Beverage Appreciation Quiz One

Vitis Vinifera

The species wine grapes come from

What is the difference between a wine grape and a regular table grape

(In terms of size, skin thickness, sugar, and acidity)

A wine grape:

• Smaller in Size

• Thicker skin

• High sugar

• High Acidity

A table grape:

• Larger in size

• Thin skin

• Lower Sugar

• Lower Acidity

What is in the skin of a grape

Tannins

Color

What 3 things are in the Pulp or Flesh of a grape?

Sugars

Acids

Water

Where do wine grapes originate from

The Caucus Mountains in Georgia

What is the difference between old world and new world wine

Old world wine is primarily European

New world wine comes from everywhere else

What is phylloxera

The wine louse responsible for nearly wiping out nearly all grapes in the 1860s

Who came up with a solution to solve phylloxera killing grape vines

T.V. Munson

What is the wine belt

The latitudes between 30 and 50 degrees North and South are ideal for growing grapes with the correct amount of sunlight, heat, and water.

What types of grapes are grown in cool climate regions

• Commonly white grapes

• Grapes higher in acidity

• Grapes lower in sugar

What types of grapes are grown in warm climate regions

• Commonly black grapes

• Grapes lower in acidity

• Grapes higher in sugar

• Grapes with riper flavors

What does vintage mean

the year that the grapes were harvested

What does non-vintage or NV mean

Wines are a blend of several vintages

A single-varietal wine

A wine made with mostly or only one grape variety

A wine blend

Made by blending several different varietal wines together

A field blend

Made with different varieties that are harvested and vinified together

What are the 3 different types of wines

Still

Sparkling

Fortified

What is a fortified wine and what is its ABV %

A fortified wine is a wine that has had extra alcohol added to it, in the form of a neutral high-strength grape spirit.

They typically have between 15-22% alcohol by volume

What are the 5 traits or structural characteristics that characterize wine

Body, Sweetness, Tannin, Acidity, Alcohol

Body

Body is the overall feel of a wine in your mouth

Full-bodied wines feel viscous and mouth-filling

Light-bodied wines feel more delicate

Sweetness (what causes sweetness? What types of wines have high/low sugar)

It is caused by the presence of residual sugar in the wine.

• Dry wines have no sugar or very low levels.

• Sweet wines have high levels of sugar

What is Residual sugar

The unfermented grape sugars left over in the wine after fermentation has completed.

Tannins (where do they come from, what do they do, and are they liked?)

• Tannin is a characteristic of red wines that comes from the skins of grapes

• Tannins are probably one of the least loved of all of wine’s traits

• Tannins cause your mouth to feel dry and taste bitter.

What’s the difference between higher acidity and lower acidity (Body, sweetness, described as tasting how?)

Higher acidity - taste lighter bodied and also less sweet; often described as tasting spicy, sharp, or too sour

lower acidity - taste fuller bodied and more sweet; often described as tasting flat, dull, soft, or flabby

In what way are sweetness and alcohol related?

The sweeter the grapes, the higher the potential alcohol

Low alcohol ABV

Anything below 11.5% ABV

Medium alcohol ABV

11.5% - below 13.5%

High alcohol ABV

13.5% and up

The majority of wines are between _________% ABV

11.5% and 14% abv

Warmer or colder regions produce riper grapes, which have the potential to make higher alcohol wines.

Warmer

What months is the wine harvest in the northern hemisphere

From late August to October or mid-November

What months is the wine harvest in the southern hemisphere

From February to April

As grapes ripen, what changes occur?(Sugar, acid, flavor, color, %…)

• grapes swell with water

• sugar levels rise

• acid levels fall

• flavors become riper

• grape skins change color

What is Botrytis

A fungus that can grow on ripe grapes, causing noble rot.

What are the conditions needed for noble rot

• ripe grapes

• damp, misty mornings

• warm, dry afternoons

What regions can you get ice wine

Germany, Austria, Canada, New York

With every ____ meters of rise in elevation, temperature drops by approximately one degree.

100

What is terroir? And the 4 components that create it?

What is reflected in the wine based on the tangible and intangible resources

climate

topogrogrophy

soil

human impact

What are the 4 principal white varieties (SRPGC)

o Chardonnay

o Sauvignon Blanc

o Pinot Grigio

o Riesling

What are the 4 principal red varieties (MPNSC)

o Cabernet Sauvignon

o Merlot

o Pinot Noir

o Syrah / Shiraz

What notes are in chardonnay, and where can you find the grape variety

apple, pineapple, lemon, peach, vanilla

France, California, Australia,

What notes are in sauvignon blanc, and where can you find the grape variety

apple, lemon, asparagus, green bell pepper

France, New Zealand

What notes are in Pinot Grigio, and where can you find the grape variety

pear, lemon

Italy

What notes are in Riesling, and where can you find the grape variety

Floral, lime, peach

Germany, France, Australia

What notes are in Cabernet Sauvignon, and where can you find the grape variety

Blackcurrant, Green Pepper, Mint, Vanilla

Grown in nearly every wine producing country

What notes are in Merlot, and where can you find the grape variety (why is it special)

Plum, Blackberry, Vanilla

Chile, California, France

Hollywood star, popularity went down because of movie Sideways

What notes are in Pinot Noir, and where can you find the grape variety (why is it special)

Strawberry, Red Cherry, Vanilla

France

Hollywood star, popularity rose after the movie Sideways, known as heartbreak grape because it's so difficult to grow.

What notes are in Syrah, and where can you find the grape variety

Blackberry, Vanilla, Black Pepper

Australia, France

What happens to yeast during fermentation

Yeast eats sugar and burps CO2 and pisses Ethynol

______ + ______ = Wine & heat & aromas and flavors & CO2

Grape sugar and yeast

Crushing

Splitting the grape skins to release some of the grape juice

Pressing

Crushed grapes are squeezed in a press in order to extract as much liquid as possible

Fermentation

Is the process used to create alcohol.

Storage or maturation

Once the alcoholic fermentation has finished, the newly made wine is stored for a period of time prior to bottling.

Packaging

Glass bottles are still the most popular form of packaging. Bag-in-box, plastic bottles and bricks (such as Tetra Pak) are other options.

Foudre

A wine vessel that stores (large) 1000+ liters

Barrique

A wine vessel that stores (small) 225 liters

What material can winery vessels be made from

Wood

Stainless steal

Concrete

What does oxidation do during barrel aging?

Causes color change in wine:

White => darken from pale yellow to gold,

Red => tend to lighten in color

What textural and flavor changes may happen when barrel aged

The wine is softened

Flavors from the barrel are imparted to the wine (vanilla, oak, toast, spice, coconut

What is the process of creating white wine

What is the process for creating red wine

What is the process for creating Rose wines

What are the two methods for creating sparkling wine

Traditional method (bottle fermentation)

Tank method (Charmat method)

What are the steps to Traditional method (bottle fermentation)

What is liqueur de tirage

A precise mixture of still wine, sugar, and yeast added to blended base wines immediately before bottling to induce the secondary fermentation

What is riddling

The slow turning of a bottle upside down to move sediment to the neck for removal

What is a gyropalette

A gyropalette is an automated mechanical device used in riddling to simultaneously rotate and tilt hundreds of bottles to consolidate yeast sediment into the neck for disgorgement

Who is Madame Clicquot

The creator of riddling

What is a wine fault

When the characteristics of the wine are not as the grape grower or winemaker would have intended them to be.

What causes a wine fault?

Unhealthy grapes

stressed yeast

too much or too little oxygen during winemaking

Unclean winemaking equipment

faulty enclosure

poor shipping and storage conditions

What is cork taint

• Caused by the chemical TCA (Thrichloroanisole)

• If the wine smells strongly of wet cardboard, wet dog, or a musty cellar, your wine is corked

• Severe concern

Failure of closure

• If a closure allows unwanted oxygen to interact with a wine, the wine will oxidize

• The wine will appear browner than it should be

• It may have aromas of honey, caramel, or coffee, and will lack freshness and fruitines

• Medium concern

Heat Damage

• If a wine is stored in conditions that are too hot, in direct sunlight, or under bright artificial lights, it will become damaged

• The wine can lose its freshness quickly and lack the expected fruity character.

• Severe concern

Volatile Acidity

• If the wine smells sharply of vinegar or nail polish remover, it is likely to suffer from volatile acidity.

• Medium concern

Legally how much volatile acidity can a wine have

1.2 g/L

Brettanomyces or “Brett”

• “Barnyard,” “horsey” and “feral” are typical aroma descriptors.

• Medium concern

Wine diamonds or sediment

• Little crystals or dark colored sediment in the bottom of the bottle or attached to the enclosure.

• You can use a decanter to fix this

• No cause for concern

What is California’s climate

• warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

• warm climate

What is New Zealand’s climate

• cool summers, mild winters, and cool nights even during peak heat, which preserves high acidity and freshness in the grapes.

• cool climate

What are some examples of wines made using the Charmat method

Sekt from Germany

Prosecco and Asti from Italy