the vines need warm temps, plenty of sunshine and little or no rain
What happens as grapes ripen?
Sugar levels rise
Acid levels drop
Signature flavours develop
Tannins in the skin become less bitter and astringent
What part of the grape is only available to the winemaker if grapes are hand harvested?
The stems
What are the two most abundant acids found in grapes?
Tartaric acid
Malic acid
What is a bloom?
The waxy surface that covers the skin of the grapes and contains yeasts that can be used to ferment the wine
What is protective/anaerobic winemaking?
When all efforts are made to keep the grapes and juice away from oxygen
By filling airtight winery equipment with carbon dioxide or nitrogen before they are used for grape processing for example
Picking grapes at night when cooler and effect of oxygen is reduced as chemical reactions occur more slowly at lower temperatures
Keeping grapes chilled
Why have concrete vessels shaped like eggs become popular in recent years?
The egg shape is thought to aid the natural flow of the juice/wine and reduce the need for manual punching down and pumping over
Why do some winemakers prefer concrete vessels to stainless steel even though harder to clean and maintain?
The thick concrete shells help regular temperature during fermentation and maturation without the need to use expensive temperature control equipment
What is an inert winery vessel?
Vessel that do not add flavour to wines or allow oxidation
Stainless steel tanks
Concrete vessels
Glass bottles
What does fermenting at lower temperatures do flavour wise?
Avoids loss of most volatile aromas which often have a floral character
Encourage development of fruity flavours
Reduces oxygenation
What is Malolactic fermentation? MLF
It is the conversion of tart malic grape acids (also found in apples) into softer lactic acids (also found in milk)
It softens and reduces acidity and creates buttery flavours and produces CO2
When does Malolactic fermentation usually happen?
Once alcoholic fermentation has finished
What causes malolactic fermentation?
Lactic acid bacteria
They convert tart malic acid into softer lactic acids
What does Malolatic fermentation do to a wine?
It softens and reduces acidity as well as creating buttery flavours and producing CO2
How can Malolactic fermentation be encouraged?
Raising the temperate of the wine and by not adding SO2 after alcoholic fermentation
How can malolactic fermentation be avoided?
Through storage at cool temperatures, the use of SO2 or by filtering out the bacteria
Why is there debate about whether screw cap is suitable for wines destined for long bottle ageing?
They preserve fruit flavour longer than cork and therefore popular with winemakers looking to preserve primary aromas. The lack of oxygen transfer means there is still some debate about how well wines that are destined long bottle ageing mature under screw cap. Some screw caps now permit some oxygen transfer and research is ongoing
What are three post fermentation and maturation options for white wine?
Store in oak or inert vessels with or without the addition of oak staves or chips
Use fine lees to add texture and flavour
To allow or block Malolactic fermentation
What is the optimum temperature for white wine fermentation and why?
Between 12°C and 22°C
Too low and can fail to capture varietal fruit character and pear drop aromas can form
Too high can encourage more complex non fruit aromas to develop but varietal fruit character may be lost
Four reasons blending is used in white wines?
Consistency
enhance balance
add complexity
Create a certain style
Non aromatic varieties like Chardonnay wine make may use varying amounts of lees contact, MLF and oak treatment on different batches of wine that can be blended together to achieve a more complex style
Why would a winery use a centrifuge?
To speed up settling process as gravity takes a long ass time
It’s an expensive bit of kit but saves tying up valuable tank space for too long
What is unusual about how SB is made in Bordeaux’ Pessac-Léognan?
The wine is fermentation and matured un at least a proportion of oak giving a rounder body to the wine and spicy toast notes
It’s often blended with the non aromatic Sémillon grape which further adds to the body and richness of the wine
What’s the difference between Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé in the Loire Valley and SB from Marlborough NZ?
Cool climate of Loire will give aromas and flavours of green apple and asparagus often with a hint of wet pebbles
Marlborough is similarly cool but long hours of intense sunlight give wines with very vibrant flavours - powerful aromas of gooseberry, elderflower, grapefruit and passion fruit and some herbaceous notes
Why does Cool Climate Marlborough SB have more vibrant flavours than cool climate Sancerre /Pouilly Fumé in the Loire?
The powerful vibrant gooseberry, elderflower, grapefruit and passion fruit notes are due to long house of intense sunlight despite the cool climate
Which wine regions use wine marking techniques more associated with non aromatic varieties for SB?
Pessac-Léognan in Bordeaux - wine fermented and matured in some oak to give rounded body and toasty notes, often blended with non aromatic Sémillon which adds further richness and body to the wine
Fumé Blanc in California are also barrel fermented for creamy, spicy style - wines often matured on lees and undergo MLF and matured in some oak
Why is Riesling so suitable for cool climates?
Very tolerant of cold winters
Buds late so avoids spring frosts
Produces distinctive wines with green fruit flavours and floral notes in cool climes
Mid to late ripening so can stay on vine and accumulate sugar without losing natural acidity
What style of Riesling does Austria specialise in?
Dry Rieslings
Late harvest and botrytised sweet wines are only made when vintage conditions permit
Which two valleys with girls names in Australia are best known for their Riesling?
Clare and Eden Valley
They are often bone dry with refreshing high acidity and often have aromas of lime
Where is best known for making a fruity off dry steaks of Riesling?
New Zealand
Finger Lakes AVA NYS
What is a foudre?
A large old oak vessel oval shaped often used in Alsace for Riesling to allow a small amount of oxidation to take place to add complexity and texture without oak aromas
(Also used in Mosel)
Name two places in California known for premium Chardonnay?
Russian River Valley
Los Carneros
Name two places in NZ known for making premium Chardonnay?
Gisborne & Marlborough
Where in Chile has a reputation for premium Chardonnay?
Casablanca Valley
Name three places in Australia known for premium Chardonnay?
Adelaide Hills
Geelong
Mornington Peninsula
Where is the classic French region for Pinot Gris?
Alsace
What is the style of Alsace Pinot Gris?
Dry or off dry Often with an oily texture Ripe tropical fruit flavours Hint of ginger & honey Can be golden in colour due to deep colour of grape skins Medium acidity
Why can Alsace Pinot Gris sometimes have a golden colour?
As Pinot Gris grapes often have a deep colour
Where in Italy makes high quality Pinot Grigio in a dry style?
Alto Adige
Trentino
Friuli-Venezia
What difference does clone choice make in terms of style of Pinot Grigio?
High volume inexpensive Pinot Grigio from the Venetian tends to be produced from a clone known for its pale skin and large fleshy pulp that produces relatively neural wines when made with high yields and early harvested
The premium Pinot Grigios from northerly alpine regions of Italy (Trentino, Alto Aldine and Fruili-Venezia) are made from clones typically found in Germany and France and have smaller berries that are capable of greater flavour concentration and deep coloured skin
Why might a winemaker decided to use some solid matter in the grape juice before fermentation?
For added complexity and texture
When does pressing happening in white and red wine making relative to fermentation?
White - pre fermentation
Red - post fermentation
What is cold soaking or cold maceration?
Where winemakers leave crushed grapes to macerate for a period at a low temperature before fermentation
Why?
Extract colour and flavour compounds
Tannins are more soluble with alcohol so are not readily extracted during cold maceration
Why cold soak?
To extract colour and flavour compounds without tannin from crushed grapes prior to fermentation
What temperature is red wine fermentation?
20-32°C
Why are temperature higher during red wine fermentation than white wine?
To aid extraction of colour, flavour and tannin
Successful extraction of colour and tannin from skin is a key to red wine making
Why might a winemaker look to lower the temperature of red wine fermentation towards the end?
To extract colour and flavour and reduce extraction of tannin (soluable as alcohol levels rise)
What is a good way of reducing heat during fermentation?
Pumping over - rack & return
Are both good ways to dissipate heat
What is intercellular fermentation?
When berries ferment whole and create some alcohol in their cells without the involvement of any yeast - carbonic maceration, semi carbonic mace rations and whole bunches with crushed fruit ferments
What is a PDO?
Place of Designated Origin one of two EU quality categories - the other being Protected Geographical Indication (PDI)
What is AOP?
A French Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) - appellation d’Origine protégée (AOP)
What is IGP?
French for PGI is Indication Geographique protégée
What is the largest appellation region in France both in terms of volume and value?
Bordeaux
What benefit does the Gulf Stream ocean current bring to Bordeaux?
This warming ocean current extends the growing season
Spring frosts are rarely a problem
Grape ripening can continue well into October
What protects vineyards in Bordeaux from the worst of the Atlantic storms?
The Landes forest
Coastal sand dunes that lie to the west of the region
What potential issues can year round Atlantic rainfall bring to Bordeaux?
Can disrupt flowing and fruit set
Promote rot
Dilute flavours in grapes at harvest
Why can Cabernet Sauvignon reliable ripen in Haut Médoc, Bas Médoc and Graves?
High stone / gravel content of soils raised vineyard temperature to ensure Cabernet can reliably ripen
Why is Merlot planted in Saint Émilion and Pomerol?
Can successful grow on cooler clay soils found there where Cabernet Sauvignon would struggle to ripen
What are the factors that affect the price of wine?
Production costs - grape growing & wine making Packaging Transport, distribution and sales Taxes Retailers Market forces
What are some of the costs of grape growing?
Establishing the vineyard
Land, preparing the land, buying vines, trellising vines, waiting to bear fruit
Labour
Market forces
What are some of the winemaking costs that impact the price of wine?
Equipment - purchase and maintenance
Bottling facilities - shared or owned
Time kept before release - storage and maintenance
Cost of stock cash flow - and delay in being able to take a profit from the wine must be factored into the sales price
